Florida Divorce * Child Custody * Domestic Violence Law Lawyer | Boca Raton

Girlfriend has injunction for protection against domestic violence entered against Boyfriend.

Boyfriend allegedly violates order of protection multiple times, showing up at Girlfriend’s home, calling her and threatening her.

Boyfriend is arrested for torturing Girlfriend’s cat and several counts of first degree criminal contempt for violating domestic violence restraining order. Boyfriend is held without bail.

From jail, Boyfriend calls his aunt.

And Boyfriend tells her that, upon his release, he will put five bullets into a gun, one meant for Girlfriend, one for each of Girlfriend’s two children, one for himself and one extra.

Boyfriend has previously been convicted of four felonies and of eighteen misdemeanors, including attempted assault, three times, attempted burglary and aggravated criminal contempt.

Boyfriend faces incarceration for twenty-five years to life if convicted of the current charges.

Read more in this [Rochester, NY] Democrat and Chronicle article: Alleged threats cause bail denial.

Mother and Father have Baby together.

Mother and Father split up.

Mother obtains injunction for protection against domestic violence from Father.

During Father’s timesharing with Baby, Baby becomes “unresponsive” and subsequently dies.

Mother believes Father is responsible for Baby’s death.

Case is still under investigation.

Father allegedly violates domestic violence restraining order, when he goes to memorial service for Baby.

Then Mother is stabbed to death.

Police suspect Father.

Father reportedly violates order of protection again during that incident.

Father has previously served fourteen years in prison.

The judge set Father’s bail at $1,000.

Read more in this [Tampa] WTSP TV 10 news article: Father of Laura Taft’s baby suspected in her murder and this [Tampa] Bay News 9 TV news article: Laura Taft murder suspect reportedly on suicide watch.

Seemingly ordinary California family, if a bit large.

Six biological children.

Three children adopted from Africa.

Homeschooled.

Fundamentalist Christians.

The folks next door.

Until one of their children, 7 years old, dies of cardiac arrest.

And, it turns out, two of their other children have serious injuries and conditions, including kidney failure.

The dead girl mispronounced a word while reading her lesson aloud.

Parents are arrested on charges of murder, felony torture and misdemeanor cruelty to a child. In other words, child abuse.

Children are taken into protective custody by child welfare agency.

Parents have no prior arrests or child protective services investigations records.

Parents allegedly use a punishment device advocated by a well-known Christian fundamentalist couple holding themselves out as child-rearing experts.

Parents have retained separate counsel.

Read more in this Chico [CA] News Review article: Child-abuse case shines light on Paradise couple.

I previously posted about the recently emerging medical specialty of child abuse pediatrics in Progressive? Advanced Study and Training in Child Abuse Emerges.

Since then, physicians have taken the board certification examination and 183 have become the first diplomates in child abuse pediatrics.

The Oklahoma physician who spearheaded recognition of this area of specialization believes this training will cause false allegations to break down and will facilitate building legal cases to address legitimate claims.

Discrediting false allegations keeps sound families intact.

Just in Tulsa County, twelve hundred kids are treated each year for child abuse, with two hundred of them being admitted to hospitals.

In the state of Oklahoma, the annual cost of child abuse and neglect is over $270 million for foster care and medical and psychological treatment.

Nationwide, approximately six million children each year are reported to be abused.

Read more in this Tulsa World article: OU-Tulsa pediatrics educator behind new child-abuse subspecialty.

Good question. Incapable of being answered accurately.

Certainly, domestic violence restraining orders tend to help the people who get them.

Tend to help.

The people who get them.

But lots of domestic abuse victims are too terrified to ever consider seeking one.

For instance, eighty-seven percent of New York City’s victims of “family-related” deaths last year did not have an injunction for protection against domestic violence against their abuser.

Even those victims of abuse who are brave enough to seek protection on a temporary basis often lose their nerve for making it last, after their abuser finds out about it. Such temporary orders of protection expire quickly.

