Domestic Violence Cases
Domestic Violence Cases
Some domestic abuse cases manage to come to the public eye either because of the social status of the people involved, or the extent of the brutality perpetrated.
Domestic Violence Case 1
The Lissette Ochoa domestic violence case would be one belonging to the latter category.
Lissette and Rafael Dangond had been married for 9 years and had two children. Their married life was littered with the occasional 'incidents' that are usually considered as being a part of 'normal' married life.
But on the night of July 29, 2006, Lissette realized the extent to which these 'normal' incidents could go. On this night, the Dangonds attended a wedding at the exclusive Country Club in Barranquilla, Colombia. While Lissette danced with old friends, Rafael sat and stared, and then allegedly went into the bathroom and got high on either drugs or alcohol.
He proceeded to propel her towards the exit and then the battering began; in the car park, in the car, while driving, and after they reached home, for 2 continuous hours. She managed to lock herself in the bathroom and call her father, before he broke the door in and shot her.
When her father arriving to the scene, he was distraught over the sight of his daughter looking like a character in a horror movie, dragging herself out of the house. He immediately called the police who told him to call back in the morning. He then rushed her to hospital where it took over a month for the physical trauma to heal.
He proceeded to propel her towards the exit and then the battering began; in the car park, in the car, while driving, and after they reached home, for 2 continuous hours. She managed to lock herself in the bathroom and call her father, before he broke the door in and shot her.
When her father arriving to the scene, he was distraught over the sight of his daughter looking like a character in a horror movie, dragging herself out of the house. He immediately called the police who told him to call back in the morning. He then rushed her to hospital where it took over a month for the physical trauma to heal.
Lissette wrote her side of the story in an article titled, "Never Again," but has since reconciled with her abuser after he publicly apologized and underwent professional therapy for his psychological issues and substance addiction.
Domestic Violence Case 2
Domestic Violence Case 2
There was no happy ending for Rebecca, Katheryn, and Leslie aged 10, 8, and 7 respectively, because they were shot dead by their father, Simon Gonzales, after he had abducted them from their mother's front yard where they had been playing.
When the mother found the children gone, Jessica Lenahan immediately notified the Cast Rock police and asked them to enforce the active restraining order she had taken against him.
The police did not respond, nor did they do anything about the restraining order, but asked her to wait till 10 p.m. to see if her daughters would return. When she called again at 10 p.m., they actually told her to wait a couple more hours.
The distraught mother called them again at midnight this time with information as to the whereabouts of Gonzales and her daughters, but was still ignored by the law enforcers. During the long hours from 6 p.m. until they were killed in cold blood at 3:20 a.m., Jessica had repeatedly called and begged the police fearing for the safety of her daughters.
The murderer then actually went and opened fire at a police station with a shot gun and the police shot him to death. Hours earlier he had murdered his daughters, and if the police had reacted half as fast as a snail, those young lives could have been saved.
When the mother found the children gone, Jessica Lenahan immediately notified the Cast Rock police and asked them to enforce the active restraining order she had taken against him.
The police did not respond, nor did they do anything about the restraining order, but asked her to wait till 10 p.m. to see if her daughters would return. When she called again at 10 p.m., they actually told her to wait a couple more hours.
The distraught mother called them again at midnight this time with information as to the whereabouts of Gonzales and her daughters, but was still ignored by the law enforcers. During the long hours from 6 p.m. until they were killed in cold blood at 3:20 a.m., Jessica had repeatedly called and begged the police fearing for the safety of her daughters.
The murderer then actually went and opened fire at a police station with a shot gun and the police shot him to death. Hours earlier he had murdered his daughters, and if the police had reacted half as fast as a snail, those young lives could have been saved.
In 2000, Jessica filed a $30 million lawsuit against the Castle Rock Police Dept.; however, in a terrible disgrace of justice her case has been dismissed by the district court, and all the way up to the Supreme Court. Now supported by various voluntary organizations, Jessica has taken her case before the International Human Rights Commission, and the outcome is awaited.
Domestice Violence Case 3
Domestice Violence Case 3
The case of Teresa Macias vs. Sonoma County Sheriff is another one where a life was lost for lack of police action. But Teresa's blood was not shed in vain. In the last year and a half before she died, Teresa, a mother of three, had called on the Sonoma County Sheriff almost 22 times requesting protection from her abusive husband, Avelino.
Not once was she taken seriously and on the 15th of April, 1996, he shot her dead. Six months later, the mourning Macias family went into action and filed a $15 million federal civil rights lawsuit against the county sheriff. It followed the lawsuits filed by many women and was dismissed. Fortunately, the family appealed and won.
Lopez, the officer who failed to respond lost his job, and hopefully this sets a precedent where police officers lose their jobs because of domestic violence when they fail to respond appropriately. This turned out to be a landmark case which carved out a hitherto unavailable right for women to hold police accountable when protection is denied, even though the 14th Amendment guarantees "equal protection under the law."
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