Stepfather Allegedly Turns on Stepdaughter of Nine Years, Suddenly Beating Her to Death With a Shoe

StepDad of nine years and eighteen year old Daughter are arguing.

StepDad becomes livid.

StepDad allegedly hefts a boot and suddenly begins to beat Daughter with it. Over and over again.

StepDad reportedly strikes Daughter’s head against a banister.

Daughter passes away under the apparently unprovoked onslaught.

StepDad allegedly flees.

StepDad is arrested.

Relatives are left stunned by StepDad’s actions.

Read more in this New York Daily News article: Brooklyn man Jean Simon beat teen stepdaughter to death with boot, cops and family say.

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Child Too Overweight? Visiting Day Is …

Mother and Father have Child.

Mother and Father provide food, clothing and shelter to Child.

Child becomes overweight, in fact, clinically obese.

And the problem is growing worse, not better.

Childhood obesity reportedly sets Child up for a host of health problems in both the short term and the long term.

Which is why the medical establishment now advocates that Child be removed from his parents’ home and placed into protective custody to address Child’s obesity, where his parents have failed to get it under control. They argue that this is less extreme than surgical remedies.

And in a small number of extreme cases in a handful of states, such as New York, California and Texas, obese children have been taken into temporary protective custody.

About two million kids in the US are obese.

Read more in this Yahoo Shine Health article: Should parents lose custody of super-obese kids? and Foster Care Proposed as Solution for Extreme Childhood Obesity.

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Insufficient Physical Evidence Hangs Jury Sitting in First Degree Case Against Husband over Wife’s Murder

Florida Husband and Wife separate.

Wife is now dating another man.

Husband refuses to bow out gracefully, continuing to call Wife against her wishes.

Months later, as Wife gets to her job at a medical facility, while still in the parking lot, she is shot seven times – twice in the head – and killed.

The shooter is alleged to be her Husband.

Husband is arrested and charged with first degree murder. He faces a sentence of life in prison, without parole.

The incident raises local awareness of domestic violence and brings a new battered women’s shelter to the area.

At Husband’s trial, the prosecution puts on about thirty different witnesses.

But the defense doggedly maintains that there is insufficient physical evidence to tie Husband to the murder.

And the jury is unable to come to a unanimous verdict. Resulting in a mistrial.

It remains to be seen whether the state prosecutes Husband again.

Read more in this Florida Today news article: Trial under way in wife’s slaying at Parrish Medical Center and this Florida Today news article: Jury deadlocks in Williams murder trial.

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West Virginia Husband Agrees to Pay Wife’s Court-Ordered Support But Mounts Campaign Against Paternity Fraud

West Virginia Husband and Wife divorce.

The family court orders Husband to pay Wife alimony and child support.

Two years after the divorce is final, Husband discovers that one of the couple’s children is not his biological offspring.

But, under state law, Husband must continue to pay child support despite conclusive proof of nonpaternity.

So Husband stops paying alimony. To the tune of $27,000.

Wife takes Husband to court to enforce his alimony obligation and to collect accrued arrearages.

Husband is sentenced to six months in jail.

Interestingly, an internet dating site for people currently in a relationship but who are looking to wander outside their relationship, offers to pay Husband’s accrued alimony obligation. Husband refuses on principle

Two months into serving his sentence, Husband agrees to pay Wife’s alimony. $15,000 in a lump sum, with the balance in monthly payments.

Husband vows to mount campaign against paternity fraud.

Read more in this Parkersburg [WV] News and Sentinel article: Keefe agrees to pay alimony.

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Costa Rican Father Refuses to Return American Son Who Has Been Living in Costa Rica for Five Years to Mother in US Who is Alleged to Have Chronic Substance Abuse Problem

Father and Mother have a Son together while living in Massachusetts.

Father and Mother break up.

Father returns to Costa Rica.

Massachusetts child welfare agency removes Son from Mother’s care after Mother allegedly tests positive for cocaine and marijuana use and suffers a seizure.

