The Big Picture: DV Murder in Gwinnett

Friday, September 11, 2009

DV Murder in Gwinnett

Elba Mejia-Mesa used her dying breaths to remind her strangler of the repercussions his actions would have on the children left behind, according to police testimony Wednesday.

Gwinnett police Officer P. Medina said Mejia-Mesa's accused murderer and boyfriend, Andres Luis Rodriguez-Nova admitted to the killing in the back of his patrol car moments after police found the woman's body in her Norcross apartment.

Without prodding, "(Rodriguez-Nova) just started talking about how, as he was doing it, she started telling him, 'Think about your children, think about my children,'" Medina testified in Gwinnett Superior Court.

Prosecutors believe Rodriguez-Nova, 40, flew into a rage June 22 last year and strangled Mejia-Mesa, 44, with a phone cord because he suspected she was unfaithful. He's charged with murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery and false imprisonment in the trial that opened Wednesday.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.

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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.