On October 24, 2005 police made a gruesome discovery, the mother of 4 small children Erika Fuentes-De-Espinal had been shot to death by the children’s father Mark Donaldson.
Afterwards, this piece of garbage not fit to breath wrapped the body in blankets leaving it to decompose in the bedroom of the home where the children were living. The body was in that apartment for five entire days with the kids!
The night Donaldson was brought in for questioning he told police his relationship with Fuentes-De-Espinal had become increasingly violent since the birth of the twins. At one point, he told police, she beat him physically to the point of unconsciousness. But we know now that this was not true. Many offenders who commit murder often make up stories because the person is no longer around to dispute anything.
He said the two got into a fight and he became angry. The next night, Fuentes-De-Espinal came home late and he believed she was having an affair. He was still angry about their fight the day before, the arrest report says.
As Erika was changing one of the babies’ diapers, Donaldson retrieved his gun from a closet and shot her in the head, according to the report.In November of 2009, Donaldson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder as well as two counts of child abuse and neglect with substantial mental harm for keeping the children in the house with their dead mother.
Yesterday Donaldson, 30, was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes. He made a pitiful excuse as to why he murdered Erika telling police and the prosecutor he was addicted to methamphetamine when he killed her and was “sorry for what happened.” He claims all he ever wanted was to “be a good father to his children.” As if to tell the children’s mother on the record he was somehow not responsible at the time for his actions.
The Prosecutor remarked “there is no forgiveness. It doesn’t matter what state of mind the individual was in, nothing is going to bring this girl back,” he said, adding that the family felt that a sentence of 20 years to life wasn’t justice.
As I have often said, we need an isolated island to ship these men when they kill those with whom they are either living with or are married too. Why should we waste millions of tax payer dollars just so they can continue to exhaust a legal system that is obviously broken. All because we refuse, as a society to educate and deal with domestic violence within the home as a crime!
2 comments:
I think we need to learn why guys are like this and why women take them back after the first time.
Women should not have to practically invent an equivalent to the witness protection program just to end a relationship.
Men need to be raised with the old-fashioned protective feelings about women, and not this whole "ownership" thing.
I lived across the apt in which the murder was commited. My child played with Erika's 2 oldest children outside. I met Mark Donaldson upon moving into the same complex and had such a bad feeling about him that I never spoke to him again and told my child not to speak to him and if she saw him outdoors to come in. I met Erika and as a former victim of domestic violence myself can only state is as "I just knew" that Erika was abused. Because she was very sweet and kind as were her chiildren, is why I did allow my child to play with her children outdoors as long as it ws directly outide of my apt and that if Mark came out, that my child come in. When I met Erika, she was pregnant with her twins and incredibly friendly although our conversations were short and she would only visit with me occasionally and would not stay outdoors long. I never thought about her being missing for 5 days because I would only see her when she either left with Mark or came back and here and there outside. Mark mostly came and went alone in his car. If I had witnessed abuse to Erika or her children, I would have reported it. I only suspected it which gave me no viable reason to report anything. I will never forget the day that several squad cars showed to their home. I knew something was terribly wrong, but it wasn't untill I saw a coroner vehicle that my suspicions had been confirmed and in the most horrific way. Watching it unfold I just kept saying, "I know he did something to her,I know he did something to her" and I was right. It is a day that I will never forget.
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