Even where the abuse victim is brave enough to ask for protection at a full hearing, the Court will not always issue one for one reason or another.

Even where all of the above hurdles are overcome, sometimes it is very, very difficult to personally serve the abuser with a domestic violence restraining order.

That happens more frequently than you might imagine. At best, this can drag the entire process out and wear the victim (and his or her finances) down. At worst, the abuser cannot be served timely enough and the order of protection expires.

Last year a woman obtained a temporary injunction for protection against domestic violence against a top aide to New York State’s governor. The aide could not be served in compliance with applicable legal requirements (or he was but that was never communicated to the victim).

And then there are the cases where the abuser disregards the order of protection.

Clearly, injunctions for protection against domestic violence leave room for improvement.

Read more in this New York Times article: Case Revives Debate Over Protection Orders.

French Husband and American Wife divorce in France, where Husband, Wife and Son have been living.

Husband and Wife enter agreement that Son will live with Husband in France.

Wife has timesharing with Son in US for last year’s Christmas holiday. Wife is expected to send Son back to France on January 3rd of this year.

But Wife keeps Son with her.

Husband files for Son’s return to France under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

In a Colorado trial court, Wife alleges that Husband perpetrated domestic violence against her in Son’s presence and that Son appears to be the victim of emotional abuse by Husband.

Wife also contends that Husband had her institutionalized in France to coerce her into divorce and into agreeing to give Husband custody of Son.

Husband does not deny these allegations. Husband’s position appears to be that they are irrelevant.

The trial court disagrees … and appoints a therapist to evaluate Son’s maturity and wishes.

Read more in this Pueblo [CO] Chieftain article: Pueblo woman embroiled in international custody case and this Pueblo [CO] Chieftain article: Mother: Coerced to give up son.

South Carolina Mother and Father have child together.

Mother and Father break up.

Mother now lives with her new Boyfriend.

Father is apparently late with his child support payments.

Mother calls Father in the middle of the night, demanding support.

Then Mother puts Boyfriend on the phone and he also demands child support from Father.

Father drives to Mother and Boyfriend’s home in the middle of the night with support money.

Boyfriend then allegedly strikes Father in his back with a baseball bat, before denting Father’s truck as he leaves.

Boyfriend is arrested for assault and battery and malicious damage to personal property.

Read more in this [Greenville, SC] WYFF NBC TV 4 news article: Man Hit With Baseball Bat In Child Support Dispute.

Valentine’s Day.

Flowers. Candy. Romance…

And domestic violence.

So suggests a UK police department.

The department has been stepping up its domestic abuse awareness and education program in anticipation of more incidents of domestic violence. On Valentine’s Day.

Posters and leaflets encourage victims to report acts of domestic abuse against them.

Trained officers stand ready to help victims from the time of their complaint through the trial of their abuser.

Last year, fifty-eight domestic violence incidents were reported in that county over the weekend of Valentine’s Day.

Read more in this Warrington [UK] Guardian article: Support for Valentine’s domestic violence victims.

Wife seeks divorce from Husband.

Husband allegedly attempts to beat Wife to death – with a metal flashlight. Husband also attempts to strangle Wife.

Husband also threatens to kill himself.

Couple has two young daughters.

Husband is arrested on charges of attempted murder and strangulation.

Oh, Husband was an attorney who served two former Presidents in important roles when they were in office. Husband was also the chief attorney in a large corporation.

And couple has millions of dollars in assets.

Wife has filed a civil lawsuit against Husband for $30 million, of which she seeks an award before final judgment, due to her injuries, which reportedly disable her from working.

Wife also fears dissipation of assets prior to Husband’s anticipated incarceration for what may be a very long time.

And Wife believes she requires bodyguards and other extraordinary security measures.

Read more in this [Danbury, CT] News-Times article: Wife of former White House lawyer sues for $30 million.

Eighty-two year old Husband owns used auto parts business.

Husband has stroke.

Wife gets legal guardianship of Husband.

Husband is admitted to nursing home.

