24 days ago
Mary Capozzi, the mother of Anthony Capozzi, whose faith never wavered during her son's 22 year wrongful imprisonment, passed away Sunday.
Mrs. Capozzi had been in poor health recently, and died of congestive heart failure at the age of 78.
She passed away at Buffalo General Hospital with her family at her side.
In 1985, Anthony Capozzi was arrested and charged with three of the Delaware Park rapes.
His mother was in tears as he was being led away from their West Side home.
In 2007 she recounted that day, "He said don't worry ma, I'll be back, I'll be back.
For 22 years, Mary Capozzi had a hole in her heart and a hole in her family.
"When you have five kids and there's only four there, there's something missing," she said in 2007.
During her son's long imprisonment, Mrs. Capozzi never lost faith in her son, or in God.
From the day Anthony was arrested, Mrs. Capozzi prayed everyday at Holy Angels Church.
Scott Brown: "What were you praying for?"
Mary Capozzi: "For my son, to give him peace of mind and heart."
Scott Brown: "Would you say 'bring my son home?'"
Mary Capozzi: "Yes, before I die and close my eyes for good let me have my son home free."
In 2007, her husband Al remembered those years by saying, "Her faith kept me going, and that's what kept us all going."
In March of 2007, Mrs. Capozzi's prayers were answered when DNA tied Altemio Sanchez to the Delaware Park rapes that Anthony had been convicted of.
The day Anthony was exonerated by District Attorney Frank Clark, Mrs. Capozzi said, "I was afraid I might not live to see this, 'I said please God just let me be here so I can see my son home and out of that prison which he didn't belong in day one.'"
Scott Brown: "Had you ever lost faith?"
Mary Capozzi: "Never, never I will never lose faith."
And a few weeks later, 22 years after Anthony told his mother he'd be back, he really was back.
The Capozzis celebrated Easter Sunday together for the first time since 1985.
"That was God's way of saying to my mother 'I heard you and the Blessed Mother' and it happened about the same time that her son resurrected," daughter Pam Guenther said at the time.
Scott Brown: "Is it as good as you imagined or better?"
Mary Capozzi: "Better Scott, believe me. When you actually see it you can't express it, you can't because it's just beautiful, beautiful," she said that Easter Sunday.
Scott Brown: "Do you think that was part of the plan that you got him for Easter?"
Mary Capozzi: "That's right. It was Holy Week."
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