Families of murder victims from across Massachusetts gathered Monday to open the headquarters of a victims support group named for a high school student who was stabbed to death by Willie Horton in 1974. ``The ordeal my family has endured has brought us together with other families of murder victims,'' Donna Fournier Cuomo said in opening the Joey Fournier Victim Services' office across from the Statehouse. The group provides free counseling to relatives of murder victims and plans to lobby for legislation to change the criminal justice system. Cuomo, the group's founder and executive director, was Fournier's sister. Fournier, a 17-year-old vocational high school student, was stabbed, stuffed in a trash can and left to die by Horton. The case of Horton, who escaped while on furlough from prison and attacked a Maryland couple, became a highly publicized issue during the 1988 presidential campaign. Then-candidate George Bush used it to criticize Gov. Michael S. Dukakis' record on crime. Joey Fournier Victim Services already offers counseling in Lawrence in the northeastern section of the state, where Fournier grew up, and wants to open centers in other sections of Massachusetts. About 20 to 30 people attended Monday's opening, including Duane and Phyllis Hotchkiss of Saugus, whose 19-year-old son Brian was slain in 1989 in Lynn. ``I'm determined that our son's death is not going to be in vain,'' said Hotchkiss, who donated $100 to the group. The group needs to raise another $100,000, said Cuomo, who would not say how much has been raised. Counseling ordinarily costs about $100 a session, but not everybody can afford it and not all health insurance plans cover it, said Cuomo. Cuomo's voice wavered as she read the names of victims whose families were present. ``One tragic result of violent crime is the lasting effect it has on the victim's family. I know my family will never be the same,'' said Cuomo, who is no relation to New York Gov. Mario Cuomo. In addition to offering counseling, the headquarters will serve as the center for a coalition of victim support groups, including Parents of Murdered Children, the Young Adult Sibling Group and Victims for Victims. The Joey Fournier group has already introduced bills to repeal the state's criminal records law, which shields criminal records from public scrutiny. The organization also has submitted legislation to limit the governor's powers to commute sentences and another measure to require ``truth in sentencing'' so that convicted criminals will actually serve the time of their sentence.
