December 18, 2014

Recent Murder & Manhunt in PA

I try not to share this kind of post on the main page of LC, but this I felt I really needed to until the library is fixed and working properly…

First off, I want to send out our sincere condolences to the family members of both Nicole Stone and Bradley William Stone.  Our hearts go out to the senseless loss that both families are going through at this time…  Our hearts go out to the children who are now left behind…

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Nicole Stone

When I saw that there was a killing spree and manhunt in PA, I prayed that it wasn’t DV related, but had a sinking feeling that it would be.  Unfortunately, I was correct, and it sickens me to see this unfold.  Thankfully it has ended, unfortunately with seven dead, and it was senseless! 

What has been sticking out to me the most is the following:

Neighbors said Nicole Stone lived in such fear of her ex-husband that she would sometimes ask her apartment complex's maintenance staff to go in and check her place first because she was afraid he might be lying in wait.

November 6, 2014

Free Webinar: Expanding the Forensic Narrative: Engaging Surviving Family Members in the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Process

I’ll be attending…hope to see more Survivors do so as well, mostly if you’ve had family or friends murdered within an Intimate Partner Violence murder! 

As a Survivor and having lost now 3 family members to domestic violence, I’m going to find it very interesting in what they are doing and how they are approaching this…

~Angel Hugz~

   ~Tracy~

From the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative


Announcements

Free Upcoming Webinar

Please join us in the third of our series of webinars on fatality review through the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative.

Date: November 18, 2014

Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am (Pacific)

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (Eastern)

Expanding the Forensic Narrative: Engaging Surviving Family Members in the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Process

The main purpose of reviewing domestic violence fatalities is to prevent future domestic violence and deaths. Review teams seek information about a victim’s death from multiple sources such as law enforcement, social service, and health care to identify risks, system breakdowns, and strategies to ensure safety.  However, to understand what life was like for the victim and what it was like engaging with service agencies, review teams across the country and in England are also talking with those who may have known the victim best: family, friends and community members. This webinar will explore the importance of involving family/friends/community with the domestic violence fatality review process and how they have enhanced system changes and fatality prevention.

For more information, please see the attached flier.

Register Here: http://ndvfriwebinar3.eventbrite.com

For questions about this event, please contact Stephanie.Mayer@nau.edu.

National Fatality Review Conference Call for Proposals

The national 2015 NDVFRI conference will take place May 17-19 in St. Petersburg, FL. Fatality Review: Communities & Social Change will explore the ways communities have changed their responses to domestic violence as a result of their fatality review work. The conference highlights the importance of civic engagement, agency and stakeholder contributions, and democratic practice.

The NDVFRI conference workshop proposal deadline has been extended to December 5, 2014. We are currently engaged in a rolling review of proposals. For more information, conference registration, and the Call for Proposals application, visit our conference website.

October 20, 2014

Another Sports Star Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges

Quick moves on the NHL!  It’s good to see that some lessons were learned from the Rice case, and that Domestic Violence incidences are being taken more seriously and being acted on with more authority.

With the news that more than usual the amount of calls are coming into shelters and hotlines, the hope is that when it is shown that even the tough guys in sports aren’t able to dodge the bullet on DV charges and that it IS being taken seriously, that victims will understand better that they DO deserve better!

I also pray that with men watching the sports and news and hearing how DV is wrong, and what these men are going through because of their actions and that even as stars they have to take the consequences of their actions, that they will think twice about committing domestic violence themselves.

Only time will tell…

Thank You to the news sources and sports casters that are covering these cases and speaking out against Domestic Violence!  Many don’t even realize that this is Domestic Violence Awareness Month as well as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but that’s ok…it seems that high profile cases are taking care of raising the awareness themselves!

Stay Safe!

~Angel Hugz~

Tracy

Slava Voynov arrested on domestic violence charges, suspended by NHL

By Chris Peters | Hockey Writer

October 20, 2014 10:41 am ET

SlavaVoynov

Slava Voynov was arrested on domestic violence charges Monday. (USATSI)

The NHL announced Monday that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov has been suspended indefinitely after an early morning arrest on domestic violence charges.

