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Posted on Wed,Apr. 14, 2004
Oprah salutes a remarkable story
Amanda Heu has risen above a family tragedy to become a police officer.
BY MARA H.GOTTFRIED
Pioneer Press
Police are like family.
So when Amanda Heu's family was destroyed almost four years ago when her father murdered her mother,the St. Paul Police
Department brought the 18-year-old into the fold, supporting her while she raised her younger sisters.
Today, it's official.
With her mother's death as the catalyst,Amanda Heu becomes a St. Paul police officer. Her accomplishments also are being
honored in another way: Next week she will receive an award for bravery on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Marie Heu's death at the hands of her estranged husband pushed her daughter to pursue police work, but it wasn't the sole
reason.The St. Paul Police Department became like family to Amanda, 21, and her sisters after Marie Heu, a civilian employee of
the department,was murdered. Her mother's co-workers helped her move, raised money and showered Amanda Heu with
support and guidance.
In her work with the police department as a civilian employee,Amanda Heu has offered the real-life experience of her mother's
story to officers training on domestic violence issues.
But as Amanda Heu becomes a rookie cop,she's faced with a dilemma —though she knows her story is extraordinary, she feels
uncomfortable receiving too much attention as she starts her career. For that reason,Amanda Heu and the St. Paul Police
Department,at Amanda Heu's request, declined to comment for this article.
Capt. Jim McDonald met Amanda Heu when the Eagan Police Department was investigating the murder.
"You kind of knew she had a lot of strong will to be able to adopt her two sisters, but to go on to make career for herself, in light
of her father killing her mother—she persevered," he said. "A lot of people would have given up."
It was August 2000 that Eagan police were called to the Heu home and arrived to find Marie Heu dead. She had been shot in the
abdomen and chest.
Marie Heu had an order of protection against Fu Joseph Heu, her estranged husband. When he came to her home that night,
Amanda Heu's cousin told Fu Joseph Heu to leave, but he came back in through another door, McDonald said.
Fu Joseph Heu was convicted of second-degree intentional murder and is serving a 32-year prison term.
The relationship between Marie and Fu Joseph Heu was a violent one, McDonald said.
He had been arrested two months before the murder for threatening Marie Heu with a knife and later violating the order of
protection against him.
When Marie Heu was killed,Amanda Heu gained custody of her sisters, then 8 and 13, and set up house with them. She joined
the St. Paul Police Department in December 2000 and became a community liaison officer. Her language skills-- English, French,
Spanish and Hmong— made her especially equipped for the job.
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Oprah salutes a remarkable story Page 2 of 2
All the while,Amanda Heu was attending Hamline University, continuing her plans to go to college despite her mother's death.
Amanda Heu is one of four women chosen to receive a "chutzpah" award from television talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Chutzpah
is a Yiddish word that Winfrey describes as "boldness, courage, guts, and nerve."
The producers at Harpo Productions felt Amanda Heu's experience — overcoming her mother's murder, raising her sisters and
completing the police academy — deserved an award for bravery and courage.
She'll be presented with a sculpture in the shape of an "0" when the show airs Tuesday.
McDonald, the Eagan police captain, thinks Amanda Heu made the best of a bad situation.
"How many people would do that?" he said. "A lot of people would go into a shell. Early on, before the murder, she drove her
mother to the police department to report what was happening with her father. You could tell she was a person with a lot of
integrity. This really made her grow up fast."
FYI
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" airs in the Twin Cities at 4 p.m. on WCCO-TV. The show that features Amanda Heu is scheduled to air
Tuesday.
Mara H, Gottfried can be reached at mgottfriedCa)pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5262.
0 2004 Pioneer Press and wire service sources.All Rights Reserved.
http://www.twincities.com
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