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Topic: Domestic violence claims one more

Granola Girl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8078

posted 19 July 2005 01:46 AM

Sadly, Canada is not immune from the kinds of violence that took Laci Peterson's life.

Full story here.

quote:
EDMONTON (CP) - The husband of a pregnant woman missing for the last week was charged with second-degree murder Monday, just one day after a search party he organized found a body.
A police source told The Canadian Press that Michael White was brought in for questioning Sunday night and now faces the murder charge.
However, official police channels would not confirm the information.

From: East Van | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

Scott Piatkowski
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1299

posted 19 July 2005 02:26 AM

Police are certainly confirming it now

From: Kitchener-Waterloo | Registered: Sep 2001 | IP: Logged

nuclearfreezone
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9059

posted 19 July 2005 02:39 AM

Some one told me just a few days ago that Alberta has a high rate of domestic violence -- 1 in 4, or 25% of couples.

This case is particularly tragic as they have a 2 year old daughter who is now, for all intents and purposes, orphaned. And too young to understand what happened, but maybe that's a blessing. She was also robbed of a baby sister or brother.

Don't these men think about what this might do to the children? Didn't he love his daughter? His unborn baby? Are they so selfish? Or stupid? It's unbelievable.

From: B.C. | Registered: Apr 2005 | IP: Logged

EFA
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9673

posted 19 July 2005 02:54 AM

I knew it was the husband! My suspicions were first alerted when he angrily told the press that he was so frustrated with the police that he was going to start looking for her himself. I heard that and thought "Um, wouldn't a loving husband start looking immediately?"

From: Victoria, BC | Registered: Jun 2005 | IP: Logged

out-of-academia
recent-rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9481

posted 19 July 2005 06:49 AM

Interesting. I thought the guy was full of shit too. I can't put my finger on why, but his whole demeanor seemed really "off".

From: Canada | Registered: Jun 2005 | IP: Logged

Mr. Magoo
guilty-pleasure
Babbler # 3469

posted 19 July 2005 10:40 AM

It's pretty hard not to suspect the husband/boyfriend in cases like this.

We might be getting a bit ahead of ourselves here though, no? Have they even positively confirmed the body, much less tried and convicted this guy?

From: ø¤°`°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°°¤ø, | Registered: Dec 2002 | IP: Logged

EFA
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9673

posted 19 July 2005 10:43 AM

I don't watch TV and I can't remember if I heard him say that on the radio or if I read it in the paper but it just didn't seem to fit.

I can understand abandoning your wife, even your pregnant wife, but why would he feel the need to kill her?

From: Victoria, BC | Registered: Jun 2005 | IP: Logged

bigcitygal
Volunteer Moderator
Babbler # 8938

posted 19 July 2005 10:46 AM

quote:
Originally posted by nuclearfreezone:

Don't these men think about what this might do to the children? Didn't he love his daughter? His unborn baby? Are they so selfish? Or stupid? It's unbelievable.

No, they don't think about those things. Violence such as this is about control over his wife/partner, and asserting his dominance over her. I don't have the stats but a strong percentage of violence in relationships begins when the woman becomes pregnant. It's sad, but also infuriating that women have to die before the media and others pay attention to this issue.

From: It's difficult to work in a group when you're omnipotent - Q | Registered: Apr 2005 | IP: Logged

EFA
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9673

posted 19 July 2005 10:47 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Mr. Magoo:
It's pretty hard not to suspect the husband/boyfriend in cases like this.

What are you saying, Magoo? Am I to understand that you're not completely blown away by my powers? Do I have to make it rain again?

Good point, though. Absolutely, we have no right to talk about the husband's guilt until after the trial. But he's guilty as shit and you know it.

From: Victoria, BC | Registered: Jun 2005 | IP: Logged

Tehanu
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9854

posted 19 July 2005 11:14 AM

I know there are going to be mondo comparisons to the Peterson case in the US -- I'm hoping for two things:

-- The Canadian media has a little more dignity than all the tabloid crap (print & TV) around the Peterson case;

-- That the attention is on yet another incidence of appalling violence against women, not a thinly veiled anti-abortion tactic. One of the things that bothered me to no end about the Peterson case was that the focus seemed to be on the pregnancy. The whole discussion about whether someone should be charged with two counts of murder for killing a pregnant woman makes me very uncomfortable.

From: Desperately trying to stop procrastinating | Registered: Jul 2005 | IP: Logged

shaolin
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4270

posted 19 July 2005 01:12 PM

quote:
Good point, though. Absolutely, we have no right to talk about the husband's guilt until after the trial. But he's guilty as shit and you know it.

Actually, I'm thinking it might be better just to wait until he's at least been charged with the crime. So far he's just been taken in for questioning.

Edited to say: nevermind, I just sa the Globe Story. I'm obviously a little behind...

Edmonton man makes first court appearance

[ 19 July 2005: Message edited by: shaolin ]

From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jul 2003 | IP: Logged

Mr. Magoo
guilty-pleasure
Babbler # 3469

posted 19 July 2005 01:14 PM

Actually, he was charged yesterday.

From: ø¤°`°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°°¤ø,¸_¸,ø¤°°¤ø, | Registered: Dec 2002 | IP: Logged

skdadl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 478

posted 19 July 2005 01:25 PM

Well, until he's convicted, we should probably keep using words like "alleged" and "accused."

I agree, though: from reading just one newspaper interview, I got the feeling that he was overacting, at least. IMO, the pregnancy matters in the context that bigcitygal has given it. Sadly, that is when some men seem to develop control fixations, out of a fear that they are losing control or attention. Also sadly, we have plenty of Canadian precedents; we don't need an American mediastorm as a touchstone.

From: gone | Registered: May 2001 | IP: Logged

shaolin
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4270

posted 19 July 2005 01:26 PM

Yup, I see that now. I just didn't see it before I made my rather ill-informed post.

From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jul 2003 | IP: Logged

puzzlic
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 9646

posted 19 July 2005 02:25 PM

Yeah, I was surprised to read the reports this weekend that said the police were saying the husband "was not a suspect". How could they not put him on the suspect list, in the circumstances? Maybe they were just saying that 'cause they had reason to hope he'd lead them to the body, which he apparently did ...

At least there is no chance he'll be charged with two murder counts for one murder. If he's convicted, her pregnancy might be (and should be) treated as an aggravating factor, but the Supreme Court has been very clear that fetuses aren't people.

That's not to say the anti-choicers won't try to make hay out of this, though ... they're notably silent on violence against women, unless the woman who dies happens to have been carrying the almighty fetus

From: it's too damn hot | Registered: Jun 2005 | IP: Logged

Granola Girl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8078

posted 19 July 2005 04:40 PM

Yeah, I hate to say it, but I called this one, too. She was pregnant, he's ex-military, he was the last person to see her, there were no signs of a struggle. It all added up too neatly. Once he "heroically" found her body with a group of friends, the writing was on the wall...

From: East Van | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

Contrarian
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 6477

posted 19 July 2005 04:51 PM

puzzlic, what happened a few days ago: the husband had said she left home about 6:15 am; I saw on the TV news that one or two people had seen the van left open about 5:50 am, which implied the husband had lied. Then that news report was not repeated, and the police announced that the husband was not a suspect. They must have been giving him rope. Then the fact that he led the group that found her seems suspicious.

There is also a report today on the radio that he was court-martialed out of the military in 2002, for theft, I think.

Edit; the news report about people seeing the van at 5:50 was repeated last night, and it was said that the police did not take this seriously at first.

[ 19 July 2005: Message edited by: Contrarian ]

From: pretty far west | Registered: Jul 2004 | IP: Logged

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