You are browsing comments read full entry here. And thank Ruby.
Brent Stephens Is A Murdering Coward
Created on May 12th, 2008 by Morbid now with 9,684 views
Tags: baseball bat, Brent Stephens, Denise Stephens, Murder
Category Beating| Murder |
Tags: baseball bat, Brent Stephens, Denise Stephens, Murder
Category Beating| Murder |
209 responses so far ↓
1
Unamused Cat
May 12, 2008 at 10:17 pm -Too bad they didn’t let his sorry ass jump.
2
EdT
May 12, 2008 at 10:38 pm -I had a 3:15 appointment with Dr. Nace on this tragic day and wondered why Denise hadn’t called to come in remind me earlier in the day. She would do this for me because I am a veg. I went to their office and after seeing Dr. Nace inquired about Denise. He told me about what this selfish,deranged,scumbag had done and I am heartbroken. Denise was the sweetest girl one could hope to meet and loved her three little girls so very much. When I walked out and saw her chair with her sweater draped over it (cold natured) and all the pictures of her beautiful girls I wanted to haul that bastard back up on that bridge and throw him off. She had confided in me about her ex-psycho and his stalking insanity. I told her to get a gun…I am sorry she didn’t.
It is a sad day. I will miss her.
3
michelle
May 12, 2008 at 10:45 pm -EDT, thank you for your input. I too wish she had heeded your warnings and bought a gun. How did this happen? Was she alone in the office? Did he attack her outside? Could anyone help?
4
EdT
May 12, 2008 at 10:56 pm -Hi Michelle,
She never made it inside her office. It is a second floor ofc and he was waiting for her in a hallway on the 2nd floor that led to her door. He got there at 7 am she arrived for work at 8:45. I wish my appt. had been at 8:45. Things would have worked out different….He would have been running down LBJ with a bat rammed up his ass
5
EdT
May 12, 2008 at 10:58 pm -6
Miss. Hill
May 12, 2008 at 11:00 pm -To bad they didn’t push him!
This scares me, I worry one day this can happen to me.
I’m so sorry for her children truly heartbreaking
7
Morbid
May 12, 2008 at 11:22 pm -Thanks for the clarification on the office situation, EDT. I couldn’t figure out, from the reports, exactly where he met her at aside from the fact that I knew it was in the building.
8
silvahalo68
May 12, 2008 at 11:30 pm -This is terrible and tragic. What a freak, he is a sad excuse for a human being. I feel for those children who lost a loving mother… EDT, sorry for your lose too. She was obviously your friend.
9
WryBread
May 13, 2008 at 12:06 am -Sorry horrible and it happens so often. Why do these guys do this? He obviously is not going to get custody of the kids — if there’s any justice, he’ll never see them again. So this was for the satisfaction of imposing his will on her one last, final time.
What weird mugshot. With those bright staring eyes, he looks like a worn-out teddy bear or a raisin cookie that’s crumbling.
10
EdT
May 13, 2008 at 1:42 am -Hey guys…I am glad I could help clarify this a little and thank you for the comforting words SILVAHAL…I just loved this girl. There wasn’t a mean bone in this little girls body. I wish I could have been there for her. She was always there for others. Denise was a bright light in a darkening world that was snuffed by a snapper headed boil on the ass of mankind…I am really pissed off!
11
bradnace
May 13, 2008 at 3:03 am -One suggestion for those who knew Denise is to follow up with the Dallas District Attorney’s Office in that they currently have jurisdiction over this matter and will assign it to a prosecutor after the Grand Jury indicts Brent Stephens. If you have any information that you feel is pertinent, then please let them know or contact Detective Michael Mendez with the Dallas Police Department at 214-671-3674.
Brad Nace, attorney for Denise Anne Stephens
12
MommyOfMason
May 13, 2008 at 4:53 am -Why does this psycho have a towel wrapped around himself in his mugshot?