Father’s Mother, Grandmother, cares for Son for about a year.

Then Son is returned to Mother.

About a year later, Mother again allegedly tests positive for drug use.

Then Mother turns Son over to Father and gives permission for Father to take Son to Costa Rica.

Mother asserts that Father’s permission was conditioned on returning Son to her in the US in September of 2006.

Father denies the existence of any such condition.

Father, worrying about Mother’s chronic substance abuse, keeps Son with him beyond September of 2006.

Mother files for custody in Massachusetts family court and presses criminal charges against Father in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts family court awards Mother custody of Son.

Father is not served with the court order.

In 2008, Father is arrested for kidnapping Son, and Father is extradited to Massachusetts.

All this time, Son remains in Costa Rica with Father’s brother, Uncle.

Costa Rican court grants Uncle permanent guardianship of Son.

Mother is reportedly arrested for hitting a police officer after fainting while driving. Mother confesses to having used marijuana with prescription medication.

Nonetheless, the Massachusetts family court orders Father to return Son to Mother.

Father does not.

Father pleads guilty to one count of parental kidnapping and is sentenced to time served.

Meanwhile, the Costa Rican family court refuses to recognize US jurisdiction over Son, who has been in Costa Rica for five years.

Costa Rica did not enter the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction until 2008.

And summons Mother to appear in court in Costa Rica regarding her parental fitness.

Father is awaiting disposition on another pending criminal charge against him in Massachusetts.

Son remains in Costa Rica, where he is reportedly thriving and excelling, having reportedly overcome developmental and speech delays.

Read more in this South Coast [MA] Today article: Parent kidnapping case drags on.

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Child Custody Law and Visitation Laws and Family Courts Are Not All The Same Across the Nation … a State … a County … the Family Division of the Local Courthouse

Every state makes its own laws regarding child custody and parental responsibility, and child visitation and timesharing. Beyond the precise language set forth in the statute books, every state’s divorce courts and family courts impose their own unique judicial interpretation of those laws and implement enforcement based, to a large extent, on that interpretation. For those reasons, among others, rulings and judgments in each state’s divorce courts and family courts can vary dramatically, perhaps even more than the wording of their respective state laws might suggest.

A Michigan father contends that many Michigan fathers divorced or separated from their children’s mothers are largely excluded from their children’s day to day lives. And he reports that a whopping forty percent of kids across the US do not have their biological father living in their home.

Despite the evolution of the law governing child custody and parental responsibility, this father indicates that Michigan fathers are ten times more likely to “lose custody” of their children in a custody battle with the children’s mothers. In Michigan cases where the family court awards sole custody to one of the children’s parents, it is awarded to the mothers a staggering ninety-two percent of the time.

Perhaps even more shocking in this day and age, Michigan fathers are reportedly awarded joint custody of their children in only thirteen percent of custody disputes.

And, it is said that the typical Michigan visitation and timesharing schedule grants the noncustodial parents a meager four overnight visits per month.

All combining to effectively isolate many Michigan fathers from their children’s everyday lives of school, extracurricular activities and friendships.

This Michigan father advocates for equal timesharing for fit fathers in Michigan. Both for the fathers’ sakes and for the children’s sakes.

All of the above may seem to be a sad commentary on the state of divorce and child custody laws and visitation and timesharing law as applied in Michigan and, likely, other states as well.

Florida’s child custody and parental responsibility laws and timesharing and visitation laws are drafted so as to be more sensitive to the best interests of children whose parents are no longer together. And the policy of Florida divorce courts and family courts is to be more sensitive to the best interests of children whose families are no longer intact.

Of course, each Florida county and each Florida family court room within each county is somewhat unique.

Any father who identifies with what this Michigan father has to say and who has a child subject to the jurisdiction of the Florida family courts should consult with an experienced Florida child custody attorney. Whatever the law and practice in Michigan, a fit father should be able to look forward to a much better outcome in a child custody dispute in a Florida family court.