Here's the official statement in full from the NHL:

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov has been suspended indefinitely from all club activities pending a formal investigation by the National Hockey League of an arrest this morning on charges of domestic violence.

The suspension was imposed under Section 18-A.5 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which provides that, during the pendency of a criminal investigation, “The League may suspend the Player pending the League's formal review and disposition of the matter where the failure to suspend the Player during this period would create a substantial risk of material harm to the legitimate interests and/or reputation of the League.”

Voynov, who will continue to be paid during the pendency of the investigation, was arrested for California Penal Code section 273.5, Domestic Violence.

There are very few details at this time about what happened leading up to Voynov's arrest. Voynov is indeed innocent until proven guilty, but the NHL isn't going to let him play until more is learned about the allegations.

Given the climate of professional sports leagues and how they deal with domestic violence issues, the NHL wasted no time. The league apparently knew about the arrest before just about anyone else as the NHL's announcement preceded any reports of Voynov's arrest.

How quickly the league reacted to these allegations offers quite the contrast to how the NHL handled domestic violence allegations against Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who was arrested around this time last year. Varlamov barely missed any time and the charges were eventually dropped.

The heat the NFL took over the early stages of its own season regarding the incident involving Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens has certainly put other leagues on notice.

The NHL is doing the right thing by not waiting for the league process to sort itself out this time. The collective bargaining agreement section that covers "off-ice conduct" will continue to allow Voynov to be paid, though. He will also still count against the Kings salary cap, leaving them with almost no flexibility to replace him.

UPDATE: According to Lisa Dillman of the LA Times, the Redondo Beach Police Department is handling the Voynov investigation. Voynov is due in court Wednesday.

Rich Hammond of the Orange County Register filled in a few more details:

According to information on the Los Angeles Sheriff Department's website, Voynov was arrested at 12:45 a.m. Monday by Redondo Beach police. The initial arrest report does not specify the charges Voynov might face, but does say he faces felony charges.

The Redondo Beach P.D. is expected to issue a statement regarding Voynov's arrest later Monday afternoon.

UPDATE II: Voynov has been released on bond, per Hammond:

Rich Hammond @Rich_Hammond

Follow

Per Redondo Beach jail, Voynov was released on $50,000 bond "about 20 minutes ago."

12:18 PM - 20 Oct 2014

The Los Angeles Kings released the following statement regarding Voynov's arrest:

These developments are of great concern to our organization. We support the NHL's decision to suspend Slava Voynov indefinitely during this process and we will continue to take appropriate action as the legal proceedings and the investigation by the NHL take their course.

To keep up with Updates on this story on CBS Sports.com , read more!

October 13, 2014

Do you feel an Abuser can Truly be a Christian?

New Post on Le Chrysalis Christian Center

This is something I have been sitting on for months…not sure if I wanted to post it or if I should.  I’ve been praying about it and have read over it and feel that it’s something that really needs to be said.  This is just the beginning of this topic, yet it is a beginning!

Here I’m sharing what I’ve seen and what I’ve learned and noticed…abuse is not absent within the church!  Often times it’s one spouse that comes to church and the other does not, yet many times both do attend church.  This is a topic that needs to be talked about and addressed!  This is not something to be silent about!

Do you feel an Abuser can Truly be a Christian?

Let’s be real here, we have Christians that are abusers within our churches and within our communities. This is nothing new, yet it seems that it’s yet another topic that so many don’t want to talk about. We have abusive Fathers, Mothers, Husbands, and Wives wearing the “Mask of Christianity”. We have ministers that are abusing and even killing their wives. We have Pastors who abuse their wives and children; we have Priests that molest young boys…

This isn’t anything new! This is a societal issue; we have abusers in all facets of society! There are abusers who are doctors, lawyers, political officials, police officers, judges, clerks, waiters, waitresses, trash truck drivers…so why is it such a surprise we have them as Christians as well? 1 in 4 (this is what the common statistic states as of today, although I truly believe it’s more like 1 in 3) women are affected by abuse, and this doesn’t even touch the men that are abused (1 in 7) as well! How many people sit in your church every Sunday? How many do you see shopping at Walmart, in the mall, or on the roads daily? How many are abuse victims? More importantly, how many are abusers?

