17 children left motherless after their moms were MURDERED by their male partners, ex-partners (Orlando, Florida)

Courtesy dastardly dads

Let's write this headline honestly, rather than in the "father-friendly" way favored by the fathers rights people. We do not have 17 children who have been left "parentless." We have 17 children who have been robbed of their mothers (e.g. left motherless) because their father (or stepfather or Mom's current/former boyfriend) KILLED HER. In 12 of these cases, the cowardly father/boyfriend/step CHOSE to kill himself rather than face the consequences. And in 5 cases, the daddy/boyfriend/step IS STILL ALIVE (e.g. still a "parent") but in jail. Saying "parentless" really strips the headline of agency, doesn't it? And it fudges the truth. Of who did what to whom. Once again, male violence directed against women is neatly erased, even when the results are reported.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-04-11/news/os-domestic-violence-survivor-childre20110411_1_children-slayings-deadly-domestic-violence

17 children left parentless after recent domestic-violence slayings

Ruth Owino was found bludgeoned to death by a hand weight, according to Orlando police

fiancé was charged with slaying

April 11, 2011|By Bianca Prieto, Orlando Sentinel

An Orange County judge on Tuesday will determine who should care for four children who are in limbo after a woman was bludgeoned to death by her fiancé last weekend.

It's likely that the children — products of a blended family — will remain with a close family friend who has been caring for them since 36-year-old Ruth Owino was killed early Sunday inside her home at the Island Club apartments on Kirkman Road. Nestor Habarugira is being held at the Orange County Jail on a first-degree murder charge.

The couple's children join a growing list of child survivors who have lost one or both parents to deadly domestic violence in Central Florida since March 1.

A total of 17 children have been affected by the recent spate of violence in Orange and Osceola counties. Of those, 12 were orphaned when both parents were killed in murder-suicides. The mothers of the remaining five children were killed and the father or step-father jailed, according to law enforcement records.

"It's unbelievable," said Carrie Hoeppner, Department of Children and Families spokeswoman. "When you hear a number like 17, and you think of what that means, that they may have forever lost their mom and their dad, it weighs pretty heavy on the heart."

On Monday, Judge Donald Grincewicz placed a no contact order between Habarugira and the children. He was not able to attend the short hearing because he was on suicide watch at the jail. Another hearing is scheduled for Tuesday morning.

"Four children are at the heart of this tragedy," Hoeppner said. "The most important thing is that the children are safe."

Owino, a native of Kenya, and Habarugira, of Burundi, joined their families a few years ago and were to be married. They argued about breaking up prior to her death, police said.

The combined family was made up of children from prior relationships and also from their union. Case workers are now trying to find the mother of Habarugira's 15-year-old son, and the father of two of Owino's children, ages 10 and 6. Both of those parents are believed to be living in Africa, according to DCF.

The youngest child, 2, belonged to both Owino and Habarugira.

The department is providing counseling to the children in the aftermath of the slaying, Hoeppner said.

Experts say giving children and caregivers counseling and other services is key to the healing process.

Men’s Murderous Revenge

It’s Not Angst Over Custody: Fathers Kill Their Children to Punish Their Ex-Partners

Men’s Murderous Revenge. It’s not angst over custody: fathers kill their children to punish their ex-partners. SEE: 175 Killer Dads: Fathers who ended their children's lives in situations involving child custody, visitation, and/or child support (USA)

Since Arthur Freeman was found guilty of murdering his four-year-old daughter, Darcey, much of the media focus has been on the distress of fathers going through separation and custody disputes. There has been a call for more support for fathers. See Federal Fatherhood Funding.

However, we must ask ourselves whether we are losing sight of the victims and, more importantly, whether this is the best approach to preventing these deaths from occurring in the future.

While the community understandably struggles to comprehend a parent killing a child, our research shows that these are not inexplicable tragedies. There is a particular type of filicide (the killing of children by parents) that occurs in the context of the separation of the parents.

In these ”spousal revenge” cases – as recognised by the Freeman jury – fathers kill their children to punish their ex-partners. There is usually no prior violence against the children. In fact, they appear to love their children. The act of killing is directed towards harming the child’s mother. The motive is revenge.

In the case of Freeman and Robert Farquharson (found guilty of three counts of murder of his sons Bailey, Tyler and Jai, aged two to 10, who drowned in a dam near Winchelsea), both fathers indicated that they wished to punish their ex-partner. Shortly before killing Darcey, Freeman told his ex-wife to say goodbye to her children and that she would never see them again – clearly to make her suffer. Farquharson told a friend that he would make his ex-wife suffer by taking what mattered to her most – her children.

Contrary to some claims, these cases are not about fathers losing access to their children. The reality is that in both cases, the fathers had access to their children and, in both cases, killed them during it. There is no logic to the thinking that if a person is distressed about not spending enough time with their kids they would decide to kill them.