Eighty year old Wife discharges Husband from nursing home.

Wife rejects in-home nursing care.

Husband and Wife live in back room of Husband’s business establishment…

In conditions unfit for human habitation.

Police find Husband, unattended, at his business establishment, malnourished, with numerous bedsores, afflicted by dementia, and wearing soiled clothing.

Wife is arrested for abusing Husband.

Wife represents herself at trial.

Wife maintains, in essence, that Husband is fine and should be allowed to return home.

Wife is convicted of abusing Husband.

Wife is ordered to relinquish legal guardianship of Husband to Wife’s and Husband’s daughter or the state.

Wife is denied unsupervised visits with Husband.

Wife is sentenced to eight years’ confinement in prison, suspended, with probation.

If Wife disobeys any of the court’s orders, Wife’s suspended sentence could be reinstated.

Husband is committed to a nursing home.

Wife reportedly states that Husband is unhappy in the nursing home and will be retaining his own counsel to procure his discharge.

Husband and Wife have at least $1 million in assets.

Read more in this Delaware News Journal article: Delaware crime: Husband abuse gets wife eight years’ probation.

UK Husband owns roughly 300 acre farm.

Husband and Wife have stormy marriage.

Wife tells friends that Husband is violent with her.

Husband also reportedly threatens Wife

Wife e-mails one friend that Husband claims to have associates “who could get rid of bodies”.

Husband reportedly has affair.

Wife discusses divorce (in 2007).

Husband offers Wife a settlement of UK 600,000 pounds.

Wife, however, rejects that offer, holding out for UK 800,000 pounds.

Shortly after, Wife goes missing, never to be seen or heard from again, dead or alive.

Husband allegedly does not report Wife as missing for five whole days.

Husband is charged with murder.

Husband’s guilt or innocence is now up to the jury.

Read more in

• this Gloucestershire [UK] Media article: UPDATE: Jury out in Prout murder trial
• and this UK Sun article: Farmer ‘killed wife over £800k
• this UK Mirror article: Man ‘killed his ex over £800,000 divorce’

Mother and Father divorce. Mother and Father have three Boys together.

Mother and Fiance move in together with the Boys, Fiance’s child and a child of Mother’s from a previous relationship.

Mother and Fiance have two more children together. And become engaged.

This growing blended family reportedly works very well.

Then Father gets a new job out of state.

He informs Mother that he will be taking the Boys with him.

Mother obtains a court order awarding her sole custody of the Boys and providing for them to remain in their home state with Mother.

This Father cannot accept.

Father takes the Boys for visitation at his parents’ house.

Mother calls Father to tell him that she wants the Boys returned.

Father drives over to Mother’s and Fiance’s home.

Father then allegedly reveals a gun and shoots Mother to death … in front of the other children.

Father is arrested for Mother’s murder.

And this blended family is torn apart.

The Boys presently live with Father’s parents. Fiance tries to visit them every other weekend.

Mother’s child from a previous relationship is with some relatives of hers.

Mother’s and Fiance’s children are with Fiance, undoubtedly missing their Mother and siblings.

Read more in this San Jose Mercury News column: Herhold: A lethal child custody battle.

Couple separate.

Husband condemns divorce and threatens Wife numerous times.

Wife gets injunction for protection against domestic violence, or restraining order, against Husband.

Wife requests that Husband be allowed only supervised visitation with their three and five year old Children.

Court, however, orders unsupervised visitation for Husband, including weekly overnight timesharing with the couple’s three and five year old Children.

Exchanges are conducted at Wife’s Mother’s home for her safety.

Divorce goes through.

During latest visitation, Husband sends increasingly disturbing text messages to Wife, in which he seems to try to lure Wife to his location.

One message alarms Wife and she calls police.

Upon investigation at Wife’s Mother’s home, police discover Wife’s Mother and both Children dead. Wife’s Mother was shot and Children were stabbed to death.

Husband is charged with “aggravated” murder.

