Taking Care of Business?

Family homicide has claimed four more victims. Forget for a moment that 2 adults and 2 children's bodies were discovered in an "upscale gated community" in San Clemente, California, just hours ago.
Murder within the home is not a crime associated by the amount of zero's on a bank statement or whether its' victim live on Park Avenue or the lowest rent district in a community. We live in a country where murdering your wife, husband and kids and committing suicide is so common we barely blink an eye when we read or hear about such horrific crimes with our morning cup of coffee. And we can expect this epidemic to wipe out more lives before the New Year as husbands and yes, wives carry out their own personal form of justice and revenge.

The reason for the murders will vary depending on the each person's frame of mind. Some will have a relationship outside the home and feel that killing their spouse is the only way out, allowing them to be free of financial burdens, wiping the slate clean so they can begin anew. And those similar to the person in California who was so angry over the ending of the "family unit" they kill everyone and then turn the gun on themselves.
Just yesterday, Jason Young, after 3 years, was finally indicted in North Carolina for the murder of wife Michelle Young, who was pregnant at the time. Young, like so many who are finally charged, do not take their own life as they believe they will never "get caught."
[Michelle Young]

Over Thanksgiving after the couple had separated, Karen Kahler of Kansas moved she and her children out of the marital home to begin their lives without violence. But, her husband Kraig Kahler, like so many abusers wasn't having any of it, "who does she think she is, no one leaves me." On November 28th, 2009, Karen Kahler and her daughters Emily, Lauren and her grandmother were shot to death by her estranged husband while they were visiting a relative. the Thanksgiving holiday. He was arrested several hours later and has been charged with capital murder.

Another case unsolved to date is the murder of Michigan Mother of 3, Renee Pagel , found stabbed to death in her bed recovering from surgery, (after donating a kidney to a complete stranger) just days away from her divorce being finalized. According to close friends and relatives the grade school teacher and a registered nurse told others she was in "fear for her life." A week before her murder she changed the beneficiary of her life insurance policy from her estranged husband to a close family friend.

Her estranged husband, Michael Pagel, is the only person who has not voluntarily cooperated with police, nor has he provided an alibi to police for the night of Renee's murder. He retains custody of the couple's children.

Susan Powell mysteriously vanished last week leaving her purse and keys inside the home where she was last seen alive by her husband, Josh, at 12:30 in the morning. He suddenly decided to take his 2 small children on a camping trip. He is a person of interest and has now lawyered up as he faces questioning in her disappearance.

Other cases where wives have gone missing without explanation , Lisa Stebic disappeared in 2007, her husband Craig and she were in divorce court, has not been charged but is a person of interest. Former police officer Drew Peterson arrested for the murder of wife #3 Kathleen Savio, has yet to be charged with the homicide of Stacy Peterson, wife #4 whose body has not been found since she disappeared in October of 2007. Renee Pernice of Kansas vanished( divorce pending) in January of 2009 and her fire fighter husband Shon Pernice remains of person of interest.

The address are all different, the outcome is almost identical. Not one of these women would ever leave without their children. And they were each good women who did not deserve to be erased from life.

In a note written by my father after my mother was murdered, before his committing suicide, sums it up:

"This is business only, no one leaves me and gets away with it."

Court Ordered Execution

When a woman or man is a victim of violence in their home and they break the cycle by gaining the courage to leave the very legal system in place to protect seemingly does the most damage. Communication and training appears non-existant in courtrooms leaving tragedies of epidemic proportions as family members are left to discover gruesome crimes scenes followed by making funeral arrangements for innocent loved ones.

Who are the judges presiding in large and small court houses across the county? Are these men and women drapped in their black robes passing time until they retire and can collect a pension? Is any presiding judge on a bench in family or domestic relations court qualified to really make sound legal decsions? In my opinion the answer is no!

Amy Lichtenberg did everything in her power to keep she and her children safe. But the judge presiding over her case turned a deaf ear. Her dangerous and violent husband manipulated the legal system to gain access by wearing down the courthouse with the filing of one motion after another until a judge granted unsupervised visitation. Three weeks after the judge's decision Amy's children Jack and Duncan would be murdered by their father.

Annette Suzan Sowders-Fuller also continued within the legal system after she filed for divorce and obtain orders of protection in an attempt to keep her violent husband away from she and her two small children. Each time she entered a courtroom or called the police for help Annette's husbands violence escalated. It ended in August when he stormed into her home killing Annette and her mother Cheryl in front of her children.

Dawn Axsom and her attorney pleaded with a judge to allow her to leave Arizona with her two-year-old son.The judge denied the request. According to court testimony, Axsom’s estranged boyfriend, who had been arrested twice for DUI, was unemployed, and had made two failed suicide attempts was awarded by the judge who allowed visitation and requirined a drug, alcohol and a mental health evaluation to be completed within 60-days. Just 2 short weeks after that court ordered visiation the boyfriend murdered Dawn, her mother Linda and then committed suicide.

