The Big Picture: Police: Father Kills Children During Custody Dispute

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Police: Father Kills Children During Custody Dispute

The AJC reports that a father is accused of killing two of his children and wounding another while involved in a custody dispute with their mother. He tried to blame the killings on the mother's new boyfriend.

Police arrested Noe-Garcia Saturday morning and charged him with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault. Police did not know whether he had a lawyer.

Three-year-old Bradley Garcia and 1-year-old Edward Garcia were found stabbed to death in the home. Bradley's twin brother was hospitalized with stab wounds.

Police arrested 28-year-old Antonio Cardenas-Rico shortly after the attack and charged him with murder and assault, based on Noe-Garcia's accusations. But they quickly noticed discrepancies between Noe-Garcia's statement, the evidence and Cardenas-Rico's alibi.

After spending hours recreating the scene, examining the evidence and re-interviewing witnesses, police arrested Noe-Garcia.

Authorities have dropped the murder and assault charges against Cardenas-Rico, but he remains in custody on a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Batterers often use court processes surrounding custody and visitation to further harass and intimidate their victims. Unfortunately, some batterers will take their intent to hurt their victim to this degree, because the best way to hurt a woman is to hurt her children. If you live in or near Atlanta and are afraid for your safety or the safety of your children during visits or custody exchanges, please contact Nia's Place Supervised Visitation and Exchange Center to learn if our services are right for you.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Garcia family.

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Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is the establishment of control and fear in a relationship through physical, sexual, emotional, and/or financial abuse. Both men and women are capable of misusing power and perpetrating violence, and male victims are often just as afraid to call the police. More resources for female survivors exist, however, because overwhelmingly women and children suffer the most severe consequences (medical, legal, social, and financial) and therefore require the most intensive interventions.

Many women choose to stay in abusive relationships because they do not want their relationship to end...just the violence. Women often remain in, or return to, abusive relationships because their partners threaten to harm them and their loved ones if they attempt to leave. Commonly, women choose to leave when they become convinced that their life is at risk, or that their children are in danger.

Domestic violence is not just a "family matter". The violence will not stop until men and women come together with a common attitude of non-tolerance. We must speak out for those who may not feel safe speaking up, and our children must learn through our words and example that violence is never justified.