Many families in New Jersey and around the country are impacted by domestic violence. Violence is a problem for many families of vastly economic, racial, and cultural backgrounds. The violence between a husband and a wife can be so intense that it can erupt anywhere, even in a judge’s chambers.
A judge in Florida was shocked when a former Marine allegedly beat his wife during a child support hearing. The judge held meeting in his private chambers and ordered the husband to pay child support for the couple’s children, ABC News reports.
The wife says that her husband became enraged after hearing of his child support obligations. “He had told the judge he was going to take the kids and nobody was going to see them again,” the wife said.
She then said that her husband tackled her from behind and started strangling her and punching her in the face.
The first blow knocked the wife unconscious. Her mother, who was outside the judge’s chamber, burst through the doors and saw her daughter in a pool of blood. Bailiffs rushed the chamber and had to taser the ex-Marine twice to subdue him, ABC News reports.
The wife was hospitalized for three days with a broken nose and jaw, and a fractured cheekbone. Her vision is so blurred that she will not able to finish her semester in college.
“I still have constant headaches. My equilibrium is off. I still need assistance walking,” she said. Her husband currently faces felony battery charges and is being held on a $1 million bond.
The wife said that she was abused during her four year marriage and previously applied for domestic violence restraining orders. She now carries a taser to protect herself but fears for her safety when her husband gets out of jail.
“I will be fearful for my safety and children’s safety for the rest of my life,” she said.
New Jersey spouses have rigorous protection options against such fear. Battered spouses in New Jersey can obtain permanent restraining orders against their abusive spouses. These restraining orders are truly permanent, do not expire, and can prevent an abusive spouse from entering his or her own home if warranted.
Source: ABC World News, “Enraged Over Child Support, Husband Batters Wife in Front of Judge,” Jessica Hopper, 4/20/11
