UPDATE: GET OFF THE BENCH EPISODE 76: Family Court Is a Deadly Business
The Family Court System has its' fair share of problems, but one of those problems that has not had a very thorough review is that it is an ever-increasing "Deadly Business." In fact, I didn't even start thinking about the effects of our country's public policies regarding single-parent custody awards and "unilateral divorce" until my recent involvement and trip in Frederick, Maryland. For the most part, I only looked at the effects inside the courtroom specifically, not outside.
There should be substantial concern over the instant murder-suicides, premeditated murders, attempted murders, murders-for-hire, and drastic number of suicides that are occurring in families that are involved with domestic relation suits or family courts around the nation.
In Frederick Maryland, several families over a six month period of time were reported as having ongoing child custody disputes that resulted in death. There are other reports of attempts at murder-for-hire and attempted murders as well. The most recent eye-opener which drew my attention regarding the Thanksgiving Holiday "massacre" that occurred in Frederick County, Maryland is what prompted me to start searching out other occurrences. Information was indeed easy to find and too numerous to list all of the occurrences.
"On Thanksgiving night, police found five dead bodies in the town of Laytonsville, Maryland at 1.5 acre Unity Park. It is believed to have been a murder-suicide with a domestic related motive. Laytonsville, Maryland is a small town that is located about twenty-five miles away from Washington." (Thanksgiving Murder-Suicide in Laytonsville, Maryland; Associated Content, November 24, 2007)
"A man shot and killed his ex-wife, their three children and himself in a small-town park where they had met for the woman to hand over the youngsters for a visit, investigators said Friday." (Police: 5 Dead in Murder-Suicide in Md; Associated Press, November 23, 2007)
The above is not the first of these type of murder-suicides in the Frederick County, Maryland area. The above Associated Press article also reported in the same article that:
"In April, a father hanged his two young children before committing suicide in rural Boyds, in Montgomery County. In March, the remains of four young children were found in a town house in neighboring Frederick. The father's body was found hanging from a bannister, and the mother remains missing. "
"There is a trend that demonstrates that custody and family court litigation has dire consequences when allowed to continue as adversarial proceedings. One party often finds themselves at the tail-end of a powerstruggle that results in a level of hopelessness. When someone feels that they have nothing else to lose, they can become unpredictable," states Lary Holland, Host of Get Your Justice Live and author of this document.
Looking through the various newspapers there are demonstratively a large number of articles that support that ongoing adversarial child custody disputes are resulting in disastrous conseqences. Pro Wresler, Chris Benoit, is one of those cases that resulted in a murder-suicide, along with the high-profile case of Darren Mack who was involved in the shooting of a family court judge and the slaying of his ex-wife.
Annie Gowen of the Washington Post on February 20, 2002 in her article, Custody Battle Probed in Double Slaying:
In the cold pre-dawn hours Friday, Alan G. Bates left his Frederick town
house to fly to Birmingham for a deposition in a bitter child custody battle
with his ex-wife.
Later, in Birmingham, Bates and his ex-wife, Jessica McCord, faced off
over a conference table in a downtown law office.
Bates had planned to pick up his two daughters for the weekend that night.
Instead, his body and the body of a woman [were discovered].
Nelson Hernandez also of the Washington Post on September 28, 1005 in his article, 2nd Trial of Lawyer Accused in Plot to Kill Husband Opens; Prosecutors Cite Lost Custody Battle states:
The Bethesda lawyer accused of conspiring with her best friend to kill
her estranged husband as a way of resolving a bitter child custody battle
went on trial in Frederick County yesterday, nine months after Maryland's
highest court threw out her conviction by a Montgomery County jury.
The Wichita Eagle on April 4, 2003 reported in the article Child Custody At Heart of Murder-Suicide that:
When Eric Leckenby confronted his girlfriend's ex-husband with a gun Wednesday, he had already decided neither man would leave alive.
The Miami Herald reported on December 5, 2007 in an article entitled Tragic Couple Went to BSO Before Dying, "A Weston man and his wife visited the Broward Sheriff's Office the day before they perished in a murder-suicide" and further stated that:
"Her husband, Frank, was with her and, according to the BSO report, they were there to discuss ''a child custody'' dispute.
The BSO log, obtained by The Miami Herald, indicates the couple, who were in the midst of a bitter divorce, arrived about 5:30 p.m. and stayed in the lobby of BSO's Weston office for 45 minutes."
