Dear Auntie Linda, My mother is 54 years old and is sentenced to twenty-one years in the Texas Prison system. She has served seven years and recently was denied parole. She was unfortunate enough to be married to a man from a prominent East Texas family. He had brutally beaten her and put her in the hospital several times. She got an order of protection, but he continued to stalk and terrorize her. She was in hiding and he promised to kill her if he found her.
He did find her. He was pounding on her door vowing to kill her. She had called 911 and was waiting for rescue when the door started to shatter. Mom shot through the door, hit John in the chest, killing him before place arrived. Because she had just purchased the gun after the order of protection and shot him through the door instead of waiting for him to get in, it was first degree murder. She had also told friends she was purchasing a gun to protect herself.
My mother has never seen her grandchildren since she doesn’t want them exposed to prison. I can only see her once a month since it is a four hour drive one way. I have to provide her with funds to purchase toiletries, hygiene items, and feminine products. Mother is a model prisoner. She never wanted to kill her husband. She only shot him when he was coming in her door to kill her. She was denied parole despite her good record and regrets for killing him because of John’s family’s influence. The judicial and law enforcement failed my mother and our entire family. Thank goodness, we have been able to interest The Innocence Project in her case.
Domesc Violence is a purge on our family and society. I yearn for he day Mother can rejoin our family. Sad Daughter
Dear Daughter, Ths is a sad but all-too common story. I hope there is some help and justice for your mother. We all must unite to pass stronger laws and support victims of violence to break this chain. Auntie Linda
It’s horrible. I feel terrible for the entire family,
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I just couldn’t find the right words.
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My parents were once advised to shoot then drag the guy inside. Looks like that is not bad advice in a case like this. Or, let him break the door, shoot, and let him fall in as you advised. Influence should have nothing to do with it, but we know sadly it often does. I hope the poor woman finally gets true justice. Texas needs to change if this is going on there. —- Suzanne
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Not much of a choice. There was a programme on (UK) TV, Love You to Death: A Year of Domestic Violence. It told the stories of 86 women killed by their partners, with interviews with relatives, friends and even with surviving children. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06sgbbm/love-you-to-death-a-year-of-domestic-violence
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Checking this out. Thx.
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This is a particularly devastating story. Justice is seen to be a myth under these circumstances.
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It is so wrong. Should she have let him kill her?
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She’s probably thought about it, but starting one of those Change.org petitions might at least bring some attention to the case.
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Certainly wouldn’t hurt!
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Classic case of abused wife syndrome.
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Sure is. Women are more likely to be killed when the try to leave.
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Very unfortunate situation for any woman to be in
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This is so unfortunate. In my home country, a rapist is going to walk out scot free today because he was a juvenile when he committed the crime and the laws of the country do not have strict whatever for crimes committed by children- the remand home that he was kept in cannot hold him for longer than when he turns 18.
I don’t know what to say- should the mother have waited till the man shot and killed her ? Is there nothing called self-defence ? Really how stupid man can be. Even the obvious is overlooked in the eyes of the law.
Susie
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Not self-defense till he was inside.
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Wow. In Texas that happened? Here where I live and even the supposedly “liberal” place I’m moving to, if she shot someone on her property after getting a TPO, it would never have been tried. Front door, back door…past the gate at all or within the order’s 100 feet or whatever it is. I know, we had a similar case here and the prosecutor was very clear about not filing charges.
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She should have waited till he could fall inside.
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Sure did. It was election year. John was related to a judge .
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Wow. Awful.
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My heart cries at stories like this. Women are underserved in a man’s world. Please, men of influence change these wrong doings. I would NEVER promote killing of anyone but a person who has been abused and in a terrorized state felt her life in danger was most likely correct in that he was there to kill her.
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He said he was! I would have believed him.
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