13
thepooh5
May 13, 2008 at 8:42 am -EDT- I’m so sorry for your loss and her little girls. It was a useless tragedy. Thank you for posting and please return as you feel able. Welcome to the site. I’m sorry its under these circumstances. May God bless and keep all who are affected by this senseless tragedy.
I, too wish she had bought a gun. But one important thing to remember, unless you’re willing to take the necessary measures (classes, training, permits), a gun is useless unless you carry it on you. In other threads, I think that I, Michelle and Angel have pointed this out.
If poor Denise had bought a gun, would she have left it in her car? More than likely because of work place rules, in which case would not have helped her in the least.
Now, please don’t get me wrong, I in no way think Denise “shoulda or coulda” done anything differently. I only want to type it out once more for anyone else woman or man, that may be in a bad situation, in which the offender, more than likely will not meet you face to face. It will be a surprise attack, just like poor Denise’s tragic ending.
The WHOLE POINT to that rambling is: While you may have to break work place policy, if you are in a situation in which you may have an attacker “waiting for you”, you must keep that gun on your person. I do not carry mine in my purse. In summer, its in my front pocket. In winter, in my coat pocket and “ready to go”. Sometimes from the parking lot to the building or visa versa can be 100 miles away, if you have an stalker/attacker.
I’m also not implying that I am 100% safe, but during a struggle, I would be much more likely to be able to get a hand to a pocket than I would be able to fumble through my purse or fight them off to make it to the car. If I get caught at work, I will explain my postion, what events caused me to “feel the need” and explain had there not been any incident, “you would have never known I had a gun”. At that point, if my employer still wants to fire me, so be it. I’m alive, breathing and here for my son.
The key to having a gun “without permission” on the job or anywhere else for that matter is, to KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. No one needs to know you have a gun. You never need to show it to a co-worker. Do not advertise “I have taken measures to protect myself” - always in everyone else’s mind -BE THE SCARED VICTIM, NOT KNOWING WHAT IN THE WORLD YOU’RE GONNA DO.
14
Morbid
May 13, 2008 at 8:47 am -The towel comes from a practice used in Texas (and maybe other areas as well, I don’t know for sure). Attorney’s were getting pissed that some of their clients were being picked out of mugshots purely because of the clothes they were wearing. Now, as a simple deterrent, they drape a grey towel around the neck of the person having their picture taken to hide what the person is wearing underneath.
That’s the story I have always heard, anyway.
15
Kathy
May 13, 2008 at 8:59 am -I thought that was Swivel’s unwashed towel. I assumed it was part of his punishment.
16
thepooh5
May 13, 2008 at 9:14 am -LOL - I needed a laugh after the other story I just read.
17
impqueen
May 13, 2008 at 9:21 am -I don’t think that towel bends at all. Just sayin’.
18
thepooh5
May 13, 2008 at 9:33 am -roflmao
19
solange822001
May 13, 2008 at 10:48 am -Thanks EDT. That’s what I love about D.D., this is one of the few places where you can almost always get the inside story from somebody involved. I don’t understand why men do this. Honestly, I could be wrong, but you dont hear many women doing the whole “you left me so im killing you and myself” crap. Can some man please shed some light on this??? I know that a normal guy isn’t the equivilent of one of these psychos, but still, I just dont get it????
20
Mandella
May 13, 2008 at 10:57 am -I don’t claim to know any answers, but in this case, I can kinda piece something together. Not that it resembles any sane logic, but…
Just look at those pics. Look at this woman. She’s a young, beautiful, vibrant woman with everything to live for and everything in the world to look forward to: her children growing up, her new life free from this asshat, grandchildren, etc.
And look at that ugly fucking piece of shit next to her. Do you think he considered for a moment that he, too, could have a beautiful life to look forward to? No. Cause who wants an ugly psychotic fuckface? Nobody, that’s who. She was the only one….
And does she deserve to be happy after hurting him? Does she deserve to have a bright life ahead of her when all he has is gloom and doom?
