When a woman does something terrible, the media often tries to explain or excuse it, usually by trying to blame the man in her life. A few examples:
When Gilberta Estrada hung her four small daughters, three of whom died, media focused attention on her allegedly abusive ex-boyfriend. To learn more, click here.
When Andrea Yates drowned her five children, media focused blame on her husband, Russell Yates. I appeared on many Texas radio shows at the time to defend Russell, and was so vilified that I often felt as if I were defending the person who had committed the murders. To learn more, see my co-authored column In Defense of a Flawed but Decent Russell Yates (Houston Chronicle, 3/11/02)
Clara Harris repeatedly ran over her husband and killed him, as the dying man’s daughter sat in the front seat next to Clara and begged Clara not to kill her father. Many, including Oprah and CBS in its movie Suburban Madness, sympathetically portrayed Harris as a loving, loyal wife who “snapped” when her husband cheated on her. To learn more, see my co-authored column Suppose roles had been reversed in Harris case–Murdered dad deserves sympathy being shown Clara (Houston Chronicle, 1/27/07).
Terry Barton, a Colorado Forest Service worker, intentionally set a forest fire which destroyed over 100,000 acres and led to the deaths of five firemen in June of 2002. Barton tried to pin her crime on a male camper, and later said she did it because her estranged husband sent her a mean letter. Some in the media bought it. To learn more, see Lisa Nowak, Clara Harris, Terry Barton, and an Incredible Omission.ÂÂ
In the incredible case below, Judith Leekin (pictured) allegedly abused and starved her nine foster children for decades. According to authorities, “Leekin was unemployed and lived off the monthly stipends provided by child welfare authorities in New York. She owned at least two homes and several cars. The adopted children said they had never seen a doctor or a dentist and had not been allowed to attend school or even leave the house.”
I’m looking forward to seeing how this is really a man’s fault, too. Anybody have any predictions?
Adoptive Mom Accused of Abusing, Starving Foster Kids for Decades
Associated Press, 7/30/07
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.  They were often handcuffed, tethered together with plastic ties and allowed to soil themselves, investigators say. They had scars on their wrists. Some had burns.
None appeared to have more than a fourth-grade education, not even the adults in their 20s. All were starving.
In all, nine teenagers and young adults were held like prisoners in Judith Leekin’s home in what appeared to be a decades-long scheme to line her pockets with the government payments she received for adopting and raising them, police say.
From the outside, Leekin’s home appeared to be as ordinary as the others in this well-kept working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of this Atlantic coast town, 120 miles north of Miami. But its pink and white stucco exterior hid the horrors inside, authorities say.
“Horrible, I think, would be the best word used to describe what was going on in that house,” said police Capt. Scott Bartal. (more…)
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