Patterns in Domestic Violence Cases
A licensed social worker said the murder-suicide of 5 in Gilbert this past week followed a “familiar pattern” in domestic violence cases, according to The Republic. But unlike the majority of domestic violence cases, this one went to the extreme.
J.T Ready shot and killed four members of a family before killing himself this past Wednesday. Those slain included his girlfriend Lisa Maderos, her 23-year old daughter, 24-year old fiancé, and 15 month old granddaughter.
According to reports, it wasn’t the first domestic incident in the relationship, and it was these prior “red flags” that showed the “familiar pattern” seen in many similar cases.
In February, Maderos called the police to report that Ready had choked her six months earlier. Likely due to the time elapsed and no evidence, no arrest was made. Her next call would be on the day of her death, just before she was killed.
Neighbors reported that everything seemed to be fine in the household, that the couple was all-smiles and friendly. But others close to the family saw another side.
Ready reportedly poured a glass of water over Maderos’ head when she gave him the wrong brand. Being a member of the National Socialist Party, he would also refer to the infant as being “half-ugly” for being half-Hispanic. Finally, he forced Maderos’ family to move out of the house, leaving only the two of them behind.
This pattern, said Carl Mangold, who has counseled more than 3,500 domestic offenders, is common. “A man prone to violence blames the victim; she attempts to resist, and his abuse escalates; she attempts to end the relationship, and he punishes her for defiance.”
Mangold may be right, and this case is an extreme example of the patterns of a violent relationship. It’s cases like this one that are used to pass strict domestic violence laws in the Arizona legislature. Lawmakers understandably want to prevent occurrences like this one from happening.
It’s in trying to prevent the worst scenarios, that the smaller domestic violence offenses carry harsh penalties. The idea is that by stopping the abusive behavior early-on, a domestic violence aggressor won’t take it to the extreme that Ready did.
But in this noble effort of eradicating or at least preventing domestic violence, those accused of the more minor domestic violence crimes are often penalized very severely for actions that would seem not-so-serious in a non-domestic situation. It’s just the way things are.
When you are accused of domestic violence, it’s cases like this one that the prosecutor keeps in mind. For that reason, you can expect to be treated as a violent offender no matter the facts of the case. Call for a consultation on any domestic or related criminal charge in Arizona.
[...] in the state of Arizona. But thousands more are involved in abusive relationships, and the patterns are clear. The vast majority of these never turn deadly, though they may escalate in severity over [...]