Now that isn’t a sane excuse by any means, but in the mind of a psycho, I can imagine it making a twisted sense.
I pray for her children. And I pray that this fucker does the world a favor and offs himself.
21
Not So Speechless
May 13, 2008 at 10:58 am -How awful.
That woman was a love, you can tell by the sparkle in her eye and her engaging smile.
What a waste of skin this murdering fucker is.
22
jhw
May 13, 2008 at 12:09 pm -Truly tragic. A quick scan on the Collin County Court lookup site shows that this worthless thug “piece of shit” has been harrassing and trespassing, and was sentenced to a jail term a 10 days ago….so why wasn’t he behind bars on Monday? A restraining order isn’t worth the paper it’s issued on, so we need to have more agressive policies to protect women from their crazy & dangerous ex’s.
God bless those poor little girls!
23
thepooh5
May 13, 2008 at 12:36 pm -*nods in agreement 100%*
24
jd911
May 13, 2008 at 1:04 pm -I’m not condoning what this man did. Clearly it is wrong and he needs to be punished appropriately. However, for anyone that is confused as to what exactly might have driven him to snap or what my have contributed to his condition, simply look at his court case.
His ex filed for divorce. They took an inventory of everything he had and gave her at least half of it if not more. It looks as though they may have also awarded her alimony in addition to child support. He went a bit nuts right after and acted out by slashing the tires on her car and such. Again, not a smart or sane thing to do. She filed a protective order and got it. Now, based on the looks of it, he may have also lost all visitation rights to his kids at that point (not sure but since the PO was submitted to the elementary school, this is likely).
Now, this guy most likely at this point is paying a huge sum of money to her (child support is 30% for three kids up to a maximum of $2250 in Texas and then there’s the insurance for three kids and alimony so it is possible he was paying $4000 a month to her), doesn’t have much of anything left after the divorce, is dealing with being alone again after who knows how long, and can’t see his kids. Then, he loses his job. Now the child support, insurance, and alimony continue to accrue against him. It doesn’t stop just because you lost your job. Now, it looks as though he might have tried to submit a petition to the court in March to have his child support reduced. She then filed a petition in April to have him thrown in jail.
She filed a motion for enforcement in April against him which means that either he pays up or he goes to jail. So, let’s say that he is paying her $4000 a month since the original order in September. Let’s say he loses his job in November and doesn’t pay December to April. He now has $20,000 in back child support that will continue to accrue, and no job to pay for it. His court date is in July so he will accrue another $16,000. So, he has no job, cannot pay a lawyer, and will owe $36,000 in back support.
He was going to go to jail anyway. And in Texas, child support continues to accrue even while you are in jail. So, he was going to be there for a while.
He has no job, can’t see his kids, has very little to no possessions, and has a huge debt that he really has no way of paying and is facing jail time.
Now, this guy was selfish. Kids need their mom and they need their dad. Even though he may have hated his ex, he should have loved his kids enough to not take her from their lives.
There are many examples in the court system of abuse. Child support is not always fair and vindictive ex’s can use the system to harass. Games can be played, visitation can be withheld, and lawyers can keep you in debt forever. People don’t recover from a divorce quickly and some never recover and unfortunately the system is set up such that you can ruin another person’s life.
Anyone that looks at the case history can see that neither person here had recovered from the divorce yet.
I wish some of the family laws would change. I wish that courts were more sympathetic to fathers and valued them more. I think there is an opinion that men are just evil horrible cheaters that want nothing more than to make their kids suffer and mess with other women. Yet, look at how many women cheat on their husbands and how many great stay-at-home fathers and fathers in general there are.
This is a tragedy. It is wrong. To go this far, this person is broken. He deserves to be taken out of society and punished. His kids will suffer for his selfishness. But, I think there was a lot of suffering going on with all of them even before this tragedy occurred.
