In part of my research for my book I ordered the court reporter's transcript from Dad's trial and punishment phase. I received it this morning and just finished reading it.
For the first time I read the testimony of the officers who responded to the 911 call and interceded in Dad's assault against Gloria*. For the first time I got the account of the medical examiner who treated and reported Gloria's wounds. For the first time I saw Mom's statements in the punishment phase and Dad's reasoning as he tried to explain all of his wrongdoings away to the jury.
Big sigh.
My GOD, it makes my heart ache for my mom, the teenage me, dad, and, of course,
Gloria.
__________
*The woman he tried to kill and for whose attempted murder he is now serving 20 years in TX prison. Not her real name.
6 comments:
I am sorry. This has to be very difficult for you and your family.
was it significantly different than your memories? or just more information than you ever had before?
The Bible quotation "the truth shall set you free" has always raised questions in my mind.
Does this new information help you in any way, emotionally? It must help you understand, but leaves too much for the emotions to handle.
All my best wishes to you and your family for strength, acceptance and empowerment.
First, I want to applaud your writing skills. What incredible talent you have as a storyteller. Having written my own story, I know how healing this can be.
Next, I want to applaud your courage to share such a deeply intimate story about your youth and your family. It causes me to respect you deeply for this sharing. Everyone has a story to tell and we are all heroes of our own stories in some way.
Lastly, I applaud your topic. Domestic Violence in the deaf community is often unheard, but these demons are very much alive. There is a great relief when the abuser/offender is put in jail. It's like you can breathe again. I'm sure your story will touch other deeply. I hope you re-run it now and then so many can see and learn.
I am glad you got on with your life. I wonder about your brother and your mom. Are they okay? Stable? The choices parents make do impact the lives of their children.
You were lucky to have risen above your upbringing and achieved success.
I have a ton of questions.... You've left me thinking about many things...
Thank you for sharing.
~ LaRonda
My heart goes out to you and your family. Bless your heart for fighting for the truth, courage to cope with everything that occurred, and bravery to share your story with public. You are truly amazing lady.
First of all: You all ROCK! Seriously, the outpouring of wonderful notes of encouragement and understanding make my heart go "PING!"
I was asked to testify against my father in '02 based on the assault against my mom in '88. We convinced the prosecutor to have my mother go instead.
The transcript was helpful because I did not go to the trial and have only hear my parents' accounts and heard various conflicting things about Gloria's injuries. It was good to see it in print. Black & white, no questions left, no doubt: here is what happened. But, wow, what he did to her is just horrifying. That he actually denies it is mind BOGGLING! But more on that later.
Thanks again to you lovely people for taking the time to write.
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