GREECE, N.Y. — New details are emerging surrounding the murder of a woman in Greece, who was found dead in her home last week.

Police say Ottilia Piros, 36, was shot and killed by her own daughter, Hannah Thomas, and Thomas' boyfriend.

Investigators have not released information about a potential motive.

Now Thomas, 17, and her boyfriend Richard Avila, 16, are charged with second-degree murder, according to police.

Authorities say the two teenagers were found in the victim's car, with the alleged murder weapon, after being pulled over for speeding on a Missouri highway.  

In an exclusive interview with Spectrum News, Piros' family says Thomas was herself a victim. They say she was caught up in a chilling situation that captured national attention several years ago.

Her birth father, Shawn Doane, says he and his wife, Piros, lost custody of Thomas when she was 6-years-old. He says Thomas then endured years of extreme physical and mental abuse.

Reporter Wendy Wright spoke with Doane in person.

"So who is this woman, tell me about this?" asked Wright, pointing to a picture on Doane's cell phone.

"This is her foster mother," Doane said.

"Hannah's foster mother?" asked Wright.

"Yes, her and her foster dad were charged with abuse,” Doane said. “That's just a little bit, you know what my daughter went through growing up. Very hard life and unfortunately, this is what it led to.”

The family alleges Thomas was one of the young girls caught up in a horrific case of abuse in Peoria, Arizona at the hands of adoptive parents. It's a story that was national news in 2014.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office reports that Kimery Jorg was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of child abuse involving her adopted daughters. Johann Jorg pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.  

Doane says his daughter was also born with a different name.

"Her name was Krystiana Doane, but when she got adopted, they changed her name to Hannah," said Doane.

"So her name is Krystiana Doane? When is the last time you saw her?" Wright asked.

“Christmas,” Doane responded.

“So you did see her? How was she?" Wright asked.

“She was awesome, she gave me a hug, gave my mother a Christmas gift," said Doane.

Doane says everything seemed normal on Christmas Day. However, he does believe his daughter remains troubled from the many years she suffered what’s described by authorities as horrific child abuse.

“And that’s something terrible for a child to have to go through," said Doane. "Like I said, it’s not an excuse for what happened, but I think it does have to be looked at. You know she has a lot of mental issues that didn’t, wasn’t addressed.”

According to Doane, he was in jail when the family lost custody of Thomas. He says Piros moved to Arizona with his daughter where authorities removed her from Piros' care and placed her in foster care. 

Doane says he does not know all the details as to why Piros lost custody, but he does say that he petitioned the court for custody when he got out of jail and was denied by a judge.

Doane says he is separated but still married to Piros. He says she was loved by many. 

Doane was among the many family members and friends who honored her life at a vigil Wednesday evening. They gathered outside of Piros' home on West Parkway in Greece to console each other, light candles, and release balloons.

Doane says he misses his wife but also supports his daughter and plans to attend all of the court appearances.

Could these circumstances make a difference in the case?

If Thomas lived through trauma, a defense attorney will likely look very closely at the details of what took place.

Spectrum News has contacted the authorities in Arizona for more information and is waiting to hear back.