25
FYI
May 13, 2008 at 2:41 pm -JD911,
There is no alimony in Texas and I doubt his child support was any where near $4,000 a month. My fiance is pretty comfortable financially (six-digits anually) and in total, he pays his ex-wife less than $1300 a month for child support and that figure has monthly the private school tution dues included into it. But off the record he does provied more since we usually have his son most of the time (mom likes to party). But the point is that this guy would have to be making a lot of money in order for him to have a payment that high to his ex-wife. And even if he did, that is still no reason to kill her so brutally. Her attorney Brad Nace, posted on here earlier and I’m sure he could tell you that you may be a bit off in your numbers. Though, you may have some slight basis to your theory as Mr. Nace is known as a local badass within the family law pratice in Dallas, who surpisingly has very reasonable rates. (He’s easy on the eyes, too!) All jesting aside, this man had no excuse for what he did.
26
EdT
May 13, 2008 at 2:48 pm -Hola JD..I was divorced in the Collin County Courts and they gave me the hot poker. I have two “kids” but only one is still covered by child support. I pay 1500 a month for my son. Do I agree with the amount or how the money is utilized..No! Am I going to beat my ex to death…hmmm. NAH. I remember hearing numbers from Denise and she wasn’t getting a whole lot from this critter. I don’t think he was the CEO of any major corporation. Alimony is usually temporary until the divorce is final unless there are special circumstances. I had to pay alimony(800 bucks), house payment, car payment, all insurance, 1/2 medical bills, part of her lawyer fees 1800 child support and my left testicle. Why? Because my ex stayed home to raise kids and didn’t work outside the home. Was I pissed..Yes. Was I broke..Oh Yeah. Did I have any money to live? Do the math! Sorry, but money is no excuse to even SAY bad things to your kids about their mom, much less beat her to death. If this asshole had spent as much time working and/or looking for a job as he did terrorizing Denise he would have had no financial problems. He would park down the block and wait for her…follow her. Get a job! I guarantee you if he was civil Denise would have let him slide on support and gotten by without it just to have peace for her and the kids. This wasn’t about money! This was about Jealousy,possession,mental illness,selfishness and EVIL! Can you imagine what this poor girl must have endured to finally give up on this dickweed and separate in the first place? Divorce is harsh for all involved! Except lawyers…Although I bet it was brutal for Brad Nace, Denise’s attorney. He knew the whole story and I am sure he was in fear for her and only surprised by the extent of the violence, not that violence ocurred. Sorry about this tragedy Mr.Nace. I know you had to just adore this girl and you did all the law allowed to protect her. It must weigh heavy in your heart…I hope you find peace sooner than later in knowing you did all you could……………Pardon my ramble folks and any grammatical errors. This is a one shot rant!
27
Mandella
May 13, 2008 at 2:52 pm -Ok. I distracted myself by checking out the lawyer.
He’s definitely “easy on the eyes,” or as I would say, “HOT.”
PLUS, good rates for a good lawyer? Who ever heard of such a thing?
And back to the topic at hand - I don’t care how fucking broke you are, how much your alimony + child support payments are, how much you hate your ex-wife, or how much your life sucks - MURDER is not a viable option, folks.
This guy needs beat to death with a baseball bat.
28
EdT
May 13, 2008 at 3:21 pm -Correction…My child support is “only” 1200 a month now. It was 1500 for both my babies. JD there is alimony in Texas unless it has changed since 2001. I know that family violence and a disabled child were a couple of circumstances that would justify “spousal support”. I know there was temporary alimony or “spousal support” in 2001 as I paid it. You can bet your life that divorce wasn’t final until the temporary spousal support ended. Thank goodness the judge put an end date to the support. Gotta LOOK for bright spots in a divorce.
29
thepooh5
May 13, 2008 at 4:11 pm -Thanks for posting a man’s point of view from Texas.
Sorry, but money is no excuse to even SAY bad things to your kids about their mom, much less beat her to death. If this asshole had spent as much time working and/or looking for a job as he did terrorizing Denise he would have had no financial problems. He would park down the block and wait for her…follow her. Get a job!