To say the courts do not take domestic violence seriously is an under statement. Without any consideration for prior arrests or current orders of protection judges are awarding individuals whom are a danger to their children visitation and custody. The abusers sole intent is to gain unlimited access to his victim. The abuser could care less about the children. Often an abuser is so enraged over the ending of the relationship the only interest they have is seeking revenge on their victim. Either by killing the person who ended the relationship or murdering the children keeping the victim alive and unharmed as a sick and twisted punishment for breaking up the family.

I have great respect for judges. What I do not respect is ignorance in a courtroom. These judges elected or appointed require more than a two week crash course in a classroom setting on "how to be a judge." Otherwise those court orders that they sign without consideration to human life will amount to nothing more than an a court ordered execution!

The Susan Murphy Milano Show- Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 3:00 PM Central Time

Two little girls ages 5 and 8 have literally had their lives turned upside down in the last 87 hours since their mother Suzan Annette Sowlers-Fuller and Grandmother Sharon Sue Cannon were killed, before their eyes.

The very system that was supposed to protect their mother and grandmother likely aided in their murders when they failed to upgrade the case and properly charge the estranged husband.

In those 87 hours the girls have lost their in what I refer to as their "country." A place where they each learned to ride their first horse. Where the girls learned how to roller skate down the drive-way, they each played their first game of hopscotch. At night their mom would read them a bedtime story, they would say their prayers and then Suzan or Annette as she liked to be called would kiss her daughters goodnight.

In a matter of moments, gone. They can never return, because, their warm safe world, has vanished. Since Saturday they have been whisked from strange beds, to people with badges to interviews with forensic investigators, appearances in court and questions from strangers who are unable to tell the girls why their mommy is dead.

The order of protection is a document to track the abuse, nothing more. Leading experts are commenting that these cases do not often end in murder when a victim obtains a court order. Well perhaps those experts need to examine these cases a bit closer. Many women do not obtain a court order for fear of being killed. A woman for numerous reasons decides on various factors usually not disclosed to others that prevents her from seeking assistance. It is more of a damn if you do and damn if you do not decision on the part of each victim.

On The Susan Murphy Milano show, we will discuss the various obstacles highlighting this tragedy in hopes that those listening will learn what direction they need to take when faced with imminent danger. This is also a case of "maternal deprivation abuse" that ended in murder. Simply, the father and killer hijacked the children from their mother. We will be joined on the show by Claudine Dombrowski a leading expert in the area of mothers without custody. And a we will be joined by a close relative and friend who was in daily contact with both women who died.

Date : 8/12/2009

Time: 4:00 PM EST 3:00 PM CST 1:00 PM PST

Call-in Number: (347) 326-9337

Show Link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susanmurphymilano

If you miss the show, please remember you can listen by turning up the volume on your computer and the show will automatically play until our next show on August 19, 2009 when our special guest will be divorce attorney Jennifer Weiss. And she will take your questions live, during the show.

Plan "B"

Suzan Annette Sowders-Fuller stood on her ranch in Bakersfield, California, crossed her arms and shook her head in disbelief, on Monday August, 3, 2009 when her estranged husband bonded (for the second time) out of jail paying a measly $750 to be back out on the street only to continue terrorizing his wife and kids. As of Monday last week there were 8 police reports for breaking a court order of protection; slicing tires, breaking and entering; verbal threats of death over the phone; taking a container of diesel fuel and dousing the house. The kicker, on Wednesday August 5, 2009, Robert Fuller was visiting as scheduled by the courts with the couple's 2 daughter's ages 8 and 5.

Robert Dale Fuller was allowed to continue supervised visitation with his children. Why wasn't he behind bars? Where was the district attorney? Why wasn't he charged with several felonies?

Could it be that no one took Suzan's cries for help seriously because she was going through a divorce? We will never know.

On Saturday August 8, 2009 at 2:25 a.m. a frantic call was placed to the police by the 8 year-old child, "please she screamed, help us, help us, my mommy, my grandma have been shot, hurry, hurry someone please hurry."

In front of both children Robert Fuller shot to death Suzan and her mother Sharon Cannon.

A spokesperson from the Sheriff's Department told the local news reporter they responded to a "domestic dispute." What no one knew at the time and I learned this morning, was the system refused to do its' job on many levels in this case.

At the conclusion of the article it reads "Sheriff urged anyone experiencing domestic violence or abuse to seek professional help."

The system appears to serve as nothore more then a light post for your street address as they approach the crime scene, respondong only after someone has been murdered by their violent husband or boyfriend. It is obvious for anyone experiencing violence in a relationship, or going through a nasty divorce, plan "B" is a survival requirement or they may not survive to see a new sunrise.

Part 2 of this post is tomorrow.

Don't forget to mark your calendars for the Susan Murphy Milano show on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 3:00PM central time as we talk about this case with a family member and Claudia Dombrokski from Mothers Without Custody, including what women must arm themselves with to survive the abuse. The question of the day is: Are you interested in planning for a funeral or a new life?