FRANKLIN — Tammy Perreault sat in the courtroom Tuesday, clutching a photo of her late son, Brian Wiggin, as she waited for her ex-boyfriend to face a murder charge for causing her son's death.

“I don't know how I'm going to react when I see him,” Perreault said of Bruce Watson, 46.

Perreault said she devoted her life to the needs of her son, left blind and quadriplegic after being shaken by Watson as a baby. Brian Wiggin was 18 when he died in 2008.

Perreault said Wiggin's older brother, Charles, who is now in his 20s, helped with his care.

“I gave him the best life I could give him,” she said. “It was hard because he couldn't move and we had to feed him, and he was blind. But I loved him so much.”

She recalled strolling with Brian, and said though he couldn't do much, he was able to enjoy life.

“He used to love to laugh, especially when I made his brother shut up,” she said, smiling through a steady flow of tears.

After her son died, an autopsy performed by Dr. Thomas Andrew, the state's chief medical examiner, showed more than his cause of death, she said.

“In the autopsy they said his skin looked good, and he had been well taken care of,” she said. “That made me feel a little better.”

After Watson's arraignment, Perreault met with reporters briefly outside the courtroom.

“It hasn't sunk in yet,” she said. “I'm very happy now. Karma seems to have come back on (Watson).”

She was asked what she'll remember about her late son.

“He was a beautiful boy who had big brown eyes. He loved numerous things. He loved rap music, and he loved to laugh.”

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