Thank you for saying that - even though, you got the hot poker!! Its so refreshing to hear a man talk about this with the children first and foremost in mind. What you said is absolutely correct - about the bad mouthing of one parent to another. And from a woman’s point of view, its just as wrong to badmouth the dad to the kids.
Divorce is harsh for all involved! Except lawyers.
So very true again. I hate supporting their unborn grandchildren, don’t you?
Pardon my ramble folks and any grammatical errors. This is a one shot rant!
NO pardon needed. A very good post and welcome to the site. Stick around!!!!
30
Mattimus Rex
May 13, 2008 at 5:20 pm -Well, I’m brand new to the site… Found it this AM by accident and haven’t stopped reading since.
Something has my brain itching in this story…
The story reads that he beat this woman in front of her coworkers… How is it that people in this world would rather turn a blind eye than help friend?
Just stop and think for a moment, how many stories have you heard of where one or more people witnessed a crime and did nothing about it? Am I wrong for thinking worthless bystanders should be held accountable for lack of intervention?
I’m not sure if it has ties to work I’ve done in the past (martial arts, bouncing and body guarding work) or if I just have a better head on my shoulder… But if someone so much as raised their voice in front of me to a woman, I’ve always stepped in to defuse the situation.
How could an office full of people watch this happen and not intervein? The guy had a bat, not a gun or a bomb or anthrax, a bat. I would gladly take a few shots from a bat to beat the shit out of this anal secretion once I got the bat out of his hands.
Wake up America, vigilante justice isn’t the answer, but perhaps growing a pair and standing up for common good when you have the chance is.
31
Lizard
May 13, 2008 at 5:45 pm -Welcome to the site, Mattimus Rex! Don’t be passing your phone number around, ‘cuz I know if I found myself in a hinky situation, I’d be thinking, “Time to call Mattimus!”
32
Mattimus Rex
May 13, 2008 at 5:48 pm -Haha, thanks Lizard. Just seems like the common sense or better yet, just the right thing to do. You see people in trouble, you help, duh.
On another note, does anyone see the resemblance between this creep and the guy from Sideways?
http://blogs.indiewire.com/twhalliii/sideways.jpg
33
WryBread
May 13, 2008 at 6:33 pm -Divorce often proves that the people involved can’t afford two families or one ex-family and still have money to pay for a new single life for the noncustodial spouse. Two households don’t live as cheaply as one.
People better think of this before they casually litter a child for each hook-up temporary girl/boyfriend. This seems to be the trend. I can’t tell you how many families here seem to have five kids, each with a different last name.
34
EdT
May 13, 2008 at 6:55 pm -Hola Mattimus Rex,
I know that denise was the first to arrive at her office and they did not witness this. So co-workers is not really giving the correct impression. He waited till she was in an isolated and inescapable spot and then killed her. As i said earlier, if my appointment had been at 8:45 she would be alive and sphincter boy would be in the hospital having a bat removed from his bunghole. Anyway, her co-workers weren’t in the building. I am under the impression no one actually knew it was happing until it was too late. One guy from another office followed him out and got his plate number and called the cops. I love your attitude and abuse of others does not continue in front of me either. They get to try their luck with me………
35
joeroppolo
May 13, 2008 at 7:25 pm -I thought I would add my experience with this tragedy. I work in the building where Denise worked and saw her several times a week for the past year or so just passing on the staircase or in the hallway.
Yesterday morning, I pulled into our parking lot at 8:59am where I saw no less than 7 police cars. I text messaged one of my coworkers asking if it was safe to enter the building. Despite being quite close to where the attack occurred, he was totally unaware of the events. After entering, I came to learn of the horrific act of evil that had occurred. Many of my associates came to realize that they had passed the murdering coward on the 2nd floor landing several times that morning while he stood stone-faced looking out the window towards the parking lot. He never once acknowledged their hellos.
