Dr. William Petit to Marry Avon Photographer

After over a year of trials for the two men that invaded his Cheshire home in July 2007, set fire to it and killed his wife and daughters, the close of 2011 also brought good news for lone survivor Dr. William Petit Jr., who got engaged just after Christmas, his mother, Barbara Petit, told The Hartford Courant.

His soon-to-be bride is Avon-based photographer Christine Paluf, who, as the newspaper reported, has photographed many of the Petit Family Foundation events. She specializes in portraits, weddings, headshots, events, marketing or web imagery, commercial and product photography, according to her website, www.palufoto.com.

"I believe we look at photographs to feel; to experience old memories, to dream.... but to go back on some level. Or to move forward," Paluf wrote in the biography section of her website.

The Petit Family Foundation was created in 2007 in memory of his late wife, Jennifer Lynn Hawke-Petit and daughters, Hayley Elizabeth Petit, then 17, and Michaela Rose Petit, then 11, "to help with the education of young people, help those affected by chronic illness and help and protect those affected by violence," according to the organization's website.

The date of Petit and Paluf's wedding is unknown at this time.

The couple is not currently available for an interview, as they are taking some much needed time to themselves, Rick Healey, who is handling media inquiries on their behalf, wrote to Patch in an e-mail.

was sentenced to the death penalty Dec. 9, 2011, after his conviction in October and his co-defendent is on death row after his sentencing last year, ABC World News reported in December 2011.