The Fresno Bee reported on December 4, 2007 in an article carrying the title Dead Couple Fought Over Custody, "Pair in Tulare murder-suicide sought court orderes" and further stated that:
"TULARE -- A bitter dispute over custody of a 17-month-old daughter may have factored into a late-night murder-suicide in a dark cemetery."
Some of the most recent deaths also have occured in Michigan, where two families in as many weeks have had custody disputes surrounding plots to murder other family members. "The issue of post custody hearing slayings goes beyond the simple issue of domestic violence and is indicative of a larger problem with the system itself," states Holland.
The Kalamazoo Gazette on December 12, 2007 in the first line of the story titled Custody may be linked to killing of woman states as follows:
"PULLMAN -- Investigators believe the death of a 19-year-old woman Tuesday at a house in Allegan County's Casco Township may have been linked to an ongoing child-custody issue, police said."
Other papers covering the aforementioned story in Alleghan county slated the story as being the second tragic incident in the past week, which should raise significant pressures on the local family court to explain what some of the possible factors are in the most recent tragedies. One of the tragedies involved an ex-wife allegedly using her current husband to kill her ex-husband which was widely reported in Western Michigan.
Similar plots and outcomes were involved in at least four known cases of domestic dispute slayings in the past year around Michigan involving Pro Wrestler Chris Benoit, a mutilation story, and now the two Alleghan incidents.
Given that the divorce rate is certainly not on the decline and no expectation of a decline over couples fighting over money, power, and children in the future, there should be a reasonable prediction that there are more tragedies to come. "A serious review of the family courts nationwide should be placed as a high priority when selecting candidates for the upcoming election because the current social institution has definitely failed the families listed in this article," states Holland.
For more information about Lary Holland, visit his website at http://www.laryholland.com.
You can contact him at 800-883-9619 x2 for further comment.
UPDATED (2-11-2008) Stories Continue to come in and will be updated under this topic line.
The authorities say he killed her - perhaps by choking her -- to end an acrimonious divorce and child custody battle. (Last Prosecution Witness to Take Stand in Hans Reiser Murder Trial; Defense to Get Case, February 11, 2008, Wired Blog Network)
UPDATED (2-12-2008) Closing Arguments in Ex-Officer's Trial: More Family Court Death
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — A former police officer intentionally killed his pregnant lover to get out of child support payments, a prosecutor told jurors during his closing argument Tuesday. (Closing Arguments in Ex-Officer's Trial; Associated Press, February 12, 2008)
UPDATED (3-18-2008) Geary man accused of attempted murder-for-hire.
CALUMET, Okla. (AP) - A Geary man is behind bars after authorities say he tried to hire someone to kill his wife and her parents.David Phillips was arrested outside a Calumet restaurant Sunday after the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation monitored a conversation between him and a private investigator he hired during a child custody battle with his wife. (Geary man accused of attempted murder-for-hire; Associated Press; March 18, 2008 Orig.)
UPDATED (3-11-2008) Wife Stabs Husband in Phoenix during talk about divorce
A Phoenix woman stabbed her husband with a knife then pepper sprayed him on Monday during an argument about divorce proceedings. (Wife stabs husband in Phoneix during talk about divorce; March 11, 2008 Orig)
UPDATED (3-19-2008) Father and son, 10, dead in apparent murder-suicide
FORT STEVENS STATE PARK, Ore. - Clatsop County officials are investigating an apparent murder-suicide involving a Portland man and his 10-year-old son.
Investigators say the father, 49-year-old Rockland Stephens, ran a hose from the tail pipe into the cab of the vehicle. They said the man and boy both likely died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The deaths reportedly come shortly after events connected to a child custody battle. (Father and son, 10, dead in apparent murder-suicide; Katu.Com; March 19, 2008 Orig)
UPDATED (3-29-2008) Clark County man sentence Friday to more than 53 years in prison
A Clark County man was sentenced Friday to more than 53 years in prison for offering to pay four men to beat or kill his estranged wife last year during contentious divorce and child custody proceedings. (Reported in the Oregonian. March 29, 2008. Link not available.)
UPDATED (6-29-2008) Shooter kills 2, self in Cambria Township
EBENSBURG — A child-custody dispute led to an exchange of gunfire between a divorced couple and ended in a double murder and suicide.
Cambria Township police were dispatched just before 3 a.m. Sunday to the 1200 block of Allie Buck Road in Cambria Township after reports of a break-in.
Instead, they found themselves in a standoff with David Gerlach, 42, of Ebensburg.