We believe that once he saw her coming that he hid in the alcove near her office and began the attack immediately upon her entry thru the glass door from the landing. I spoke to many individuals in the business that didn’t realize that the noises they were hearing through their office doors were anything but kids screaming or wheels squeaking–anything but what it actually was…. There were two individuals who did see the actual attack in progress, but the one lady I spoke to retreated to call 911 when he turned towards her in a stone cold rage.
I know that everybody who took part in this experience wishes that they could have done more. Most were too shocked or came upon the scene too late to do so.
It is noteworthy that he walked out of the building, he walked briskly, but did not run. He held the bat upright and kept a stone cold demeanor as he walked around the building to his green Ford pickup. The witnesses who saw him drive away said that he did not appeared harried or frantic as he pulled up to the light at Hillcrest and kept his gaze straight ahead.
I am enraged that this could have happened in my place of business and deeply disappointed that it somehow couldn’t be diverted or prevented. I can only hope that she was saved and that she had a plan in place to take care of her children. My heart goes out to all affected by this tragedy.
36
jd911
May 13, 2008 at 7:39 pm -I wanted to make it clear that I do not feel there was any excuse for what this guy did.
I was simply trying to shed light on what might have contributed to his frame of mind. People had asked why he went so nuts and I wanted to share my opinion. But again, it doesn’t justify how he acted or what he did.
I agree. Neither person should talk bad about the other in front of the kids or do any of this crazy harrassment stuff.
This guy had clearly lost it, was a menace, and needed to be put away.
But, he had spent 36 years of his life without a blip on the radar. No crime, nothing like this. So now the divorce happens and he loses it. He gets dragged through the courts, gets a record, loses his job, and becomes worse. Was his ex trying to reason with him? Was he forced to seek counseling by the court or provided counseling? Or, was the problem dealt with on paper in the courtrooms, where it most likely started?
Are many fathers denied access to their kids with judges doing very little about it? Yes. Are many fathers harrased with high court awards to the ex and high child support payments? Yes. Is there a bias in the courtrooms to award women the children and most of the rights? Yes. Did that excuse what this man did? No. But it also doesn’t excuse what happens to a lot of people in the courtrooms during a divorce battle and afterwards.
So again, he’s scum and needs to be taken care of. There is certainly no question about that. I was commenting more on his history with the courts and the divorce and how that might have contributed.
37
bradnace
May 13, 2008 at 8:53 pm -Update; Establishment of a savings type account for the girls.
There is some recent discussion about establishing a fund for those who would like to contribute what they can for the present and future for Denise’s children. Any assistance will be certainly be appreciated. If you are interested, then please keep this site in mind and check back soon.
It is my understanding that Wells Fargo will have some involvement with the establishment of this fund. So you all know, I am contributing my time in seeking to do what is right for Denise’s family as well as for these children. None of the funds contributed will be earmarked or used for attorney’s fees in this matter.
Regarding the current legal situation, I will reserve comment for now. Most of you can probably imagine our next step. Inasmuch as I would like to further detail what we are about to do, I must reserve same in that a new duty of confidentiality has been created and I must defer to same.
Regarding the past referenced litigation, the financial facts and figures are incorrect. Not that it matters, because it doesn’t. I can say within an objective certainty that the financial issues in the underlying case played little or no role in Brent Douglas Stephens’ objective.
For those who knew Denise, Denise was a very kind individual who rarely spoke unkind words. She was attentive, loyal and modest. A tremendous loss to those who knew her. An equal loss to those who didn’t get to know her. She kept a good balance between her family, her children, her work and her faith. She believed in trying to co-parent even in light of the situation that Brent created. Her emotions never directed her actions.
Please keep that in mind with regard to the comments. She was a person who should be remembered for how she was, not what she was not.
Brad Nace
38
bradnace
May 13, 2008 at 8:55 pm -39
solange822001
May 13, 2008 at 9:23 pm -Thank you to everyone involved directly who has taken the time to post here. It really helps us to realize that the victims are not just a news story, but real people. I think, just by reading some of the details, that this had little to do with money and more to do with a man with deep rooted jealousy and control issues. It is very typical in these type of cases; I should know, I am the victim of one.