Read more in this Muskegon [MI] Chronicle letter to the editor: Legal system forces divorced dads out of kids’ lives

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Pets as Pawns in Divorce

Connecticut Husband and Wife are divorcing.

Husband and Wife have seven dogs.

Wife gives one puppy up for adoption at a local animal rescue, blaming economic constraints.

Later, Husband contacts the shelter wanting to retrieve the puppy.

In the end, Wife goes to the rescue facility and gets the puppy back.

While divorce law may view family pets as nothing more than personal property, pet lovers view them as members of the family, even like children.

Sometimes a spouse uses pets as pawns in a scheme to hurt the other spouse, ignoring the pet’s needs and preferences.

This is no more acceptable than using children as pawns in divorce.

Read more in this Westport [CT] Patch article: ‘Ruff’ Stuff – The family dog’s future is often at the center of contentious divorces.

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Jailed Boyfriend Allegedly Phones Girlfriend A Dozen Times After Being Served with A Temporary Domestic Violence Restraining Order of Protection

Louisiana Boyfriend is in jail after being arrested on home invasion charges.

While in jail, Boyfriend is served with a temporary domestic violence restraining order of protection sought by Girlfriend.

The temporary injunction for protection against domestic violence prohibits Boyfriend from having any contact with Girlfriend or communicating with her.

While still in jail, Boyfriend telephones Girlfriend … more than one dozen times.

Boyfriend is charged with eleven counts of stalking and violating a restraining order.

Boyfriend could be sentenced to up to twenty-two years’ confinement on the domestic violence charges.

Read more in this [Louisiana] WWL-TV Eyewitness News article: Man booked on stalking charges after allegedly calling girlfriend repeatedly from jail.

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Facebook Parent?

Noncustodial parent and kids at the park.

Noncustodial parent and kids at the movies.

Noncustodial parent and kids at restaurant.

One photo after another, capturing … what?

At first blush, the noncustodial parent and children enjoying happy times.

Under closer scrutiny, many divorced custodial parents see something very different in these photos.

A “fraudulent noncustodial parent”. Pressured into doing activities with the children.

Or photographing activities for ulterior motives (such as attracting dates, impressing acquaintances, family members or judges, easing guilt, etc.).

Perhaps.

But sometimes a noncustodial parent changes in response to the changed conditions of their new reality.

Even if there’s a hidden agenda, the bottom line is that the changes, real or feigned, are in the best interests of the children.

Read more in this Macleans article: Ex-wives rail about phony Facebook dads.

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The Case of The Mysterious Vanishing $77,000 Texas Engagement Ring

Professional Texas football player-Boyfriend gives Girlfriend an engagement ring … a $77,000 engagement ring, give or take a few dollars.

But Boyfriend doesn’t simply hand it to her as he pops the question.

No, he sends it to her, in a box, along with some money for tuition and dental work, a gift ball for her brother and – a recording of his proposal.

And next thing he knows, poor Boyfriend gets an unpleasant surprise. Girlfriend turns him down!

Disappointing, but not the end of the world.

However, Girlfriend allegedly doesn’t return Boyfriend’s ring. Now that could be the end of the world.

It appears that Boyfriend bypasses sending a recorded message about that in favor of a more direct and expeditious “request” for return of the ring.

Only Girlfriend reportedly claims to have lost it. These things happen …

But the insurance company won’t let it go at that. And, lo and behold, reportedly finds the ring …

With Girlfriend’s Father.

Boyfriend sues Girlfriend. And Father.

(This case would appear to be controlled by Texas law. There is some recent flux in this area of the law in some states. But if this couple lived in Florida, Boyfriend would be on stronger footing.)

Father tells reporters that he plans to return the ring to Boyfriend. Although he doesn’t say exactly when.

But he’s probably good for it, right?

All’s well that ends well?

Read more in this New York Daily News article: NFL receiver Roy Williams sues ex-girlfriend for $76,600 ring after proposal rejected.

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