Endless pain for triple-homicide victims' kin

JESSICA NUNEZ returns regularly to the scene of her living nightmare.

She did so yesterday.

The nightmare began Sept. 6, when her parents and aunt were shot to death in front of her and her sister during a robbery at the West Philly grocery store her father owned.

Nunez, 20, said she has since returned to the store, Lorena's Grocery, at 50th and Parrish streets, to help keep it running.

"They worked hard for 11 years and I'm not going to let this go," she said, standing in front of the store yesterday.

"I'm going to be here and I'm going to take care of everything."

Although the store was closed, Nunez and dozens of her relatives gathered there with city officials and Commissioner Charles Ramsey to call for renewed interest in the unsolved triple homicide of Nunez's father, Porfirio, her mother, Juana, and her aunt, Lina Sanchez.

Ramsey said the killings were "one of the most heinous crimes" to take place in Philadelphia in "quite some time." He said police are following leads but need more help from the public. The Citizens Crime Commission is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

"These guys are still on the street. They will rob again. They will probably kill again," Ramsey said. "I doubt this was a onetime event. Guys like this don't do it once and retire."

Two black men, one about 6 feet and the other about 5 feet 5 and stocky, burst into the store shortly before 8 p.m. as Porfirio Nunez was getting ready to close.

The robbers shot the victims multiple times. All three died at the scene. Jessica Nunez and her sister, Laura, 17, who also were in the store, were spared.

Lina Sanchez's son, Jazish, 29, was in the apartment above the store when he heard the gunshots. After calling 9-1-1, he ran to his mother's side.

She was still conscious. She nodded when he asked if she could hear him as he wiped the blood from her face with a napkin.

"I'm in pain," he said. "It is very hard for me. Very hard."

As for Jessica Nunez, her living nightmare continues, too.

"It is a nightmare. I haven't realized anything yet. It's like I wake up and think they're on vacation," she said. "It's hard to know your parents are not here and you don't have no one that can take care of you when you're sick or when you need something.

"It's really hard."

Tipsters are asked to call the police tip line at 215-686-8477.