Violent Felon Murders Family While On Probation

Case Overview

This case involves a domestic violence incident in Tenessee. A male felon convicted for rape was threatening his ex-wife and their three children while on probation. The ex-wife informed the police of the felon’s threats and requested supervision at her house by a law enforcement officer. The request was denied, but the ex-wife was told that law enforcement would be monitoring the felon. A few days later, the felon entered the ex-wife’s house through a window and began to threaten the family with a gun. One of the children called the police, but the felon shot and killed the family before law enforcement arrived on the scene. It was alleged that the local law enforcement department failed to protect innocent civilians from a historically violent felon. An expert in behavioral psychology was sought to opine on the cycle of domestic violence and how domestic violence typically perpetrators behave.

Questions to the Child Welfare expert and their responses

Please describe your experience with regards to training individuals to intervene in domestic violence situations.

I have conducted training at the local, national, and international levels with regard to these issues. As this is an interdisciplinary issue, this teaching has been conducted for therapists and counselors, law enforcement, lawyers and judges, health care professionals, researchers, and policymakers. I can offer opinions about why it is important for systems to intervene and protect victims. It is well-established that intimate partner violence and abuse requires coordinated community response to be effective. Historically speaking, some of the first state policies and public health initiatives were based on improving the criminal-justice response by requiring mandatory arrest in such cases where there was probable cause. As not all perpetrators are amenable to or respond to intervention, the priority must always be to take steps to ensure the safety and well-being of the victim or potential victims. I have lectured and published extensively on the topic. I am editor-in-chief of one of the first specialty journals on the topic. This journal has both national and international input and distribution. Additionally, I have acted in an expert and consulting capacity on a broad range of criminal and family law cases. Some of these cases have involved homicide.

About the expert

This expert has approximately 40 years experience in Behavioral Sciences, specializing in domestic violence prevention and intervention. He earned his doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a DSHS approved domestic violence evaluator for domestic violence and abuse. He was an Associate Professor on the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine for about 30 years and is the former Director and Founder of the Harborview Anger Management and Domestic Violence Programs. He has received the Social Issues Award from the Washington State Psychological Association, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Northwest Domestic Violence Treatment Provider Association, and the Gold Achievement Award from the American Psychiatric Association for program development, teaching, and applied research in the areas of anger and interpersonal violence. He has also served an Invited Expert for International Society of Women Law Judges and training consultant to the United States Department of Defense regarding standards of care for intervention in cases of anger related problems, domestic violence and abuse. He has published over 74 articles and book chapters in the areas of domestic violence and abuse, anger disorders, neuropsychology, stress and coping. He is currently the Clinical Director of an Anger Management and Domestic Violence Program in Seattle.

E-136239

Specialties:

Child Welfare