40
sydney
May 14, 2008 at 3:03 am -My name is Sydney, and Denise (D to me) was my best friend. I’d like to provide a tiny bit of history, clear a few facts a bit and tell some of her side of the story as I knew it, from the things I saw and heard. Please stick with me…I’ll try to not hog too much space, and I won’t rant too much.
First, the history. I met D in 1996. I worked with Brent and he invited my husband and me to dinner to socialize. My friendship with him did not last because I found him to be an unreliable and often intimidating person to be around. My friendship with D did last because I found her to be the kindest, most non-judgemental person I have ever met. Because of this, I tolerated Brent, but tried to maintain only limited contact with him.
Now, on to some of the facts. Brent did not “lose” his job. He was laid off, and he knew many months in advance (well before the separation and divorce) that his position would be eliminated in early 2008. His employment was continued at his company in 2007, even after he took significant leave, for reasons that I cannot divulge due to the possibility of a libel complaint against me and HIPPA regulations.
Next fact… the child support that he paid was not exhorbitant. It was commensurate with his salary and the number of children he had sired. He did pay “maintenance” to D during the separation period to help cover the cost of day care for her youngest child. He fell behind on his payments even before his position was eliminated. *****I want everyone to note that at the time when he was supposed to be paying child support and maintenance, he was gainfully employed and living rent-free with relatives, with no bills…not even a car payment or insurance. ****** D, on the other hand, was paying for daycare, after school care, a mortgage, car payments, insurance payments, medical bills and all the other utility and assorted bills that come with being a grown-up.
Now, on to her side, as I saw it. D was afraid. Very afraid. Brent vandalized her car, broke into her home, texted and emailed vulgar and threatening messages to her, screamed at her and cursed her on the phone, told her children that she was a bitch and a slut, threatened to kill the man she was seeing (we have it on tape), followed her friends home and often lurked in their neighborhoods (yes, I was one of them), and generally made her life a living hell. And this is D we’re talking about! Kind, sweet, beautiful, huge-hearted D. She did absolutely everything she could to try to protect herself and her children. And yet she still was BEATEN TO DEATH by her ex-husband.
Finally, my rant. D deserved so much better than this. Please, please, shout it from the rooftops that the police department, the DA and the courts let her and her children down. Get your family, friends and neighbors to write, call and scream to everyone you can think of that this should not have happened to D, and we should NEVER allow this happen to anyone else. If it could happen to an angel like D, it could happen to any one of us. And remember, many of the people you are screaming to are ELECTED OFFICIALS. Please call or write to: Judge Greg Willis County Court at Law No. 6, Collin County DA John Roach, McKinney Police Chief Doug Kowalski, 265th District Court Judge Mark Stoltz, Channel 11 News Stephanie Lucero, Channel 8 News Jason Whitely and anyone else you can think of…..D deserved better than this……………..
I’m going to go have a drink now, and then try to sleep. Tomorrow I have to make arrangements with the funeral home for the release of D’s body from the medical examiner’s office. I hope to God that I don’t have to throw up during the process.
And to D’s mom: I promise I will do the dishes and scrub the rest of the toilets tomorrow, right after I deliver Auntie M from the airport and cry my heart out for the 900th time…..
Via con Dios, D! This is not over yet.
Sydney
41
EdT
May 14, 2008 at 4:19 am -I am so sorry Sydney…I remember talking to Denise when she was in Disneyworld with her mom and kids during halloween and they were trick or treating. She was so happy and excited to be there. Of course she was accused of going with another guy?… I liked to bring Denise home grown tomatoes when I had an appointment. She reacted as if she had recieved a big bag of gold. This was a girl who just wanted the simple opportunity to enjoy her innate happiness and good nature unmolested by her ex. How she maintained such a good attitude is beyond me. I am so sorry
42
Wonder
May 14, 2008 at 4:28 am -Mr. Stephens had slashed her tires, rammed her car with his and sent her vulgar text messages, McKinney police say. In January, he kicked in her back door and stole her phone bill to see who she’d been calling, they say. She installed a camera on her neighbor’s home to catch him.
