She’s speaking out now, ahead of an upcoming state Assembly hearing over her proposed bill, which seeks full death pension benefits for the orphaned children.
In the split-second that the bullet was fired from gunman Alex Brooks’ weapon and into Familia’s head, Villella, then 20, became a single mother to Peter and Delilah — her 12-year-old siblings, now adopted children.
For eight years, the singleton has dutifully parented the twins — schlepping them to doctors’ appointments, pulling homework all-nighters, hosting birthday parties, enrolling them in college — with a smile on her face, despite having sacrificed her own promising future.
She’d just been thrust into instant motherhood with no full-time job, no money and no lifelong access to Familia’s death pension benefits.
“Everyone thinks that the children [of an NYPD officer] are taken care of and protected,” groaned Villella, whose mother served on the force for 12 years. “But the law, as it stands, is extremely discriminatory and punitive against orphaned children of first responders who die in the line of duty.”
She chose not to disclose the monetary value of Familia’s pension for privacy purposes.
However, surviving relatives of a cop killed in the line of duty are eligible to receive half of the officer’s final compensation, Special Accidental Death Benefits (SAD), the city’s Increased-Take-Home Pay (ITHP) — a percentage of an employee’s salary toward their pension — health and union benefits, at least $10,000 from the Police Relief Fund, and more, per NYC.gov.
Currently, those are exclusively awarded to the parents or spouses of fallen first-responders for life. Orphaned kids can only receive the funds until age 21. The law extends the age limit to 23, but only if the child is in college.
As it stands, Peter and Delilah — now 20 and juniors at an in-state university, studying finance and psychology, respectively — will be barred from receiving the support by 2028.
Her bill, sponsored by State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx) and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), was passed in the Senate earlier this year. It was also greenlit by the City Council, which unanimously voted to approve a required letter of support.
The Assembly ultimately nixed the proposal as too costly, but it will be reintroduced during New York’s legislative session in early 2026.