Gerlach allegedly became agitated late Saturday or early Sunday with his ex-wife, Debra Gerlach, 41, who was living in the Cambria Township residence, which was in the process of being sold.
According to Cambria County Coroner Dennis Kwiatkowski, David Gerlach went to the residence with his handgun.
"There were two guns in the residence,” Kwiatkowski said. “One was Debra’s and one was the shooter’s. They exchanged gunfire at some point.” (Shooter Kills 2, self in Cambria Township; The Tribune-Democrat; June 29, 2008 Orig.)
UPDATED: (7-07-2008) Convicted Husband leads Calif. Police to a body (ReiserFS inventor convicted of killing as a result of adversarial child custody proceedings.)
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A prominent software programmer who had denied having anything to do with his estranged wife's disappearance even after he was convicted of her murder led police Monday to what is believed to be her body, defense attorneys said.
The two were involved in a bitter custody dispute, traces of her blood were found in his home and car and witnesses testified she would never have left her children. (Convicted Husband leads Calif. Police to a body; Associated Press; July 7, 2008; Orig)
UPDATED: (7-07-2008) Police hunt man accused of shooting estranged wife
PORTOLA HILLS - The couple had hostile encounters when exchanging custody of their 9-year-old son in the past, and on Wednesday eveningauthorities said, 46-year-old Lonnie Ramos grabbed a 9mm and shot his estranged wife in the face.
After she filed for divorce in May 2003, Gynnae Ramos sought to reduce the amount of time that Lonnie Ramos had custody of their son, stating she had been threatened by Ramos and she was afraid he would take out his anger on their child. (Police hunt man accused of shooting estranged wife; OC Register; July 3, 2008 Orig.)
UPDATED: (7-17-2008) Holland martial-arts instructor tried to hire undercover cop as hit man
Police arrested Ung, 42, of Holland, at his school Wednesday night, apparently while students were in the building. Court documents show he tried to hire a man to kill Linda Siripanya, a woman with whom he has battled in court since 2003 over custody of their daughter.
Holland Police would not divulge a motive, but Ottawa Count Circuit Court documents reveal a contentious court struggle between Ung and his former girlfriend, with each firing accusations against the other. Each had tried more than once to get judges to issue personal protection orders against the other, and both claimed threats by the other. (Holland martial-arts instructor tried to hire undercover cop as hit man; Grand Rapids Press; July 17, 2008 Orig.)
UPDATED: (8-5-2008) Richmond Woman Charged in Murder-For-Hire
A Richmond woman who runs an advocacy group for parents in child-custody battles faces two attempted capital murder charges for reportedly arranging a double-killing in a custody battle of her own. (Richmond Woman Charged in Murder-For-Hire; Richmond Times-Dispatch; August 5, 2008 Orig.)
UPDATED: (8-6-2008) Child Custody Trials Can Bring Out the Worst in Parents
So it's with little surprise that I read Tuesday about a woman accused by authorities in Williamsburg-James City County of trying to hire a hit man to kill her ex-boyfriend.
Over a bitter child custody battle. (Child Custody Trials Can Bring Out the Worst in Parents; DailyPress.Com; August 6, 2008; Orig.)
UPDATED: (8-8-2008) Maryville man accused of beating child's 70-year-old grandfather
A custody battle turned violent Monday when a 36-year-old man beat the grandfather of his child, police said.
Brian C. Moad, of 2710 Keebler Road in Maryville, was charged with aggravated battery after police responded to a 911 call Monday morning from the 100 block of Maryknoll Drive."When they got there, officers found (the victim) sitting on the street bleeding from the head," Police Chief Rich Scharden said. (Maryville man accused of beating child's 70-year-oldgrandfather; Belleville News Democrat; August 8, 2008; Orig. )
UPDATED: (10-9-2008) Ash Flat Official Pleads Guilty
ASH FLAT — Carolyn Stewart Estes of Ash Flat pleaded guilty this morning to conspiracy to commit capital murder in a negotiated plea deal that lasted only 10 minutes.
According to court documents and information from the negotiated plea, Estes conspired with Gary “Crowbar” Russell in an attempt to cause the death of her ex-husband, Tony Stewart.
Estes talked to Russell for several months, stating “how she would like to have Stewart killed,” and referred to his murder as “Plan B and/or Plan C.” (Ash Flat Official Pleads Guilty; The Batesville Daily Guard; October 9, 2008; Orig. )
UPDATED: (10-29-2008) Deputy Says Woman Wanted Him To Kill
A 28-year-old Sumner woman tried to hire an undercover King County sheriff's deputy last week to kill her daughter's father, the child's stepmother and the child's grandparents, according to a police report filed in King County District Court.
