Again, after watching how this thread is progressing, I'm just going to say this.
I'm not going to judge the VICTIM of this crime for apparently doing what was right--removing herself and her daughters from an abusive situation. I'm not going to judge the parents of Venus for doing what I consider the right thing--opening their home to their daughter and granddaughters after their daughter did what we think every abused spouse should do: leave the abuser.
No one's past is perfect. I challenge each person in this thread to stand up to the scrutiny that any abused spouse faces. If you know anything about domestic violence, you see that this case is textbook. When the abused spouse first attempts to get help, the abuser characterizes the victim as "crazy," or "emotional," or "irrational," or the source of the abuse. Venus' case? Check. The abused spouse leaves numerous times before finally finding the support in relatives, community, churches to make the separation from the abuser permanent. Venus' case? Check. The abuser becomes even more angry once his control over his victim is diminished; thus many women are at greatest risk after leaving the abuser. Venus' case? Check.
I think that many women who've had an abusive spouse in their past may somewhat identify with Venus. She left her abuser, did what was RIGHT, and yet she's currently missing and her abuser is the only named person of interest in the case.
I give Venus kudos for, against all odds, leaving her abuser and getting her children out of that environment. There is no telling what her poor daughters have witnessed in the past. Worse, it can't be as awful as what they're experiencing now and will in the future...everything that we know about spousal abuse has come to fruition in this case. And as a result, these two girls will probably grow up motherless, but at least knowing that their mother mustered the courage to get them out of an abusive situation, even though it cost her her life.
