There were a whole raft of warning signs in this situation, even for someone who has not had experience dealing with child abusers.
- 26 yr old boyfriend of 19 yr old momma
- based on names, I'm presuming anglo BF & Latina momma
- 2 yr old has momma's last name, suggesting father was not current BF & father is not providing child support
- instrument suggests it was the closest ting to hand, suggesting low impulse control
- no explanation/excuse offered
- BF trying to "revive" kid in bathtub
I could go on & on about all the other indicators contained in the story, but it does nothing for anybody unless you want to know how to run forensic psychology on a child abuser. What I picked up on right away was the suggestion of momma with low or nonexistent self esteem, battered wife syndrome, and a complete lack of any personal support system, along with a BF who may have the emotional maturity of a 6-yr-old.
Ropes, gags, axes and the like are not going to be anywhere near as painful as what the BF is going to endure if he hits the prison system. He will be fortunate if he is immediately (beginning in the local jail) placed in isolation and on close suicide watch. If he is in the general population he can expect to endure both physical and psychological assaults, including some of the grossest food adulteration you could imagine.
It is still strange to me how criminals, especially the ones in for crimes of violence themselves, seem to have a bright line regarding those who physically and sexually abuse children. While there may not be justice in the criminal justice system, there certainly is a whole lot of karma.
The real shame, based on my experience with this population, is that momma will never see how she can be held responsible for what happened.
I'm ticked off that so far the worst tye BF is facing is aggravated assault. I do not know the various levels of homicide that Pennsylvania offers in its lergal system, but I hope they decide to charge the BF with something mose serious than manslaughter.
A final note - if any of you know of folks who share any of the dynamics of this couple, please stick your nose in and see if there are warning signs that things could go south in an instant. If you do not want to take them on as a personal project, contact someone and ask that things be checked out. (I'm not a big fan of CPS, even though I did that job for over 14 years. Most folks seem to wait till it's too late, and are have too much already on their plates to consider doing prevention work. Also, there are fewer places to refer folks to for support than there used to be. Do nOT discuss the state of foster care with me unless you want to hear words your mother told you never to use.)
stay safe.
skidmark