The undercover officer videotaped the solicitation, in which the woman reportedly requested that he either shoot, stab or bludgeon the intended victims. She offered the deputy $500 for the slayings, the police report said.
The deputy got involved in the case after an Arizona man called Auburn police on Oct. 20 to report that his friend had asked him to kill the four people. The man said the woman's anger stemmed from a child-custody agreement, the report said. (Deputy Says Woman Wanted Him To Kill; Seattle Times; October 29,2008; Orig. )
UPDATED: (12-02-2008) Man pleads guilty, receives two life sentences
RANKIN COUNTY (WLBT) - A Rankin County man was sentenced to two life sentences in the shooting death of his stepdaughter and her husband in a 2007 child-custody dispute.
...
The shooting occurred June 7, 2007, as the McGuffees tried to pick up their 10-year-old son, who had been living at Tackett's home. A Hinds County Chancery Judge had given the McGuffee's custody of their child. (Man pleads guilty, receives two life sentences; WLBT 3; December 2, 2008; Orig.)
UPDATED: (12-12-2008) Wakulla County Man Faces Additional Charges in Domestic Related Shooting.
They were in a heated argument about child-custody issues, so Hereford got into her car to leave, he said. But Duncan stopped her by getting into his SUV and causing a head-on collision. Then, he began kicking the doors of her car and walking across the hood. The infant was in the front passenger seat.
Duncan got his rifle and pulled the trigger, but he didn't know the safety was off, he said. Duncan then picked up his daughter, took her inside and put her in the crib. He then tried to give first aid to Hereford while calling 911. The bullet entered the left side of Hereford's head near her upper teeth and shattered, scattering fragments throughout her face. Both her eyes were damaged beyond repair. (Wakulla County Man Faces Additional Charges in Domestic Related Shooting; Tallahassee.Com; December 12, 2008; Orig.)
UPDATED: (12-12-2008) PA Man Pleads Guilty to Plotting to Kill Wife
SCRANTON, Pa.—A northeastern Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty to federal charges that he plotted to have his former wife killed to avoid paying child support.
Forty-nine-year-old Angelos Dedes pleaded guilty Wednesday to solicitation to commit murder.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gurganus Jr. said investigators recorded conversations in which the 49-year-old Pike County resident solicited an undercover FBI agent posing as a hit man to kill his ex-wife, Kelly Dedes, when she went to New York to a wedding. (Pa. Man Pleads Guilty to Plotting to Kill Wife; The Associated Press; December 12, 2008; Orig.)
UPDATED: (12-17-2008) Trying to hire hitman lands Algood woman eight years in jail.
COOKEVILLE -- An Algood woman who tried to hire a hit man to kill her
ex-husband was sentenced yesterday to eight years in prison.Craighead told the Herald-Citizen, "This was a case where the couple had divorced and they had argued over child support payments and child custody. The detective testified that she told the 'hit man' to tell her ex-husband to enjoy Hell and then to kill him. We felt the eight year sentence is an appropriate sentence." (Trying to hire hitman lands Algood woman eight years in jail; December 17, 2008; Orig.)
Then after the government gave him my home address instead of my contact address, I was notified by the U. S. Army that my ex-husband had made suicidal and homicidal threats and toward our son and I. We were lucky that we had warning, and that he was apprehended before he harmed us, but this was the first contact we'd had with him in 3 1/2 years.
I never knew he was resentful or dangerous until that day. It's a fear that any parent with custody issues should be on alert for.
Let me just defend myself with well known facts in my case to people who are on both sides.
My ex-husband and I have known each other since we were 10 years old (22 years). We got married because I was pregnant (at age 22), but I thought he loved me. He was given the option to walk away and never have to pay child support or claim the child, our daughter, (so I didn't trap him). When I got pregnant with our son, our second child, he told me to abort him because he only wanted one child and I was trapping him by having 2.
He started cheating on me while I was pregnant with our son. I was the only one supporting our family, working throughout my pregnancy. I went out to visit my Mom in Michigan and was offered a really high paying job. I told my husband he needed to get a job or I was going to take the one I had been offered.
He enlisted in the Army. When he shipped out he told me he was only going to be a pay check in the mail, don't expect anything else. The child support I receive is based only on the money the Army gives him to support his two children and has nothing to do with his actual wages. I am just thankful for the health insurance they Army provides.