Husband’s defense seems to be that Wife divorced him.

Husband is convicted of murdering all three victims and is sentenced to death.

Read more in this Cleveland WJW-TV Fox 8 news article: Ex-Wife: Mammone Admitted Killing Their Kids, Her Mom and this Canton[OH] Repository article: James Mammone III gets death sentence for murdering children, former mother-in-law.

Mother and Father are divorced.

Child welfare agencies in two states are familiar with the family.

Mother is initially awarded custody of their three Children.

Later, Mother loses custody of Children and Father is awarded custody of Children.

Mother is allowed visitation supervised by child welfare personnel at the child welfare agency’s facilities.

Father has other children from other relationships. Father’s visitation with them is reportedly restricted and he was allegedly arrested for injuring one of his other children previously.

While Children are in Father’s care, Father allegedly gets drunk while “playing” with a gun … on Christmas Eve.

All three Children are present at this time, including one-year old Baby.

Father’s gun goes off, shooting one of the Children in the head and killing her.

One of the other Children dials 911, not Father.

Father is arrested for manslaughter, endangering a child and tampering with evidence … and released on bail.

Mother’s counsel seeks to have the surviving Children placed into Mother’s care. Father’s counsel seeks to have the surviving Children placed into Father’s care.

Instead, the Court orders that Father have no contact with the two surviving Children for the time being, that Mother continue to be restricted to supervised visitation, and that neither parent have access to Children’s school.

Children are in foster care.

Read more in this Denton [TX] news article: Father accused in girl’s shooting can’t see children.

During a thirty day span between November and December, domestic violence resulted in eighteen deaths in the state of Oregon, including children. The killers all committed suicide when they were through.

Oregon is appointing a special domestic violence prosecutor and working to improve statewide services in domestic violence situations.

Government commentators made the following observations after this run of violence.

1. Shelters and related services are not adequately funded relative to need

2. Child welfare agencies must work in conjunction with domestic violence services providers

3. Domestic violence carries over into victims’ workplaces and

4. Abusers’ access to guns is lethal

It is hoped that these insights will translate into more effective strategies and better outcomes.

Read more in this [Portland, OR] Oregonian editorial: Domestic violence murders: Community and victims cry out for solutions.

California Husband and Wife have two year old and four year old Daughters.

Wife, an attorney, accuses Husband of molesting their older Daughter.

Husband denies the allegation.

Wife files for divorce.

California authorities do not pursue a criminal case against Husband.

Wife and Daughters and maternal Grandmother move from Southern California to Texas.

Wife again seeks prosecution of Husband for the alleged molestation of Daughters.

Husband’s attorney indicates that no experts back up Wife’s allegations against Husband. (Which, if true, is not conclusive.)

California trial court orders Mother to bring Daughters back to California – and indicates that the court plans to award temporary custody of Daughters to Husband’s Sister.

Rather than relinquishing Daughters to Husband’s family and placing them at risk of contact with Husband, either Mother or Grandmother shoots Daughters to death and then shoots the other adult before turning the gun on herself. All are killed.

Although both women have gunshot powder residue on their hands, the weapon is registered to Grandmother and investigators conclude that Grandmother was probably the shooter.

Read more in this Los Angeles KABC-TV 7 news article: Custody dispute suspected in Clemente murders and this Wall Street Journal posting: Investigators: Grandmother Pulled Trigger in Howrey Associate Slaying.

Father has toddler Daughter with Girlfriend.

Father has Other Daughter, also a toddler, with Other Girlfriend.

Daughter and Girlfriend can’t be accounted for.

Then Other Daughter and Other Girlfriend’s bodies are discovered. Shot.

Then, hours later, Daughter and Girlfriend’s bodies are discovered – in Father’s trunk.

A few days later, Father’s body is found, an apparent suicide.

Father has been involved in child support litigation with Girlfriend and Other Girlfriend.

Father has also been unemployed for several months.

Yet another woman had a domestic violence restraining order against Father at the time of his death. That order prohibited Father from having firearms in his possession.

