Susan Murphy-Milano...

In an upscale area this past week a mother and her 7 year old daughter were gunned down in their vehicle of the mall parking lot during a robbery.  The gunman didn't have to kill them, but he did.  Her daughter Joey would have turned eight years old on Monday. Please take extra precautions this holiday season.  It could just save your live.

Pay attention. Be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Get your keys out while you're still inside of the store. A shopper who's juggling bags and a purse while fumbling for keys is a prime mark for criminals.

Leave that damm cell phone in your pocket. Don't talk at all to anyone on your cellphone. A shopper distracted by a conversation becomes easy prey.

Ask security guards for help. If you're carrying too many bags or feel unsafe, ask for an escort to your car.

If it is available Valet park. If you're worried about going to your car alone at night, pay the $5.

VIDEO 

W. BOCA RATON, FLORIDA

Perhaps it was because Nancy Bochicchio had her only child late in life. Or maybe it was because she was a single mom that she built her life around Joey.

She clung to her daughter, brought her everywhere she went, spent so much time with her that their two personalities virtually blended into one. Joey, 7, was mild-mannered yet outgoing. She was mature beyond her years.

"Joey was Nancy. That was her mold," said Timmy McCurdy, a family friend. "They weren't even like mother and daughter. They were sisters."

Like always, the two were together last week at Town Center at Boca Raton when the unthinkable happened: They were tied up, shot and killed in Bochicchio's SUV parked outside Sears. The city of Boca Raton is offering $350,000 to solve the crime.

Police offered no new details Saturday, but friends and neighbors provided new insight into Bochicchio and Joey's devoted relationship.

McCurdy, an investor at Cafe D'Angelo, was set to dress up as Santa Claus for Joey's eighth birthday party Saturday. Joey, who was named for Bochicchio's father, would have turned 8 on Monday.

As she did every year, Bochicchio planned a perfect day for Joey. About 25 of the second-grader's friends were to attend, along with 25 adults. Instead, the only person to show up was the disc jockey, who hadn't heard the news.

Bochicchio, 47, came to Florida from New York and worked in finance. Bochicchio's mother lived with her and Joey in a two-story home west of Boca Raton until she died last year. The three were inseparable, with Bochicchio and her mother as close as Joey and Bochicchio were.

"She always wanted that kid," McCurdy said of Bochicchio's desire to have a child. McCurdy met the two when Joey was still in a baby carrier.

Everyone knew Joey at Cafe D'Angelo, where Bochicchio brought her daughter once or twice a week.

Considering Joey spent so much time with her mother and other adults, the little girl adopted a sophisticated taste for foods such as clams.

Bochicchio took her daughter to golf lessons and cheerleading. If Mom had a meeting for work, Joey was there, too. Bochicchio and her ex-husband, Phillip Hauser, were separated three years before they divorced in December 2006.

"Wherever Nancy went, so was Joey," McCurdy said.

The two went to bed by 8:30 p.m., though Bochicchio left the light on in the living room all night, a neighbor said. They woke early, around 6 a.m. so Bochicchio could get to work and Joey to school at St. Jude Catholic School west of Boca Raton.

At the 5 p.m. Mass Saturday, church leaders invoked their names, with Joey called a "beautiful angel," in sorrowful remembrance. The choir's Christmas concert will be dedicated to the pair.

Church officials did not have details about their funeral. The Rev. Richard Champigny spoke about the loss and its shattering effect on their community and the city during his homily.

"I imagine everyone knows of the tragedy, the brutal murder that has left our whole parish in shock," Champigny said. "Many tears have already been shed and there will be more shed."

Anger, fear, confusion and doubt are surely being felt, he said, but Bochicchio and Joey are "in the hands of the Lord."

"Their suffering has ended," he said. "They are in peace."

Their home Saturday night was still, though neighbors said people were coming in and out of their corner house for the first time. Bochicchio and Joey would often stay outside, gardening or walking their dog. John Maciel, who lives across the street, said it's hard to see the house so dark.

"She was a super mom," he said. "She was always caring for Joey, never yelling or shouting."

Three weeks ago, Maciel and Bochicchio spent two hours outside talking. She told him that Joey was the most important thing in her life and she never dated because she didn't think it would be safe for Joey to have a man in their house.

Police have been asking neighbors if anyone had been around Bochicchio and Joey's house recently, Maciel said.

"She would have told me if she was in danger," he said. "It is so sad. We are in shock and don't know what to think. To me, it's evil to think anyone would kill a child in a robbery."

Police have enlisted the help of the FBI's storied Behavioral Science Unit in the search for a killer who bound a woman and her 8-year-old daughter and shot them to death outside the Town Center mall on Wednesday.

The team of specialists, which has been depicted in books, movies and TV shows, is one of several resources investigators are drawing on.

Joey Bochicchio-Hauser

Boca Raton police

Composite drawing of suspect
Boca Raton Police say they are seeking information about a "person of interest" in the double-homicide. He is described as a white or Hispanic man, between 18 and 25 years old. He stands between 5-foot-10 and 6 feet, has a medium build, and could have a ponytail. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (561) 338-1352 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-8477.
• See the reward flier (PDF)