A year after 80-year-old Nancy Dailey was killed in her Royal Oak home, friends and family will hold a candlelight vigil to honor her.

The Woodwardside Neighborhood Association organized the vigil, set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, at the Nancy Dailey Memorial Garden located at the intersection of Bembridge and Essex in Royal Oak. 

"Family and friends are getting together on the one year anniversary of Nancy's death to remember her life," said City Commissioner Jim Rasor.

On Nov. 20, 2011, broke, homeless and struggling with drug addiction, Alan Wood and Tonia Watson - both parole absconders - broke into Dailey’s home where they robbed and Wood brutally beat and then killed her, according to Royal Oak Police tesitmony.

Police Chief Corrigan O'Donohue didn't mince words when he recognized members of the Criminal Investigation Division in June for their efforts in handling the Dailey homicide.

"I personally witnessed the intensity of the work of our people as they followed up on every lead to resolve this case that shook the fabric of our community," O'Donohue told city commissioners.

There is a tremendous amount of forensic evidence in the case—nail clippings, a washcloth with traces of blood on it, a blue scarf used to bind Dailey's arms, a knife encased in dirt that was removed from the median of Woodward Avenue and clothing belonging to the defendants. 

A year later, Watson and Wood both await trials.

“The more evidence, the slower it goes,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper in an October interview.

Rasor, who is an attorney, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Dailey's family against the Michigan Department of Correction that accuses the agency of not properly supervising Watson and Wood when they were parolees.