But Father managed to overcome that restriction.

Read more in this Associated Press article: Wis. man linked to 4 slayings charged in 2 deaths and this Wisconsin State Journal article: Murder suspect Tyrone Adair found dead in Cottage Grove.

Mexican Mother is awarded custody of Son by a Mexican court.

Wealthy French Father, accompanied by counsel, takes papers that look like official Mexican court papers before a Texas judge, representing that he has legal custody of Son.

The Mexican court papers were reportedly incomplete and misleading.

Apparently, neither Father’s counsel nor the court verified them.

Texas judge enters pick-up order for Son, with a hearing date scheduled for shortly afterwards.

Law enforcement officers pick up Son, who protests vigorously the entire time, to the effect that Father beats him.

Officers ignore Son’s words.

Mother tries to get Son back at airport.

Son refuses to accompany her – out of fear that Father will kill Mother.

Father absconds with Son.

Not for the first time, according to Mother.

Father and Son miss scheduled court date.

Texas court issues warrant for Father’s arrest on perjury and custodial interference.

That was two months ago.

Father allegedly abducted Son to France for two years, reportedly beating him and leaving him unsupervised and denying any contact at all with Mother.

Read more in this Fox News article: Worldwide Manhunt Under Way for Fugitive Father, Missing Son and this San Antonio Express News article: Dad accused of perjury, kidnapping.

Eleven year old Daughter is ill, finally unable to walk or talk.

Wisconsin Mother and Father, in accordance with their religion, pray for her.

They don’t take her to a doctor or hospital.

Daughter dies from complications of diabetes.

Mother and Father are convicted of second degree reckless homicide.

They are sentenced to thirty days’ confinement for six years and ten years’ probation.

They are also court-ordered to take their other two children to doctors for treatment if injured or ill, and to have periodic wellness checks for the children.

Is Mother’s and Father’s conduct protected religious conduct, or is it child abuse or neglect?

That may not have been clear enough under Wisconsin law.

And so some changes and clarifications are in the works.

Parents should be held to a standard of reasonableness in caring for their children’s health and welfare.

If parents fail to take reasonable measures to provide for their children’s health and welfare, the state can remove the children and intervene in their care… And may prosecute the parents.

The parents’ can tell their side of the story to the jury. But the jury decides how reasonable their actions are.

Read more in this New York Times article: Wisconsin Couple Sentenced in Death of Their Sick Child and this [Milwaukee] Journal Sentinel editorial: Bill would protect children, liberties.

While most people were enjoying a long Thanksgiving holiday with family last weekend, others weren’t enjoying themselves at all.

Even in Ogden, Utah, police report more complaints on Thanksgiving of domestic violence and disputes over timesharing requiring police intervention.

On a broader scale, the University of California recently analyzed 911 calls and concluded that there were sizable increases in them on certain holidays:

• Thanksgiving – 22%
• Christmas – 17%
• New Year’s Eve – 32%
• July 4th – 28%
• Memorial Day – 30%

 
The UC study also noted an 8% increase in domestic violence on the occasion of a surprise loss in a professional football game.

And the study also noted an 8%-10% increase in domestic violence on “hot days”.

Too much togetherness, too much alcohol, the stress of the holidays and a weak economy all contribute to the above statistics.

Read more in this Salt Lake City, UT KSTU Fox 13 Now news article: Domestic Violence Calls Rise on Thanksgiving.

There was no reported history of domestic violence in their home during the fifteen years they were married.

Husband didn’t appear like the “violent type”.

But as their relationship fell apart and Wife got involved with another man, Husband started making threats against Wife – and their Children.

Then Husband reportedly began purchasing weapons.

In the end, Husband allegedly shot Wife to death at her job – and injured two of her co-workers. Then Husband killed himself.

The couple’s now-orphaned Children are staying with relatives.

Read more in this [Portland] Oregonian article: Gladstone man’s threats increased through divorce proceedings, wife’s friend says.

