The ex-boyfriend of slain New Cassel mom Joanna Bird was indicted for her murder Monday, much to the relief of her family.

Bird?s family members say they watched as Leonardo Valdez-Cruz got away kidnapping her and beating her earlier this year and don?t want it to happen again. Valdez-Cruz was charged for allegedly trying to stuff Bird into the trunk of his car at gunpoint in January. Prosecutors say they dropped the charges when Bird refused to testify in front of the grand jury.

Family members say the ex-boyfriend harassed and threatened Bird in the days before he allegedly stabbed her to death in March. They also say police should have arrested him then, but didn?t.

Bird?s mother Sharon Dorsett says she?s very happy Valdez-Cruz was indicted.

?I just wish that it had been sooner because my daughter would have been here today,? Dorsett says. ?I want him to stay in jail for the rest of his life.?

Valdez-Cruz will likely be arraigned on the indictment next week. He is being held without bail at the Nassau County jail. The indictment against him is expected to be unsealed in the next day or so.