If, however, they are consumed with anger and hatred towards their ex-partner and wish to hurt them, then it is, tragically, a very effective means to do so.

The killing of the children in such cases should be recognised as a form of violence against the mother. We need to explore the relationship between the parents in order to understand the killing of children. In particular, the father’s attitudes and behaviour towards the mother before, and after, separation must be examined. VicHealth has clearly identified the underlying causes of violence against women as including belief in rigid gender roles and a masculine sense of entitlement.

What we really need to challenge is the sense of entitlement that some men have over their families, an entitlement that leads them to believe that their partner has no right to leave them and no right to form a new relationship, and that punishing her is justified because of the suffering they themselves experience.

The current focus of commentary suggests that men are victims of the family law system. The mothers seem to be implicitly blamed for the distress their partners experienced when they left them.

Let’s be clear: the first and foremost victims here are the children whose lives are taken. The mothers, whose children have died in perhaps the worst way imaginable, are also the victims, as are remaining siblings and other family members. Darcey Freeman’s mother, Peta Barnes, had expressed concerns about the safety of her children before Darcey’s death. She also expressed concerns about Arthur Freeman’s ”anger management issues” and mood swings. It is important that such concerns are heard and responded to appropriately by a broad range of professionals coming into contact with separating parents, as well as by family and friends.

The family law process must make children’s safety its absolute priority. Importantly, the federal government has a family law bill before Parliament that prioritises the safety of children in family law matters.

The Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoriaacknowledges that separation and family breakdown can be incredibly difficult for parents. Parents should be assisted to deal with separation and encouraged to take responsibility for their behaviour. As a community, we need to focus on building positive and respectful relationships.

We support the call for greater services and support. We ask that these services be equipped to identify and respond to risks to the safety and wellbeing of children and their parents. We need to ensure there is accurate and reliable screening and risk assessment for all forms of family violence. These cases demonstrate that the risk of harm to children is closely linked to risks of harm to the mother.

Cases such as Freeman’s have a profound impact on the community and we are right to search for answers. Unfortunately, there has been very little research on parents who kill their children in the past decade in Australia. If we are to find ways to prevent these deaths, we need a far better understanding of why and how they occur.

Dr Debbie Kirkwood is a researcher at the Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria and is writing a paper on filicide in the context of parental separation.

We Have to Learn from Darcey Case

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/we-have-to-learn-from-darcey-case/story-fn56az2q-1226038100555

 

WHILE most people have reacted with horror to Arthur Freeman's horrific murder of his precious little daughter Darcey, some have used it to blame the Family Court, rather than a vengeful, self-pitying, cruel brute of a man.

 

 

Barry Williams, president and founder of the Lone Fathers Association, was quick to use the tragedy to claim that men are treated unfairly in Family Court disputes, which can lead them to harm their children.

The main problem with Arthur Freeman, however, was not that he didn't have enough access to his children, but that he had any access at all.

Darcey's poor grieving mother, Peta Barnes, says she lived for years fearing that Freeman would harm their children. Her deep-seated fear was obviously justified.

Tragically, there are countless parents still living with the kind of fear experienced by Barnes, forced to kiss their children goodbye before sending them off on access visits, wondering if they'll ever see them again.

Related Coverage

• Freeman gets 30 years for girl's murderThe Australian, 1 day ago
• Life for Darcey's killerCourier Mail, 2 days ago
• Child killer jailed for 32 yearsAdelaide Now, 2 days ago
• Killer to be sentencedCourier Mail, 2 days ago
• The death of Darcey: A dad's monstrous actAdelaide Now, 29 Mar 2011

This is not a gender issue and I don't want to make it one. It's just the ugly truth about how some aggrieved parents react after separation and divorce -- they become so obsessed with self-pity and the desire for revenge that their children's welfare becomes secondary. No amount of counselling, mediation or other support services can stem their fury.

Among the hundreds of online comments the Herald Sun received after Freeman's sentencing were a handful of chilling ones that echo this kind of self-obsessed thinking.

"Mike of Armadale" raised hackles with his reference to "Feminazis" and his claim that fathers become violent because of "the system" that conspires to send men broke and rob them of their children.

As someone who has been through "the system" I can assure Mike that it can also cost mothers dearly in terms of money and emotion.

As "Annie who knows" points out, both men and women do it tough in custody disputes, but they don't all go out and kill their children.

What can we learn from the murder of Darcey Freeman? We hear this question a lot. While there may well be room for improvement in the Family Court system, in my view, we as a community also need to tackle head-on attitudes such as that expressed by "Alan of Malvern" who claims online that Freeman's wife "forced him into" killing Darcey. "Change the divorce system and things will become better" says Alan, especially for the "man who drowned his three children too".