Allegedly abusive American Husband goes to China in 2007 to teach English, leaving behind in New York his undocumented Mexican immigrant Wife and their Baby.

Later, Husband contacts Wife and invites her and two year old Baby to China to reconcile.

Within a day of Wife’s and Baby’s arrival, Husband reportedly disappears with Baby. Husband takes up with Chinese Girlfriend.

Husband leaves Baby with a babysitter and fails to pick her up. Baby ends up in a Chinese orphanage. After Husband allegedly abducts her.

Wife and Mexican Embassy official show up where Husband is staying. Husband goes after them both with knives, but is not prosecuted in China.

Wife obtains a New York State court order, awarding her sole custody of Baby.

China is not a party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and does not recognize foreign child custody orders.

Wife obtains a US visa by virtue of being a victim of domestic violence. Husband is deported from China.

Warrant is issued in US and Husband is arrested by US federal authorities for international parental kidnapping.

A combination of US nonprofit agency attorneys, private attorneys, Chinese private investigators, the Mexican consulate in China, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US State Department, and Wife’s resourcefulness, initiative and determination culminated in Wife finding Baby, abandoned in the Chinese orphanage.

Read more in this New York Times article: Family Fights Odds, Retrieving Kidnapped Girl.

Police receive anonymous tip indicating that the odor associated with pot is emanating from a certain home.

Police go to investigate.

At the home, police find various drugs … and a Toddler.

Police contact the local child welfare agency (Agency), which takes Toddler into protective custody.

The Agency tests Toddler for drugs.

The test reveals that Toddler has more than one type of illicit drug in his system, including marijuana and methamphetamines.

Toddler’s parents are arrested for felony child abuse.

A juvenile dependency action will presumably be commenced as well to determine a suitable placement for Toddler … for a while. His parents may be otherwise engaged.

Read more in this Albuquerque KRQE CBS TV News 13 article: Parents busted over toddler’s dope test.

Adults and children attend party in a park.

Adults drink alcoholic beverages.

One mother (Driver) reportedly admits to having three or four beers.

Driver, with her four children, decides to take an evening drive, presumably home.

Driver, it later turns out, has a suspended driver’s license.

Driver agrees to take three other children, one year old twins and a two year old, home for another young mother at the party. The younger mother reportedly admits to knowing that Driver is impaired.

Driver also takes a grandfather to some of the children along on the drive and … a friend.

Bringing the head count in the Chrysler PT Cruiser to a grand total of ten people, three adults and seven children.

No child car seats are in use.

While the car is moving, one of the back seat doors allegedly pops open – and two children fall out and roll in the intersection.

As police pursue the car, a third child falls out of the car and rolls on the street.

Driver is charged with DUI, driving with a suspended license, driving at night without headlights on, having seven unrestrained children in a car, endangerment of seven children, and having an open container of an alcoholic beverage in the car.

The absent mother who asked Driver to drive her three children home is charged with child endangerment as well.

The adult friend, who is taken into custody with an open beer in his possession, is also charged with child endangerment.

Two of the injured children, the baby twins, are initially in critical condition, but later improve.

All seven children have been placed into child protective custody.

Read more in this Las Vegas Review Journal article: MOTHERS CHARGED: Man saw kids, alerted police – Three children fell from car and this Las Vegas Fox 5 TV News article: Police: Mother Left Kids With Drunk Driver – Officer Saw Child Fall From Car.

Seventeen year old Florida Girlfriend has infant (Baby).

Despite a difficult childhood, Girlfriend reportedly tries hard to be a good mother.

Girlfriend has boyfriend (Boyfriend), who moves in with Baby and her.

Girlfriend becomes afraid of Boyfriend.

Twenty-one year old Boyfriend has considerable domestic violence arrest history.

Girlfriend seeks order of protection, but doesn’t properly follow through.

Girlfriends takes some measures to try to protect Baby.

Baby’s body is found on an Interstate.

Authorities believe Boyfriend threw Baby out of a car on the highway.