Colossians 3:19

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Read more …

October 1, 2014

Forgiving Our Abusers

New Post on Le Chrysalis Christian Center

Forgiving our abusers is something that all us survivors of domestic violence truly struggle with.  Sharing a little bit today on a few steps that has truly helped me leap this bridge of healing and forgiving. 

I truly pray that it helps someone in their healing!

Forgiving Our Abusers…

This is such a touchy subject, and something that is so hard to do…

Last week I was speaking to a friend of mine and she was asking about some of my past…she is not a survivor of abuse yet works for abused children so understands to an extent what abuse is like.  She was surprised that I have been able to forgive my abusers like I have, and that really got me thinking…

So many of us really struggle with forgiving our abusers, I know I did!  Let me tell you, it wasn’t something I did over night, and honestly, the end result I don’t even think I did myself…

Matthew 6:14 (NKJV)

14“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Read more …

September 15, 2014

Thinking Back…

New Post on Le Chrysalis Christian Center

Sharing some thoughts and reflections of my past abuse and how God truly made a HUGE difference in my abuse…just a touch, there’s so much more, but it’s a start…something I pray that Victims and Survivors would read and I pray that it gives someone the courage to freedom inside and out…

Thinking Back…

I've been thinking back a lot to my past abuse. Not dwelling on the abuse itself or getting upset by it at all…just thinking back and looking at my situation and realizing some key facts about my abuse in the early 90's with my husband and my abuse later in the 90's with my boyfriend…

Read more…

September 12, 2014

Father Murders His 5 Children

This news is so sad!  The fact that there were warning signs before these 5 precious young children were murdered makes me question why the system failed them to such a degree?

Neighbors saw the degradation of these children!  Calls were made!  Reports were written!  My question is, how long was he “wanted in regards a welfare concern of his children”? 

I pray that the system figures out what more could have been done or should have been done, and makes sure something like this doesn’t happen again!  If laws or lack of kept them from protecting these children, then changes have to be made!

I hope to see more about the history here and hope to find out more history on what lead up to the children being murdered. 

To the family left behind…know that there are those out here that are praying for you and our hearts are with you!

 

Father charged with murder after bodies of 5 missing South Carolina children found in Alabama

Published September 10, 2014 FoxNews.com

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A South Carolina man will be charged with murder in the deaths of his five children – who were ages 1 to 8 – after their bodies were found wrapped in garbage bags off a two-lane highway in Alabama, authorities say.

Acting Sheriff Lewis McCarty of Lexington County said Wednesday at a news conference that Timothy Ray Jones Jr., 32, would be charged with five counts of murder when he arrives in South Carolina. Jones is currently being held in Mississippi.

Authorities in South Carolina and Mississippi said that Jones has already been charged with child neglect.

McCarty said authorities believe that Jones killed the five children at the same time, but he did not say specifically why he thought that. He said authorities are not sure of the motive for the killings, but officials believe Jones acted alone, with no one's help.

"They were wonderful. They were happy," Jones' stepmother, Julie Jones of Amory, Mississippi, told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday. She identified herself as Jones' stepmother.

"I'm sure everybody wants to know the answers," Jones' father, Timothy Jones Sr., said. He said he was working on a statement about his son's arrest and the death of his grandchildren. "It's just a terrible tragedy."

Autopsies have been set up to begin Thursday, although McCarty said he's unsure when they will be finished, and officials won't comment on any causes of death until then.

McCarty added that the children's mother, Jones' ex-wife, is in shock and distraught. The children were reported missing by their mother on Sept. 3, authorities said.

"This is a very tragic situation," Wilcox County (Ala.) District Attorney Michael Jackson said. "These kids' lives were snuffed out before they had a chance to enjoy life. Justice will be served."