By going active duty in Korea, he voluntarily gave up custody of our children because of combat laws. That was May 2000. He has always had my phone number and a contact address for me. He chose not to call. It took 3 years to get the divorce finalized because he was protected by the Soldiers and Sailor's Act of 1940 and I didn't hire an attorney because I could barely put food on the table working full time and paying the babysitter so I could work. I'm not on welfare or medical, although if I quit work I would qualify.
The ex missed his scheduled visitation with our children and saw them for 20 minutes at my job the next day because that was all the time he could spare on October 30, 2003. I almost lost my job where I had been working for 4 years because of the unprofessionalism of that since I was on duty and had to have the babysitter bring the kids down. My son who was 7 months old when he left wanted to know what his father looked like. He was now 5 1/2.
My divorce was finalized in February of 2004 after the ex had been engaged 4 times that I am aware of. He immediately got remarried, a marraige I wouldn't find out about for 3 years, after he divorced her. For a while he lived within 2 hours of my home and never contacted me.
The custody order is very simple: Due to the medication needs of the children and the lack of contact, their father had to be supervised when visiting his children until such time as he attended a shared parenting class and paid his court fees. I have to provide him reasonable visitation, but only if he asks to see the children.
Our son suffers from mild epilepsy for which he takes daily medication. Missing a dose of his medication can trigger seizures as can strobe lights. Our daughter also takes medication for what the county currently calls ADHD. I have no control over that because a judge rubber stamped his name to it.
So again, I apologize for upsetting you.
My claim was not that Fathers couldn't be resentful, but rather that MY CHILDREN'S father didn't seem resentful. He seemed completely apathetic.
And my concern that all parents should be concerned about the dangers of the other parent remain the same. For the record, I come from a very loving 2 parent family and wish my children could have the same. He left me, not the other way around. He also made me choose between him and our son.
Lary Holland
http://www.laryholland.com
I hear what you are saying AND I suggest that the Father of your Child is not here to defend himself because he is out there defending all of us civilians against some very bad enemies.
The greatest love of all is, one who is willing to sacrifice his life for another, and this is what the Father of your Child is doing for us, and that is what you need to be telling your child about his Father.
There is a common misconception about military service members not being emotional and or not feeling. I submit to you that serving in the US Military is an extremely emotional and yet disciplined and controlled commitment. For many US Military Service Members it is a spiritual calling of the deepest kind whereby the Service Member is making a very well thought out possible willing sacrifice of his own life if necessary out of love.
Military Service members are entrusted with responsibility that most civilians can not fathom. I'm sure that administering medical needs is not too great a responsibility for a member of the US Army.
Please understand that you do not have to do what any Judge orders you to do regarding the Fathers contact with his own flesh and blood child. You can choose, on your own, to allow and foster a great relationship between the Father of your child and your child. Please don't fall victim to the Family Courts of Destruction false claim of power over your own family. In the end the Family Destruction Court cares not about you or the child, only the money the State Actors earn off of the massive invasion of privacy of your family relations.
Please get a copy of Stephen Baskerville's new book "Taken Into Custody, The War Against Fathers, Marriage, and the Family" endorsed by Phyllis Schlafly, President of the Eagle Forum. In the mean time, for the sake of the health of your child's future read some of the articles listed here at the Eagle Forum. Specific mention of the problems facing Fatherhood and Military Services Members are addressed that will help you understand why the Father of your child may actually not be so bad, so you can focus on the real enemy of your family, "Big Government" AKA "The Beast". http://www.eagleforum.org/topics/fathers/
Lary Holland
http://www.laryholland.com
"Accused murderer Darren Mack went before a judge in Reno Monday accompanied by his new attorneys and asking for a new trial.
Just a month after abruptly pleading guilty to murdering his wife in the middle of his trial then firing his legal team, Darren Mack came back to court today with a new legal plan.
Mack also came with a new team of lawyers asking for a new trial.
A judge ordered Darren Mack's case moved back to Reno and refused a defense motion to postpone the January 17th sentencing as Mack tried to withdraw his guilty pleas in the killing of his wife and shooting of a judge. District Judge Douglas Herndon reversed the change of venue that sent last month's trial to Las Vegas." src:=http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7478889&nav=menu113_1_2
It would appear that I am correct regarding Darren Mack at this point and will follow the case as it unfolds.
Semper Fidelis Veritas
Paul E. Sielski Sr.
Lary Holland
http://www.laryholland.com
You are right Family Court has been the reason many people are going over the edge, and it needs to stop!
http://www.wikio.com/us/crime/murder/daniel_malakov
Louise