Valdosta Man Charged With DV Homicide

According to the WALB News:

Valdosta police found 47-year-old Charlotte Grant suffering from severe head injuries in her home near 600 New Hudson Street. Around midnight, paramedics rushed her to South Georgia Medical Center where she died.

Minutes after witnesses had given police a description of the suspect, they found 58-year-old Kenneth Brown and charged him with murder. Investigators say it appears he struck Grant with an object which officers later recovered and believe to be the murder weapon.

The Tifton Gazzette reports that the couple were believed to have lived together.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Grant family.

Man Killed in Violent Altercation

A Spalding County woman was forced to stab her husband in self-defense because he was strangling their son.

No charges are expected against a Spalding County woman who stabbed and killed her husband Sunday night as he was attempting to choke the couple's son, police said.
Investigators believe the incident began with a physical fight between Ricky Evans, 39, and 37-year-old Schmanthe Evans, said Capt. Tony Ranieri with the Spalding County Sheriff's Office. After Ricky Evans struck his wife, the couple's son, Reauarius Evans, got involved, Ranieri said.

Reauarius Evans called 911 to report the incident, and his mother called two minutes later to report the same incident, Ranieri said. Deputies found Ricky Evans dead inside the front door of the Highfalls Road home, he said. Reauarius Evans sustained a severe cut to his hand and was transported by ambulance to Spalding Regional Hospital, where he was treated and released.

Investigators believe the woman acted to protect her son's life, and charges are not expected to be filed, Ranieri said.

"This is a very tragic incident that took place and the only findings the investigators could determine were that Schmanthe Evans was trying to protect her son," Ranieri said in a statement Monday night.

Family members told deputies the couple had fought constantly over the years and that Ricky Evans had a history of violence.

It is unfortunate that many women are forced to take the life of another person to keep themselves safe. Here in DeKalb County, two women were tried in 2010 for killing a spouse who had a history of abuse against them. Thankfully, both of them escaped spending the rest of their lives in prison, but their lives were changed forever. It is vital that we provide women with whatever supports we can to help them end abusive relationships before they have to take such drastic measures.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Evans family.

Harrisburg Man Kills Son, 13, Then Self

As reported by the Gazette Times:

Linn County sheriff’s detectives determined that Darwin D. Stout, 49, killed his son Jared Stout, 13, before taking his own life, Sheriff Tim Mueller announced Thursday afternoon.

According to the state medical examiner, a postmortem examination Thursday indicated both died of knife wounds.

LaMae Stout, 58, the wife and mother, found the bodies when she returned home from work at about 7:30 Wednesday night. She went to a neighbor, who called 911.

The deaths apparently occurred Wednesday morning. No one else was at home.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Stout family.

Gwinnett Man Accused of Killing Girlfriend

The AJC reports that a Lawrenceville man is accused of murdering his girlfriend.

Allen DeWayne Williams was being held in the Gwinnett County Detention Center Tuesday on murder and assault charges.

Williams, 49, is accused of beating his girlfriend to death Sunday, Channel 2 Action News reported Tuesday evening.

The TV station obtained an arrest warrant with the details, which indicated that the death occurred in the 900 block of Buford Dr. and that the victim was Betty A. Ranow.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ranow family.

Macon Man Charged in Girlfriend's Shooting

WSAV in Savannah reports that a man has been arrested in the shooting death of a Macon woman.

The 65-year-old estranged boyfriend of a woman found dead inside her home nine months ago has been charged in her fatal shooting.

The Crawford County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that Jerry Odell Hicks is charged with murder in the death of Kaye Molton Elkins. He also faces several firearms charges linked with the 61-year-old's killing.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Craig Rotter said the two had a tumultuous relationship with a history of domestic violence.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Elkins family.

Cobb Man Charged With Double Murder

The AJC reports that a Cobb County man is accused of killing his ex-wife and her new partner.

A Kennesaw man has been charged with shooting two people to death early Saturday.

The bodies of Fatoumata Ntiamoah, 27, and Mohamed Zaine, 32, were found by Cobb County police around 4 a.m.

Investigators later arrested and charged Michael Ntiamoah, 32, with two counts of murder, aggravated assault and burglary.

Michael Ntiamoah and Fatoumata Ntiamoah were married at some point, Officer Joe Hernandez told the AJC on Sunday.

Fatoumata Ntiamoah was in a relationship with Mohamed Zaine, and they were living together when they were killed, Hernandez said.

Updated reports state that Fatoumata Ntiamoah was found on a driveway and Zaine was found inside the townhouse the two shared, neighbors told Channel 2 Action News. Neighbors said they heard nearly 30 shots and watched as Michael Ntiamoah chased the woman down the street, shooting at her.

We can't emphasize enough how these "private" matters never remain private, and how domestic violence regularly spills out into public spaces, putting others in danger. As far as we know, Ms. Ntiamoah did everything "right". She certainly ended her marriage and moved to another residence. Still, she was not safe, and neither was anyone in her neighborhood that night. That is why holding batterers accountable for their violence socially and legally is so vitally important. We need to make batterers feel that they will suffer undesirable consequences if they continue their violent behavior.

And, better yet, we should all make a commitment to raise our children with the understanding that violence against a partner is never acceptable.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ntiamoah family.

Columbus Murder-Suicide

As reported by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer:

Investigators have tentatively determined that [Alisha] Kendrick was shot and killed by her husband, Christopher, sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, Columbus Police Capt. Gordon Griswould said. A local state trooper drove to the Kendricks’ house Wednesday afternoon after Alisha didn’t report to work.

An autopsy conducted Thursday revealed both victims died of gunshot wounds to the head.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Kendrick family.

Armies Using Rape As Tool Of War To Be Shamed

In a piece of cool news, the United Nations Security Council has voted to publicly shame armed groups around the world who use rape and other abuses of women as a weapon of war.

This may not seem like much. After all, it's not a withdrawal of a privilege or a formal sanction of some sort, but it is a big deal for the UN to recognize that they must condemn violence against women, especially when it is used as a weapon to systematically harm and demoralize groups of people.

Also, what we know is that public stigma can be a powerful motivator. If a man's friends make it clear that they disapprove of spousal abuse and they think badly of men who do it, many men will be less likely to harm their wives, knowing that they will face a loss of social status. Clearly, the UN is hoping for the same results in the nations to whom they draw attention with this effort. We hope it works.

Soldier Stabbing May Have Been Self-Defense

Online Athens reports that the solider killed at Fort Stewart may have been stabbed in self-defense.

Army investigators suspect a slain Fort Stewart soldier found bleeding outside his barracks may have been stabbed in a domestic fight in which he was the aggressor, a spokesman for the Georgia Army post said Wednesday.

Fort Stewart officials identified the slain soldier as Alante L. Whiting, 22, of Westland, Mich.

Whiting, an intelligence analyst who joined the Army in 2008, had just returned from a yearlong deployment to Iraq about 18 hours before he was killed Dec. 8.

It is incredibly tragic that this young man was killed within a day of returning from war. It is equally tragic that, if he was indeed killed in self-defense, that one of his first acts upon returning from war was to initiate violence against an intimate partner. It is incredibly important that our military families receive the help that they need as they deal with the trauma of service and of separation. It is equally important that our military take domestic violence seriously and provide protections both to soldiers and to spouses if violence is suspected inside the home.

About.com provides information and resources for those in military households who are experiencing abuse. Our thoughts and prayers are with this family.