I divorced my husband because of mental and emotional abuse. But according to the law, he still had visitation rights with our 3-year-old daughter, Miranda.
I tried to tell the authorities how dangerous Charles was. I told them that he had stalked us, that he had threatened to kill both me and Miranda. I asked for his visits with her to be supervised.
They didn’t listen to me.
On January 12, 1999, Charles picked up Miranda from daycare and drove to the hospital where Michelle, his ex-girlfriend, worked. Michelle had broken up with Charles for the same reasons I divorced him.
When Michelle walked out of the hospital, Charles approached her. She reminded him that he was violating a protective order. She told him to leave or she would call the police.
Charles pulled out a .38 Smith and Wesson and shot Michelle in the face three times. She dropped to the ground, dead and unrecognizable.
Then he walked calmly to the truck where he had left Miranda. He picked up our little girl and took her to where Michelle’s dead body lay. He whispered something in Miranda’s ear, then shot her in the temple. He turned her over and shot her in the other temple, then laid Miranda’s body next to Michelle’s. The police had arrived by then, and Charles refused to put down his weapon. He brought his gun up and slowly aimed it at the police. They had no choice but to shoot him.
Charles murdered Miranda just four days before her 4th birthday. I had already sent out invitations to her birthday party. Charles also killed the mother of two young daughters that day.
No one would ever be the same.