“U made my life miserable so I’m simply returning the favor,” she said he wrote in a December text message. “U have the rest of your life to enjoy it.”
Less than two weeks ago, Mr. Stephens was convicted of harassment, criminal mischief and criminal trespassing. He received community-service hours and a suspended jail sentence, and he was ordered to pay his ex-wife more than $1,000 in restitution.
http://www.dallasnews.com/shar.....2a78f.html
————–
does no good to tell you how sorry I am for your loss… I know this is hard for Denise’s friends & family to read without anger and tears… I do hope you can move some mountains… Denise didn’t have to die at this mans hands.
the city state county someone needs to take responsibility why why why do they keep letting these kinds of people free to walk the streets…… all the warning signs were there… writing our congressmen ?
There has to be something we can do to get stronger punishments No More free rent and 3 sq meals - there is way too much spoiling going on. Hardcore down and dirty… maybe they would jump without so much hesitation… strapped to a wall in a cave, surrounded by bones of inmates before them. I also like the tent city idea - why should they have it better then our military men, or our citizens that struggle to make a living on $10 a hour or even less - minimum wage. The system really bites!
43
WryBread
May 14, 2008 at 6:13 am -It’s horrible that people have to suffer this sort of abuse and harassment. I wish there was something we could do except sit by - with the police - and wait for the murder.
44
impqueen
May 14, 2008 at 7:41 am -Sydney,
Thank you so much for posting. I’m so very sorry for your loss. Denise sounds like a beautiful person who met an unfair and cruel monster. My thoughts are with you today as you make arrangements and help with family.
Brad,
Thank you also for posting and for keeping us apprised of developments as you can. I’m sure there will be posters who want to help Denise’s children.
45
Dakota Valkyrie
May 14, 2008 at 8:00 am -My heart breaks for Denise’s family and friends… even her lawyer. Please know that many here share your tears. Complete strangers.
It is bad enough that the children must endure this - now and forever - but also the world will be without someone that brought so much to so many despite her own situation. She sounds like a wonderful person and we need more like her these days.
Like others, I think her ex should suffer the same fate that he gave her. I hope he ends his life and saves the taxpayers the expense.
46
LeeMouse
May 14, 2008 at 9:39 am -It simply isn’t true that most fathers get shafted and most mothers get ginormous settlements in a divorce. It just isn’t. (And I know, because my job involves compiling statistics for this.) Do some fathers get treated badly? No doubt. But the majority? No. It is statistical fact that the standard of living after divorce tends to increase for men, and dramatically decrease for women. Most likely to be on welfare? Not the “generations-long welfare” queen that gets stereotyped…but newly divorced middle-class women. Women are most likely to be awarded custody simply because they are the ones who know the name of the pediatrician, of the teacher, of the child’s best friends. They are the ones who leave work early to meet with teachers, and who call in sick to work to stay home with the child on a snow day–all of which contribute to the fact that women, in general, make less money for the same job than men do. All of these facts are taken into account in family court. Does knowing your child’s pediatrician’s name make you a better parent than the father who was at work? No. But it does mean that you are the one better-equipped to continue the child’s life with as little interruption as possible. Period. That’s why mothers are more often given custody. It’s not some giant conspiracy against men, or some evil feminist plot. It’s simply the fact that, in general, women are the more hands-on parent, particularly in the early years…which has a negative impact on women’s ability to earn a living. You can’t be in two places at once, so if you’re home with a sick child, you’re not at work earning a promotion. And monetary awards in divorce court tend to recognize that fact. Period.
One hundred years ago, women and children were automatically considered the property of the male, under law, and children were automatically given to the father; the mother had limited ri