One point that Ms. Muhammad drove home several times was that victims (male or female) often have no physical scars, and that law enforcement and the courts need to understand that fact. She also emphasized the need for victims, particularly those who don't experience a physical injury, to document everything (especially threats to kill, threats of suicide). Victims often need to file police reports and help law enforcement build a case that is sufficient to take to court. If someone else witnesses an assault (physical or verbal), or the abuser's behavior (e.g., banging on the victim's door at 3:00am, damaging property, etc.), the victim needs to provide that information to the LEO (law enforcement officer) and ask them to have the witness provide a written statement.
She also stressed the importance of being supportive when a victim discloses abuse. This applies to everyone, not just law enforcement officers. Ms. Muhammad shared that prior to their separation, she sought her brother's help after John threatened to kill her. Her brother minimized her concerns ("He didn't really say that, did he?") and she never went to him again for assistance. For law enforcement officers and front-line members of the System that deal with victims, their demeanor is crucial at these moments. Victims assess the level of concern shown by those they come into contact with, and their level of cooperation with prosecuting the offender is closely tied to the response that receive - particularly that first response. They are sizing you up, determining whether or not you're trustworthy.
A victim's demeanor after an assault doesn't fit into a nice, clean category. Some victims are terrified and shaking like a leaf. Some are hysterical and crying. Some are resigned and don't seem to care what happens. Some are belligerent with the person that's trying to help them. Anyone working with victims needs to toss out their preconceived notions of how the victim ought to behave, either in the immediate aftermath of an assault or in court. Because if they don't act the way we think they should act, we doubt the veracity of their allegations. If the perpetrator is calm, cool, and collected, they're considered more "believable" than the victim. Additionally, too many strangulation victims who fight back are arrested because they may have scratched their abuser and there are no marks on the victim.
Ultimately, Ms. Muhammad likened the situation for victims to fighting a war. She encourages them to not allow anyone to make them feel like it's their fault that they're a victim. Nobody volunteers to be a victim!
As a side note, one Orange County judge recently told a mother that "well, you married him!" when trying to convince the judge to protect her child from unsupervised visits with the father. This sort of remark, not to mention this sort of attitude, is unconscionable coming from a judge.
Showing posts with label Mildred Muhammad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mildred Muhammad. Show all posts
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
DC Sniper's Rampage Was DV-Related
I want to thank the Orlando Police Department for allowing me to attend their DV Training yesterday. The keynote speaker was Mildred Muhammad, ex-wife of DC Sniper John Allen Muhammad. After the Trauma is a non-profit organization she founded to help survivors of domestic violence re-establish their lives. She captivated the audience of over 100 law enforcement personnel and domestic violence advocates with her story of survival.
Muhammad's presentation cannot possibly be fully recounted in this forum. However, several things stood out to me. First of all, her husband was adversely changed by his service in the military. When he returned from Desert Storm, his personality was different. The military offers counseling to its soldiers. However, there is great reluctance to access these services because servicemen and women, especially those who aspire to a career in the military, don't want a blemish on their record. John did not get the counseling he needed after Desert Storm.
She spoke about how he used their three children to punish her for seeking a divorce. He abducted their children when they lived in Washington State and she did not see them for 18 months. She shared a number of shortcomings in "The System" and with friends/family that she had to overcome. She was finally reunited with her children because John filed for food stamps and had to use the childrens' real names to get them. Once their names were put into the database, they were flagged as having been abducted. She had left her contact information with the local shelter which was notified when the names were used. After an emergency custody hearing in October 2001, she was awarded sole custody and moved them to Maryland where she had relocated. She was permitted to remove them from that Court's jurisdiction because she was fleeing domestic violence. John was not awarded any visitation because he did not have a proper motion filed. The children had no idea that they had been kidnapped because their father told them that their mother was coming to see them, which of course, she never did. It took a long time for Mildred to convince them how desperately she tried to find them before the rift between them was healed.
In February 2002, a friend's niece was killed by John's 17-yr old partner / surrogate son Lee Boyd Malvo. It was later determined that Mildred's friend was the intended target.
The actual "Beltway Shootings" occurred in October 2002. Ten people lost their lives and three others were wounded. John's intent was for his ex-wife to be one of the victims (thereby avoiding suspicion about him as a possible suspect). His plan was to regain custody of their children after her death, collect her life insurance, and move to Canada after staging Lee Malvo's suicide. Malvo would be framed as the lone gunman.
An interesting story about Malvo is that while he was traveling with John, he became interested in the daughter of a friend. When their visit ended, Lee gave the girl a letter, which she did not open. Once Muhammad was named as the DC Sniper, she opened the letter from Lee. It contained a plea for help and said that John was going to kill him if he (Malvo) didn't obey him.
More to follow....
Muhammad's presentation cannot possibly be fully recounted in this forum. However, several things stood out to me. First of all, her husband was adversely changed by his service in the military. When he returned from Desert Storm, his personality was different. The military offers counseling to its soldiers. However, there is great reluctance to access these services because servicemen and women, especially those who aspire to a career in the military, don't want a blemish on their record. John did not get the counseling he needed after Desert Storm.
She spoke about how he used their three children to punish her for seeking a divorce. He abducted their children when they lived in Washington State and she did not see them for 18 months. She shared a number of shortcomings in "The System" and with friends/family that she had to overcome. She was finally reunited with her children because John filed for food stamps and had to use the childrens' real names to get them. Once their names were put into the database, they were flagged as having been abducted. She had left her contact information with the local shelter which was notified when the names were used. After an emergency custody hearing in October 2001, she was awarded sole custody and moved them to Maryland where she had relocated. She was permitted to remove them from that Court's jurisdiction because she was fleeing domestic violence. John was not awarded any visitation because he did not have a proper motion filed. The children had no idea that they had been kidnapped because their father told them that their mother was coming to see them, which of course, she never did. It took a long time for Mildred to convince them how desperately she tried to find them before the rift between them was healed.
In February 2002, a friend's niece was killed by John's 17-yr old partner / surrogate son Lee Boyd Malvo. It was later determined that Mildred's friend was the intended target.
The actual "Beltway Shootings" occurred in October 2002. Ten people lost their lives and three others were wounded. John's intent was for his ex-wife to be one of the victims (thereby avoiding suspicion about him as a possible suspect). His plan was to regain custody of their children after her death, collect her life insurance, and move to Canada after staging Lee Malvo's suicide. Malvo would be framed as the lone gunman.
An interesting story about Malvo is that while he was traveling with John, he became interested in the daughter of a friend. When their visit ended, Lee gave the girl a letter, which she did not open. Once Muhammad was named as the DC Sniper, she opened the letter from Lee. It contained a plea for help and said that John was going to kill him if he (Malvo) didn't obey him.
More to follow....
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