Sporting a style fashioned from the movie “No Country For Old Men’s” savage killer, James Mammone III has been found guilty of three murders and several other charges. Not just any run of the mill murder of a stranger for money, not a murder for sex, and not a murder of passion, but a cold blooded, calculated and premeditated act of a killing machine carrying out a spree of violence against his own children and family.
In June of 2008 Marcia Eakin (Mammone) filed for an order of protection and James was arrested on a charge of domestic violence, and according to the court records he made threats to kill her. This order was still in force on June 8, 2009 when James Mammone decided it was time to carry out his murder plan that had been in the works for a year. His motive was to "inflict emotional pain" upon his ex-wife, and how better to do that than to kill the very beings that were her life, her children, her mother, the man she was dating, and ultimately Marcia herself.
Question for the judges and attorneys who may be reading this: "Should a person who is under an order of protection, has made threats to kill, and has been arrested for violence, be granted unsupervised visitations with their children? How did someone convicted of domestic violence have access to weapons?"
The marriage between James and his wife, Marcia, was over. Marcia had to file for divorce in secret, keeping all knowledge and documentation away from James and their home. James discovered her plans and, according to her trial testimony, he said to the children, "It was time for mommy to go to her grave" as well as telling Marcia "If you leave me, I will kill you and the children." Marcia was granted the divorce and moved to a location that was undisclosed to James for her safety per the divorce agreement. The visitation exchanges of the children, 3 and 5, were ordered to be made at the home of Margaret Eakin, Marcia's mother.
The day of June 8, Marcia and James met at her mother's, exchanged the children and she played tennis with her friend, Harold Benjamin Carter. She started receiving text messages from James in rapid succession, asking her to meet him and the children for ice cream, then escalating to a level that seriously concerned Marcia and her friend. Marcia called 911 when he told her he "was ready to die for my love tonight." The final text message from James read, "Last chance."
While Marcia and her friend, along with police and other personal friends were scouring the area searching for his car, James Mammone, according to his plan, took his two children, strapped in their car seats, to the parking lot of the Westminster Community Church and brutally stabbed each one of them in their necks. But he was not finished with this night of terror.
He then drove to the home of his children's grandmother, found her in a bedroom and shot her, then beat her with a metal lamp. Her husband, Marcia's father, escaped being killed by minutes, according to Mammone himself.
As all of this horror is playing out, Marcia had no idea what was transpiring. She and her friend return to her home. At around 5:30 am, James Mammone is found pouring gasoline all over the truck belonging to Harold Benjamin Carter and trying to set it on fire. Marcia once again alerts 911, saying that he also was trying to get into the house. You can hear the call HERE. Mammone fails at setting the truck on fire, and leaves the area with his two dead children still strapped in their car seats.
Police finally caught up with James Mammone entering his own driveway. He was cooperative at the time of his arrest and confessed to the killings because he wanted to "inflict deep emotional pain upon his ex-wife." James Mammone lost his power and control over his wife and children, but in the final, desperate act of exerting his "manhood" he willfully became a killing machine, the "Mammone Monster," in the same way Matthew Schneider did when he murdered his ex-wife, Brandy Schneider in the same Stark County, Ohio area just weeks ago. Brandy also lost her life to a system which doesn't take "protection" seriously and allows women and children to die needlessly at the hands of a proven abuser.
There are many steps along the process of escaping a violent relationship that victims should be given clear and concise instruction on how to keep themselves and their children safe. It should be the standard when anyone has applied for an order of protection, has been hospitalized for injuries inflicted, or even when police are called to a home. Women (men) and children do not need to die at the hands of a manipulative, controlling abuser.
"Monster" does not even begin to describe this man! He isn't insane, he is just plain SICK! He knew exactly what he was doing, and there is no defense for that.
ReplyDeleteTo the people that are trying to put the blame in the hands of Marci. Don't you think that she wanted nothing more than to protect her babies? She was a good mother, took good care of those little ones, and tried to protect them the best she could. She didn't know that this sane man that used to be her husband was truely capable of doing something so horrific! She did what she could, and it was not her that let this happen. The system failed her! She had a restraint order, there was to be no contact with her. But the courts allowed him to take them away from her. The courts, with full knowledge that there was prior violence, let this man take 2 helpless children away from their protector. They tried to fight, they tried to defend themselves, but they couldn't do it on their own. Just like they couldn't make the choice to not go with him on their own. The courts let this happen... not Marcia.
And speaking of Marcia, please remember the kids and her mother. The poor girl lost most of her family in one evening. Let's let her get on with herself now. There should be no more stories published about the monster that did this to her. She lives it everyday in her own head, her own home, and her heart. She doesn't need to see the plans that were supposed to be done to her. She doesn't need to be reminded that her father was also supposed to join her kids and mother. She already knows, and she has to live with that lost and empty feeling, the "what if's", and the "I wish it would have been me instead's". Let's let her move on, live her life as best she can, and not put it in every piece of print that she picks up. She will forever go home to a place that is lacking the pitter patter of little feet that she was so used to. She will never again be able to hold, squeeze, and kiss her babies. She knows this.
As for that Monster... there is no penalty that our courts will give that is severe enough for what he has done. The death penalty is what this man wants. He just wants this over with. He would be spared the pain that he put his victims through because he is guilty and once again, our courts fail. They actually protect the wrongdoers. In a murder case, the punishment should be eye for an eye, at minimum! He should know what kind of pain he inflicted on others. BUT, since that isn't an option, life without parole would be best fitting for him. Let the other inmates remind him daily of what he did. Let them be his punishment. I would gladly pay extra taxes to keep someone like him fed and clothed.
In closing, I would like to say to Marcia: You are a good person, so please don't let the media put any doubts in your head. It's so easy for people to jump to make judgement, not knowing all the facts. Here I am, jumping, but I know more facts than most. You did the best you could for your babies. You loved them unconditionally and gave them a happy environment. Your wings aren't what failed your children, our system failed. You are in my thoughts, my prayers, and your babies are in your Heaven. Many many hugs to you Marcia!!!
MotherOf4D, There aren't enough words of condolence for Marcia, only prayers that she can find some semblance of peace in her life some day.
ReplyDeleteUnderstandably, she doesn't want a reminder in print of what she lives with each day, however, by writing about this others may be saved from the same fate.
You are absolutely, 100% correct in stating it was the court system that failed Marcia and allowed this tragedy to take place. When you have time, please read about the case of Amy Leichtenberg on this blog, or go to Susan's BlogTalk Radio Show and listen to the archived show with her. She is living very similar circumstances as Marcia. Also the case of Brandy Schneider, also from Canton. There are many, many cases like this featured on this blog.
Education and awareness are key to changing the way things are happening in the courts and there are thousands of women today across the country who are dealing with this. By bringing it out in the open so others will know and learn is the purpose of writing about it.
It sounds as if you may know Marcia. While I don't, I grew up on Poplar St. and attended Westminster. It's been a long, long time ago, but that hits close to home for me.
I you like, please contact me at delilah@imaginepublicity.com. Please know there are many who will read this and send prayers up for Marcia, her children, her mother and remaining family. Thank you for your comment.
To anyone reading this post..I discovered a blessing from tragedy attached to this case and would like to share it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tellingdad.com/sweet-dreams-fund/
This blog is written by someone quite close to the case and he has created the "Sweet Dreams Fund" for children who are in domestic violence shelters.
What a beautiful idea and I hope everyone will go to the link and help if you can.