Now, I know nothing about the men who posted these comments, but I assume they are divorced fathers. Their views should be ringing alarm bells, particularly for their former partners and children.

Anyone who tries to excuse murderers such as Arthur Freeman and Robert Farquharson has serious problems.

What can we do to protect the Darcey Freemans of this world? Keep an eye and ear out for parents who become obsessively self-pitying after divorce and separation. Take note if they're endlessly going on about their former partners and seem consumed by hatred. Do they enjoy the time they get with their children or use it to quiz them about the other parent? Do they speak of getting revenge? You should consider intervening as tactfully as possible to ensure children are not left unsupervised with such parents.

Children suffer enough from divorce. They shouldn't have to pay for it with their lives.

FATHER chose to KILL his son- To Avoid Child Abuse Allegations; Drowned Him in his Home Related to Divorce, Custody

Mother Speaks Out About Charges Against Estranged Husband in Death of Four-Year-Old Son

Police say the man killed his son inside their West Plains home

• Photo Gallery of Four-Year-Old Jacob Chappelle

West Plains, Mo—

A West Plains dad is in the Howell County Jail accused of drowning his son in a murder suicide attempt. Prosecutors say the man wanted to avoid child molestation accusations but officers kept him from killing himself.

Four-year-old Jacob Chappelle's mother says her estranged husband took her son from her at a gas station. Before the divorce filed last month was finalized and custody decided, prosecutors say Jacob's father chose to kill the boy.

Heather Chappelle will never see her four-year-old son alive again. “He was a good child. He didn't deserve what he got. He was a good baby,” Chappelle said. “I'm just a destroyed mom that's all I can say.”

Police say Jacob's father Eric Chappelle, 38, drowned the boy inside his West Plains home. When he didn't show up to work at a propane company, Chappelle's boss and landlord came to check on him. “They checked where the child went to daycare and the child wasn't in daycare either,” West Plains Officer Bryan Brauer said. “That kind of alarmed them that's why they went to check.” They called 911. When officers arrived the child was already dead.

According to court documents, once in custody Chappelle told officers he was accused of molesting two girls and did not want to be labeled a child molester and chose to kill his son and himself instead. “If he went through with murdering my son and then trying to kill himself then those allegations must be true,” Heather Chappelle said. “That's how I feel.”

Officers won't say exactly what happened to the boy but court documents say his father drowned him. An autopsy will be performed Thursday. “I wasn't able to talk to my son for two weeks before he did what he did and I didn't get to say goodbye,” Heather Chappelle said. “I didn't get to hold my baby one last time that's the hardest part.”

Chappelle faces more charges because officers say he tried to attack them with a knife after trying to stab himself in the stomach. He is charged with two counts of attempted assault on a law enforcement officer and two counts of armed criminal action. “When confronted with officers he did drop the knife and a Taser was used to subdue him,” Brauer said.

Instead of a court battle over custody, Chappelle will face criminal charges and a mother will not get the chance to bring her son home. “I don't want him to have the electric chair because that will be the easy way out for him,” Heather Chappelle said. “I want him to spend every day thinking about what he has done.”

Heather Chappelle says because of domestic violence she moved to Alabama. She spoke to KSPR News by phone.  She says she will come to the Ozarks on Thursday to receive her son's body. Police would not release any details about the child molestation accusations against Chappelle.

Chappelle is held inside the Howell County Jail on a $500,000 cash only bond. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, treated and released. He's also charged with child abuse resulting in death.

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FATHER slaughters his 9 month old son and Maternal Grandmother, tries to kill Mother of his child. Has History of Domestic Violence, Kidnapping attempted Murder

Johnson faced previous charges before murders

VIDEO HERE: http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14395442

Justin Johnson (Source: Clarendon County Detention Center)

By Jack Kuenzie - bio | email

CLARENDON COUNTY, SC (WIS) - More details were released about the man charged with a double murder and another shooting inside a Clarendon County home Wednesday.

Justin Johnson had previously been charged with domestic violence and kidnapping in December. But those charges ended up being greatly reduced.

Johnson faced a half dozen criminal charges. They included two counts of murder, one each of attempted murder, kidnapping, burglary and weapon possession.

The Clarendon County sheriff said the 21-year-old had confessed to the brutal killings of his 9-month-old son Jayden and the boy's grandmother, 59-year-old Maxine Carraway. Other charges stemmed from an attempt to kill the boy's mother.

Sheriff Randy Garrett said Maxine Carraway was the first to die. She was shot in the back of the head as she was trying to phone for help. Then, "He's chasing his girlfriend into the house," said Sheriff Garrett, "The girlfriend retreats to the kitchen where the 9-year-old little boy is at. He goes into the kitchen. I understand there's some confrontation between him and her. At that time, he shoots the 9-month-old boy.

