BOSTON (WHDH) -- It has been one year since Richard Nunez’s wife was found murdered inside her Mattapan apartment, their baby boy was in the next room at the time.

Nunez spoke to 7News on Friday about the crime and the long road ahead for his family. He says Thiego was and is still traumatized

"Because he was there when his mother was murdered,” said Nunez. “He heard his mom fighting for her life.”

Thiego Nunez, 2, is severely disabled and is receiving medical treatment at Children’s Hospital -- Nunez has taken over the job his wife had come to Boston to do while she was finding her family a home.

Nunez spoke out for the first time since his wife was raped and strangled. Nunez’s teenage daughter is the one who found their mother, 34-year-old Mirielle Camilo.

He said the family’s loss coupled with 24-hour care for Thiego makes life hard.

“After this happened, my daughter, she never want to return to the U.S. because she had a big trauma and she had big concerns,” said Nunez.

Yet, Nunez’s daughter and her younger brother will arrive soon to help their father care for the little boy.

They have very little. The furniture in the apartment is donated. But, they have made good friends, have strong faith, and Nunez’s patriotism runs deep. He has hung an American flag in his house to remind himself of this country's goodness

" I don’t have how to pay the people from America. I going to pay with my knowledge to teach kids to play baseball, soccer, swimming when I get documents because I owe something to the American people,” said Nunez.

His love for baseball is what introduced him to so many of the friends he now has in Massachusetts. He was at a local baseball game when he started talking to people. When they heard his story they rallied around him and are now with him on his journey. So, too is his wife. He says he's felt her presence many times and that he goes to all the hearings regarding her murder. The suspect, a man living in the building, was eventually arrested and is currently awaiting trial.

“She paid, we paid, a high price to be here, but I have to follow what she began. I’m never going to give up. I’m never going to quit,” said Nunez.

Camilo and Nunez are from the Dominican Republic. His children were born in the United States. Nunez said he has lawyers working at getting him his papers so he can stay in the U.S.

Here are more photos of Thiego and his father: