It's been five years since two elderly women were killed in their Suitland, Maryland, flower store and now their friends and family are a step closer to seeing justice done.

After nearly five long years, the sign beckoning customers to Suitland Florist faded, but the pain hadn't for Lula Herring. "I come and I goes. But it still here in my heart, and I can't take it!"

Beginning Wednesday, the double murder trial gets underway of 25-year-old Adam Neal of Southeast Washington. He's charged with fatally stabbing the two elderly women during a robbery at the store in September of 2003.

The owner, 76-year-old Mary Frances McDonald, had worked 50 years to buy her own shop. Madeline Thompson, 73, was McDonald's longtime friend and employee. It took a long time for police to track down a suspect.

In a dumpster near the victim's abandoned car, police found a blood soaked t-shirt bearing the words "Class of 2003."

Eventually, a DNA match from a federal database led police to Neal. At the time, he was behind bars in Alexandria (web|news) for burglary and auto theft. Now he faces murder charges and people say it's about time.

"They oughta give him the chair, I'd give him the electric chair. That's what they oughta bring back," said Paul Colins.

"Death. Point-blank. Death. He's an animal. He should die," said Lula Herring.

The flower shop has a new owner, but that area has the same problems. Late Monday night, another shop owner was grazed in the head by a bullet during an attempted robbery.

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