Sheriff Garrett said Johnson fired through a bathroom door at 21-year-old Kaisha Carraway, wounding her before forcing her and a two-year-old daughter into his car and trying to drive away.

A deputy arriving at the scene stopped the car, saw blood on Johnson's shirt and ordered him back to the house where he was arrested.

Sheriff Garrett said the slaughter might never have happened had Johnson remained in jail on charges filed in December.

At the time, he was accused of criminal domestic violence and kidnapping the mother of his children. But in February, Kaisha Carraway retracted her story. Court records showed the kidnapping charge was dropped, the criminal domestic violence charge was reduced to a case of simple assault, which was handled in magistrate court - allowing Johnson to get out of jail. An assistant solicitor who handled the initial charges said Carraway even agreed to plead guilty to filing a false police report. "If he'd still been in jail, you and I wouldn't be out here talking today," said Sheriff Garrett.

Investigators suspected Carraway was persuaded to change her story by an outsider who suggested she might lose financial support or benefits if Johnson stayed in jail.

But one question remains. Why shoot two people, including a baby who was sitting in his high chair at point blank range? Sheriff Garrett said when Johnson was asked that question, he just shrugged his shoulders.

Copyright 2011 WIS. All rights reserved.

FATHER slaughters his 9 month old son and Maternal Grandmother, tries to kill Mother of his child. Has History of Domestic Violence, Kidnapping attempted Murder

Johnson faced previous charges before murders

VIDEO HERE: http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14395442

Justin Johnson (Source: Clarendon County Detention Center)

By Jack Kuenzie - bio | email

CLARENDON COUNTY, SC (WIS) - More details were released about the man charged with a double murder and another shooting inside a Clarendon County home Wednesday.

Justin Johnson had previously been charged with domestic violence and kidnapping in December. But those charges ended up being greatly reduced.

Johnson faced a half dozen criminal charges. They included two counts of murder, one each of attempted murder, kidnapping, burglary and weapon possession.

The Clarendon County sheriff said the 21-year-old had confessed to the brutal killings of his 9-month-old son Jayden and the boy's grandmother, 59-year-old Maxine Carraway. Other charges stemmed from an attempt to kill the boy's mother.

Sheriff Randy Garrett said Maxine Carraway was the first to die. She was shot in the back of the head as she was trying to phone for help. Then, "He's chasing his girlfriend into the house," said Sheriff Garrett, "The girlfriend retreats to the kitchen where the 9-year-old little boy is at. He goes into the kitchen. I understand there's some confrontation between him and her. At that time, he shoots the 9-month-old boy.

Sheriff Garrett said Johnson fired through a bathroom door at 21-year-old Kaisha Carraway, wounding her before forcing her and a two-year-old daughter into his car and trying to drive away.

A deputy arriving at the scene stopped the car, saw blood on Johnson's shirt and ordered him back to the house where he was arrested.

Sheriff Garrett said the slaughter might never have happened had Johnson remained in jail on charges filed in December.

At the time, he was accused of criminal domestic violence and kidnapping the mother of his children. But in February, Kaisha Carraway retracted her story. Court records showed the kidnapping charge was dropped, the criminal domestic violence charge was reduced to a case of simple assault, which was handled in magistrate court - allowing Johnson to get out of jail. An assistant solicitor who handled the initial charges said Carraway even agreed to plead guilty to filing a false police report. "If he'd still been in jail, you and I wouldn't be out here talking today," said Sheriff Garrett.

Investigators suspected Carraway was persuaded to change her story by an outsider who suggested she might lose financial support or benefits if Johnson stayed in jail.

But one question remains. Why shoot two people, including a baby who was sitting in his high chair at point blank range? Sheriff Garrett said when Johnson was asked that question, he just shrugged his shoulders.

Copyright 2011 WIS. All rights reserved.

Amy Leichtenberg plans run/walk in honor of her murdered children Duncan and Jack

Local mother plans run/walk in honor of her murdered children

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By: Scott Laughlin  |  Yesterday

Amy Leichtenberg and Hary Johson of the Children's Home and Aid organization are teaming up to raise money to support a local visitation center for parental visitations and child exchanges in high conflict situations. (Photo/Laughlin WJBC)

A local mother who is trying to get laws changed to protect children tells Scott Laughlin and Colleen Reynolds about an event on Sunday to raise awareness and money for the Children’s Foundation. Learn more abut the event by clicking HERE.  Listen to the full interview with Leichtenberg and Harry Johnson of the Children’s foundation below.

http://wjbc.com/local-mother-plans-runwalk-in-honor-of-her-murdered-children/

 

 

 

 

Category: InterviewsTags: Amy Leichtenberg, Duncan and Jack Leichtenberg, Family Visitation Center, Taking Steps to End Child Abuse 5K Run, The Children's Foundation, Tipton Park