Thread: Battered Mother Accused in Child's Death

Dallas mother arrested after live-in boyfriend accused of beating her 3-year-old son to death | Crime Blog | dallasnews.com

According to the police, this mother is guilty because she let her abusive boyfriend beat the child. Now, I'm no domestic violence expert, but I'm pretty sure most battered women don't have much recourse in such matters. How do you charge the victim? That just seems so ridiculous.

Originally Posted by ksu_aviator

Dallas mother arrested after live-in boyfriend accused of beating her 3-year-old son to death | Crime Blog | dallasnews.com

According to the police, this mother is guilty because she let her abusive boyfriend beat the child. Now, I'm no domestic violence expert, but I'm pretty sure most battered women don't have much recourse in such matters. How do you charge the victim? That just seems so ridiculous.

How did you leap to the conclusion that this was a battered woman?? (Not that it makes any difference to me....)

Originally Posted by MaggieD

How did you leap to the conclusion that this was a battered woman?? (Not that it makes any difference to me....)

Local tv news reports. Apparently this guy was abusive.

Originally Posted by ksu_aviator

Dallas mother arrested after live-in boyfriend accused of beating her 3-year-old son to death | Crime Blog | dallasnews.com

According to the police, this mother is guilty because she let her abusive boyfriend beat the child. Now, I'm no domestic violence expert, but I'm pretty sure most battered women don't have much recourse in such matters. How do you charge the victim? That just seems so ridiculous.

If I were that woman I would countersue the state for not providing adequate housing, health care, education, or job opportunities to ensure that she could get out of that situation herself and then hold the state responsible for what happened.

I cannot fathom in any rational way how the government holds people responsible for situations beyond those people's control when that same government does little or nothing to directly help those people get out of those same situations.

Originally Posted by samsmart

If I were that woman I would countersue the state for not providing adequate housing, health care, education, or job opportunities to ensure that she could get out of that situation herself and then hold the state responsible for what happened.

That's complete and utter horse ****.

I cannot fathom in any rational way how the government holds people responsible for situations beyond those people's control when that same government does little or nothing to directly help those people get out of those same situations.

It is wrong to punish the mother for her boyfriend's actions, but this b.s. line that the government is also to blame is just stupid.

Originally Posted by samsmart

If I were that woman I would countersue the state for not providing adequate housing, health care, education, or job opportunities to ensure that she could get out of that situation herself and then hold the state responsible for what happened.

I cannot fathom in any rational way how the government holds people responsible for situations beyond those people's control when that same government does little or nothing to directly help those people get out of those same situations.

Bravo!

....

Originally Posted by samsmart

I cannot fathom in any rational way how the government holds people responsible for situations beyond those people's control when that same government does little or nothing to directly help those people get out of those same situations.

The do it all the time. If you willfully with hold information about a crime or try to cover it up or refuse to report it, you can be an accessory to that crime. In this case the beating of the child, which must have gone on before hand as well, then she had knowledge of the situation. If she reported the beating death of the child, then she couldn't be held accountable for the death; but certainly for the cover up of abuse which surely happened prior.

She didn't get up off her butt and haul that kid out of there. Makes her an accessory in my opinion. First time a guy raised his hand to me, he wound up eating it and I was out of there. Second one that tried it and I had our son by then...he wound up nursing a sore skull from my fist pounding him while he was shaving.

Don't hit a woman or a child and then turn your back. Or go to sleep. Bad idea.

She should have left. No place to go? Then walk. And keep walking until you find a safe place. NEVER stay where your child is being beaten.

Originally Posted by Enola

She didn't get up off her butt and haul that kid out of there. Makes her an accessory in my opinion. First time a guy raised his hand to me, he wound up eating it and I was out of there. Second one that tried it and I had our son by then...he wound up nursing a sore skull from my fist pounding him while he was shaving.

Don't hit a woman or a child and then turn your back. Or go to sleep. Bad idea.

She should have left. No place to go? Then walk. And keep walking until you find a safe place. NEVER stay where your child is being beaten.

Except this woman is 21 years old. Which means she likely doesn't even realize that this is an option to her. And she likely doesn't have a whole lot of life skills either.

A lot of battered women are also forced into being dependent on their abuser. And it's not just physical abuse either - they get hit with emotional and mental abuse too.

This woman doesn't need to be imprisoned. Rather, she needs counseling and a social worker to help her be independent.

There seems to be a whole load of people here leaping to all sorts of extreme conclusions on the basis of ridiculously minimal information (you can barely justify calling that news).

The assumptions that the woman was too ignorant or naive to get out of a violent situation or that the government failed to provide the necessary support are no more justified that the assumption she bares some of the responsibility for the death of the child.

I personally give the police the benefit of the doubt unless evidence if provided otherwise - I don't see them arresting here is there wasn't something to the suggestion that she failed to do something that could have prevented the killing. Thankfully, the courts will decide on the basis of a full review of all the relevant evidence rather than random denizens of the internet on a knee-jerk reaction to a three paragraph report.