Sad outcome......

[bran155]

Hello all, I hope all of you have been doing well. I haven't been on the computer much lately but I have been thinking of you all.

I went to Family Court on Thursday to finalize my daughter's case. She has been officially released from the county's care as she is now 18. While I was in the waiting area I heard the clerk call out a girls name that my daughter was in the Residential Treatment Center (RTC) with. I thought to myself, what on earth is she doing back in court. She was released into a group home about a year ago. This girl and I have had words in the past. We rode home together from MA (from the Residential Treatment Center (RTC)) and she was THE most dis-respectfull child I have ever seen. For the entire 3 hour drive she was saying rude things to me. Then one time she and I had an argument at the Residential Treatment Center (RTC) because she was giving me dirty looks and threatening me under her breath. Anyway, I was so curious as to why she was in court again. Well, I found out last night.

I was watching the local news and there she was. She is in the County Jail for KILLING her boyfriend. I nearly fell off the couch when I saw this!!! I just can't believe it. They said that he was very abusive to her for many years. She is 5 months pregnant and he attacked her, so in self defense she stabbed him in the chest. He died and now she is facing Manslaughter charges. I feel terrible for her. Even though we have had our differences, I can't help but to feel much sympathy for her. She has had a hard life. Her mother was a drug addict and lived in and out of welfare motels. She ended up in the system early on. While she was in the Residential Treatment Center (RTC) with my daughter her mother died of cancer. And now this!!!!! It feels so surreal. I just cannot believe this has happened. The sad part is, if it is true that she was being abused by this guy and she was defending herself and the life of her unborn baby, she will still spend a signigicant amount of time in jail. She can't afford a good lawyer so she will have Legal Aid and they don't do much!!!!

Gosh, does the system work for anyone??? All of these kids end up in the system and the outcomes are rarely good. It is just so very sad.

If anyone's interested in the story, go to news12.com click on Westchester, she was arrested on Saturday. I don't know if I am allowed to post the girls name but you will see the story and know who she is.

 

[eekysign]

Hopefully they will prove the self-defense claim.

Either way....god, this sounds awful.....baby born into abusive home, unstable with Mom and Dad nuts enough to off each other during a physical fight, or baby born in jail. Eh.....that's a toss-up for me, I think. I hate even saying that. I don't know what your area does with pregnant mothers--there are some jails out there with a separate section for moms with kids, until the kids are old enough to be independent, then they're sent to family. How'd her family seem?

Jail's never a good option. But is it worse than the situation she was in? Obviously a shelter would have been best....but if you're looking at where she was, vs where she's headed.....augh, I don't know that I'm unhappy about that. I hope it will only be temporary!

 

[hearts and roses]

How truly tragic. I will keep that girl and her baby in my prayers. Yeesh, what a waste of so many lives.

 

[totoro]

All in all such a sad situation.
She sounds like she was just a walled in child. Forced to be devoid of emotion, all but anger and fear.

Once again one of these situations that is so easy for people to sit on the outside and judge who have no clue what it is like to live like this... they will try to fry her most likely.

 

[bran155]

I just logged onto the news site and found an update. They set $25,000 bail for her today. She won't get out, her family does not have money. Investigation shows that the police were called twice in the past few months because of domestic violence. So there is proof that he abused her in the past. I pray that she gets a sympathetic jury. The whole situation is just so sad. This girl never stood a chance at life from the get go! She now is facing charges that no legal aid lawyer is going to clear her of. What a shame!!!

I would love to reach out to her. But because of our history I'm not sure that would be a good idea. She just has no one, ya know? She has extended family members but they can't be that close as they never visited her when she was in the Residential Treatment Center (RTC). Poor thing!!!

 

[Wiped Out]

Very sad-keeping her in my prayers.

 

[Star*]

Bran -

I am so sorry for you. I think your heart is in the right place. My best guess would be that since this is such a high profile case she will get assistance from a domestic womens group. I wouldn't be surprised if she would get a pro-bono atty now that her story is in the news.

Sadly - her past and her records are going to speak very loudly towards the type of person she is. Any good atty would argue she had choices, she had help - and it's going to be a long road for her.

I would even wonder if she's allowed to get mail. Maybe you could send something to her public defender - with a note to the PD saying you knew her when - and just wanted her to know people are thinking of her.

Gosh how heartbreaking.