Boyfriend is on trial for first degree murder in Baby’s death.

While in court, Boyfriend allegedly waves to Girlfriend and tells her “I love you”.

Girlfriend complains.

Judge orders Boyfriend not to communicate with Girlfriend.

Boyfriend’s defense will apparently be based, at least in part, on the fact that Girlfriend spent some of her childhood in foster care and received child welfare services, and was committed for three days’ of mental health observation when she was nine years old.

Read more in this Tampa Bay [FL] Fox 13 TV news article: Judge orders McTear to avoid baby’s mom and this St. Petersburg [FL] Times article: Mother of slain baby Emanuel Murray: ‘I can’t believe he’s gone’.

October was first recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month twenty-two years ago.

Twenty-two years later, here in Florida, two different mothers and their respective children are murdered in domestic violence incidents.

Both families have histories of domestic violence.

Clearly, the problem of domestic violence is far from solved.

What are we doing wrong?

Professionals working with victims must learn to properly assess the degree of danger in each case.

And, regardless, professionals must also be able to provide each victim with an effective, custom safety plan.

These two measures should go a long way toward reducing domestic violence fatalities (and injuries).

Hopefully, these milestones won’t take another twenty-two years of awareness to accomplish.

Read more in this Ft. Myers [FL] News Press article: Better protection needed against domestic violence.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, as I’ve previously posted.

A UK Husband allegedly pursued his fleeing Wife, each in their own respective cars. Husband rammed Wife’s car and then set it on fire.

Husband was arrested and confined until trial.

Wife was too terrified to testify against Husband at trial.

So Wife, the victim, was put in jail for contempt of court, while Husband was at large.

Because of Wife’s silence, Husband was convicted only of threatening behavior and damaging property.

At the conclusion of his trial, Husband was released due to time already served.

Read more in this UK Mirror article: Scared wife put in cells for ‘contempt of court’ during domestic abuse trial as husband walks free.

Four women and one man live in Mississippi House with as many as ten Children.

The House is filthy and blood-stained. The walls are covered by graffiti. Dirty clothes are in piles.

The landlord reacts, “I’ve never seen human beings live like this.” He has served eviction papers on the residents.

One of the Children, a four year old Boy, is now in the hospital, in critical condition. He has internal injuries, broken teeth and damaged gums.

The other nine Children have been taken into child protective custody by the local child welfare agency.

It does not appear that any of the adults living in the House are parents of the Boy. Authorities are looking for them.

The adult residents of the House have all been arrested on felony child abuse charges and are confined.

Read more in this Hattiesburg [MS] American article: 5 face child abuse charges.

“Panic rooms”, rooms intended to be secure, even impregnable, were conceived to offer protection to homeowners in the event of a break-in by potentially violent intruders.

The doors to the rooms are extra thick and strong, and can’t be kicked down.

In a county in Wales, UK, homes of high-risk victims of domestic violence are now being equipped with panic rooms, re-dubbed “sanctuary rooms”.

The special rooms have “good neighbour alarms” which, if triggered, alert neighbors to call police.

A domestic abuse advocate believes the sanctuary room has given at least one homeowner her best night’s sleep in years, by finally relieving her domestic abuse-induced terror in her own home.

A person should be able to find sanctuary in their own home.

Unfortunately, though, this sanctuary ends at the door where the victim leaves their home.

Read more in this South Wales [UK] Echo article: ‘Panic rooms’ being built for Caerphilly domestic abuse victims.

Wisconsin Mother and Texas Father have been involved in lengthy child custody case over 4 year old Son.

Along the way, Father is held in contempt of court, with potential for jail time.

Custody evaluations by Wisconsin and Texas social workers are very close to being filed with the court. Father reportedly knows the recommendation of the Texas social worker.

Mother is stabbed to death at home. Son is at the home at the time.

Father is a suspect in the murder.

Son is with relatives in Wisconsin.

Read more in this Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel article: Stabbing victim was involved in custody fight.