Jackson said Jones is suspected of killing the children in South Carolina before taking their bodies to Alabama.

An Alabama Department of Public Safety spokesman told the Associated Press that Jones led police to the site near the town of Camden where the bodies were found.

On Wednesday morning, the dirt road where the bodies had been located — an isolated area between the Alabama towns of Pine Apple and Oak Hill, about 25 miles west of an Interstate 65 exit — was abandoned. Investigators had worked late into the night using flood lights, but there was no longer any sign of vehicles or people. Boot prints and tire tracks were especially prevalent around a pile of dead trees atop a sandy soil hilltop, guarded from view by the two-lane highway.

Jones was detained in Smith County on Saturday after being stopped at a motor vehicle checkpoint near Raleigh, Mississippi, and charged with drunken driving, Smith County Sheriff Charlie Crumpton said in a news release.

Crumpton said Jones became agitated when a deputy questioned him about an odor of chemicals coming from the Cadillac Escalade he was driving. The deputy found what were believed to be chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine and a substance believed to be the street drug Spice, a form of synthetic marijuana, Crumpton said. A sheriff's office investigator was called and found what appeared to be bleach, muriatic acid, blood and possible body fluids, he said.

During a background check, police discovered that Jones was wanted in South Carolina "regarding a welfare concern of his children," who were on a national missing persons list, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

Investigators from several departments and the FBI started looking for the missing children on Monday, Crumpton said. He said the children's decomposed bodies were found in individual plastic garbage bags.

Jarrett told a news conference that authorities were not sure why Jones drove through Alabama.

Jones had joint custody of the children and is divorced from their mother, police said. They said he told neighbors that he and the children were moving to another state.

Marlene Hyder and her husband, Johnny Hyder, said Jones and his wife moved into a house next to them about seven years ago in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina, 25 miles west of Columbia. They said Jones told them he worked in computers. Two years ago, the wife moved in with a male neighbor and Tim Jones moved away with the children, the Hyders said.

Johnny Hyder said the children were often dressed in dirty clothes and were seen home at all hours of the day because Tim Jones had said he didn't believe in the public schools. Hyder said Jones was constantly looking for a reason to argue and often threatened to call the police. He said Jones approached him with a gun on his hip one day and was angry about something, but Hyder couldn't remember what it was. When Hyder said he was going to call police, he said Jones told him it was only a BB gun.

"It wasn't a BB gun," Hyder said. "It was a real gun. I know what one looks like, but I didn't want to cause any more trouble."

Marlene Hyder said Jones threatened to kill one of their dogs when it briefly went onto his property.

"He was a nut," she said.

Marlene Hyder said she also remembered a day when one of the Jones' younger children came over to the Hyders' house and tried to drink out of one of their outdoor spigots. He was dirty and disheveled and ran back to his house when she tried to speak to him, she said.

A "no trespassing" sign was posted near the driveway of a house where the Hyders said Tim Jones' ex-wife still lived with the other neighbor. Several people were seen walking around the yard, but none responded to questions from a reporter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source:

Fox News.com

JB’s NFL Message on Domestic Violence

Like many others, I’ve heard Domestic Violence being mentioned often as of late.  The fact that Ray Rice was abusive towards his girlfriend is nothing anyone can dispute, it was caught on video.  The fact that they went light on his suspension without the video of what happened inside the elevator isn’t surprising, and the fact that his life time suspension has been given after seeing the video is very heartening that they are taking this seriously.

Hearing Domestic Violence being mentioned on the news and within the NFL has been great to hear!  Sadly it takes a case where a NFL star is involved to make them talk about the issue and how important it is to do something about it.

I’ve heard the issue with Ray Rice over and over….yet the news about Timothy Ray Jones killing his 5 children hasn’t been plastered all over our TV’s.  In fact, I hadn’t heard about what happened until I saw it online, and not sure if they put it on the local news or not, I haven’t seen anything mentioned about it.  It’s sad, that Ray Rice is getting so much air time yet the fact that 5 children, ages 1-8, doesn’t rate even near enough mentioning….

I Thank James Brown for his message….more DOES NEED to be done about Domestic Violence!  Hearing it on the news, on talk shows, and within the NFL that is male dominated is needed!  I just pray that this doesn’t fizzle out like I’ve seen it do after other cases of Domestic Violence happening to stars.  I pray that the momentum that we are seeing right now continue and that more become aware of what is going on within our families and just how prevalent Domestic Violence is.

 

By Will Brinson | NFL Writer

September 11, 2014 9:22 pm ET

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James Brown gave an impassioned speech against domestic violence on Thursday. (via CBS)

Few sportscasters are more universally respected than CBS Sports' James Brown. (Claim bias or whatever you want but JB is a pro's pro and good luck finding a dissenting opinion.)

He showed why on Thursday night when he provided an impassioned, rational plea to a national audience -- "the NFL community and all men" -- to do something about domestic violence in light of the Ray Rice situation. Specifically, as he noted two years ago after Chiefs player Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend and then himself, "to seriously confront the problem."

“Two years ago I challenged the NFL community and all men to seriously confront the problem of domestic violence, especially coming on the heels of the murder-suicide of Kansas City Chiefs football player Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins. Yet, here we are again dealing with the same issue of violence against women.

Now let's be clear, this problem is bigger than football. There has been, appropriately so, intense and widespread outrage following the release of the video showing what happened inside the elevator at the casino. But wouldn't it be productive if this collective outrage, as my colleagues have said, could be channelled to truly hear and address the long-suffering cries for help by so many women? And as they said, do something about it? Like an on-going education of men about what healthy, respectful manhood is all about.

And it starts with how we view women. Our language is important. For instance, when a guy says, ‘you throw the ball like a girl' or ‘you're a little sissy,' it reflects an attitude that devalues women and attitudes will eventually manifest in some fashion. Women have been at the forefront in the domestic violence awareness and prevention arena. And whether Janay Rice considers herself a victim or not, millions of women in this country are.

Consider this: According to domestic violence experts, more than three women per day lose their lives at the hands of their partners. That means that since the night of February 15th in Atlantic City more than 600 women have died.

So this is yet another call to men to stand up and take responsibility for their thoughts, their words, their deeds, and as Deion [Sanders] says, to give help or to get help, because our silence is deafening and deadly.”

It's a well-stated message that came across even better the way Brown phrased it.

In light of everything happening around the NFL these days, it's a lesson everyone would do well to heed.

Source:

CBS Sports.com

April 30, 2014

Sentencing of Francisco Rivera

Found some information on the sentencing of Francisco Rivera who shot and murdered Omar Vera-Marti in 2009.  An interesting bit of information, attempting to find more concrete information on the trial and sentencing.

It’s interesting to me that they picked up on what Rivera did, which was send a ‘kiss of death’ to the victim’s wife.  This is something that is typical of abusers, to send silent messages to their victims that they think bystanders wont see or recognize.  It’s good to see it was in this instance…

February 6, 2014

New Posts on Le Chrysalis Remembers

Please visit Le Chrysalis Remembers and go through the pages of those that should be remembered and not forgotten.  If you are moved to do so, please leave a comment or a prayer for the family of the loved one that has been brutally taken away from them.

For those of us that have lost loved ones to Violence and Domestic Violence, we know how important it is not to forget them, to get their stories out, and to hopefully prevent the tragedy from happening to someone else.  Too many families have been torn apart into chaos by violent tragedy, please help to support those that we list here.

Le Chrysalis Remembers 2009 list will be up soon.

Mylin Bullock NC 03-11-2009
William Young NC 06-01-2009
Tigist Yemane NC 11-07-2009
Amenda Yang IN 05-06-2009
Susan Woolf NY 12-13-2009
Mary Wireman IN 06-14-2009
Erica Wilson MN 07-30-2009
Teresa Wilkinson WI 07-22-2009
Amy White IN 10-27-2009
Jeanie White UT 06-16-2009
Sandra Wengerd NC 07-18-2009
Michelle Welch UT 11-21-2009