DV Turns To Assault at Smith Co Courthouse

Courthouse shooter had history of assault, violent threats (See quoted story below my comments.)


Domestic Violence ("DV") is a huge issue. My own experience was miniscule in comparision to what some of the victims go through - some of the victims even end up in death, such as this particular case. Her name will be added to the many victims of DV abuse that are remembered each year throughout many DV candlelight vigils and memorials enacted during the month of Domestic Violence Month (October). It is sad that she will be remembered in such a manner, just as it is for any victim of DV. It is so very senseless way of death; not that death is remarkably "senseful" (if there were such a word) but it seems so very much more senseless than many ways of coming to one's own demise.

If only people could get along. If only.

I am not a violent person. I don't go looking for arguments or picking an argument for the sake of arguing. I am an easy going person who will stand up for myself, but not in an aggressive manner at all. I really don't understand why people can't be more like that. It seems that insanity kicks in and something takes over -- like some evil overbearing substance -- that affects the mind and soul. Some criminologists have attributed the criminalist brain to have some forms of chemical imbalances that cause them to think and act in such a manner. Some criminologists attributed it to some inherited traits. I, myself, don't know what to think. There are a lot of people with mental illnesses out there caused by imbalances of their chemical structure; and I certainly wouldn't even consider that, just because one has a mental illness, they are also criminalist; that is far from being accurate. At the same token though, it would seem difficult to believe that, just because one has a criminalist parent or grandparent that they would inherit that trait; to me, it would be more of a learned trait...but, that is just as how I see it.

If only people could get along. If only.

I have been in abusive relationships, work in a DV shelter with DV victims, and presently working on my criminal justice degree. I would love someday to be able to find a fix to cure the folks from the DV situations. Sometimes the anger management, therapy, or counseling classes work; but, it is just like the AA program - it will only work, if the person working through the program truly desires to be a success at the program he/she is working on.

If only people could get along. If only.

In the meantime, it just seems so injust that something like this could and did occur. I hope and pray for the losses felt by the children and the hurt and anger that they must be feeling. I am sure that they are wishing that they had seen it coming as well so that they could have continued to protect their mother. I pray that God heals them and lets them know that they did not fail, that the love and caring nature of their Mom carries on in them, and that the best way to get "even" is to show their Dad, that, in spite of the harm he did on their Mom, they live very fruitful and successful lives -- after all, their Mom seemed like a strong and determined woman, and as such, would like for them to continue forward with the same degree of strength and determination.

If only people could get along. If only.

I also pray for the people at the Courthouse who were victimized by what they saw and or experienced. Tragedies do, despite the best of efforts, will still occur and happen. We can only pray that these tragedies will be minimalized.

If only people could get along. If only.



Photos taken by Dallas Morning News of the Tragic Event in Tyler, Smith County, Texas

ARTICLE QUOTED BELOW:

By LISA FALKENBERG
Associated Press Writer

Maribel Estrada may have heard her ex-husband's threats of violence in recent days, but acquaintances said she had little time to worry about them.

After the divorce last year, the 41-year-old single mother of three received no child support and trimmed steaks at a local meat-packing plant to support her family. She took her children's father to court Thursday, hoping the Texas attorney general's office could force him to pay.

But David Hernandez Arroyo Sr. had other plans. Donning a military flak jacket and bulletproof vest, he showed up at the Smith County Courthouse with an assault rifle and opened fire on the town square, killing Estrada and a bystander who shot back.

"She wouldn't have expected this to come," said Estrada's divorce attorney Joshua Wintters. "She was really a gentle, quiet woman. Her main concerns in life were meeting the bills and seeing to her kids. It was more like she didn't have time to think about this."

But police believe Arroyo had made some threats last week.

Arroyo, 43, was finally gunned down by lawmen, but only after wounding four people using an AK-47, including three law officers and his own son, David Hernandez Arroyo Jr. The 21-year-old was shot in the legs and was in fair condition Friday.

The couple divorced after 22 years of marriage. Wintters said Arroyo ignored the divorce petition and became furious when he received the final decree.

"He kind of threw a fit and yelled at me some in a very profane way and I asked him to leave," Wintters said. "He would call us and you'd get messages from him: 'This ain't right. I'm not dealing with this anymore.'"

Wintters said Arroyo threatened him, but he thought it was emotion talking. He said he doesn't believe Estrada knew she was in danger.

"She really was one of the nicest women I've met, had a good heart," Wintters said. "Whenever he would express concern that she was going off and going to be with another man, she kind of laughed and said that's the last thing on her mind."

Her eldest son helped her support his two younger siblings, a teenager and a 9-year-old child, Wintters said.

The son "kind of acted as a mediator and kept the peace, except that he wouldn't back down from protecting the mother," Wintters said.

The 21-year-old stepped between his parents as they argued last year, and the ensuing altercation led to the elder Arroyo's conviction on a misdemeanor assault charge, Wintters said.

According to court records, the father was sentenced Feb. 2 to nine months probation but received deferred adjudication, meaning his record would have been cleared if he hadn't committed any crimes during that period.

Attorney Thad Davidson, who represented Arroyo, said his client pleaded no-contest to the assault charge and considered the plea bargain a victory because it did not affect his visitation rights with his 9-year-old son.

Davidson also said the boy had refuted claims by his mother and older brother that Arroyo had assaulted her, but that prosecutors refused to investigate the boy's statements.

"I did everything I could short of raise a red flag to indicate there were deeper, more significant issues in this case than a simple assault," Davidson said. "Although I abhor and am shocked by what happened ... what he did was the culmination of a series of events that put him at the end of a very dark road."

Arroyo also had a history of drunken driving and weapons charges, records show.

Wintters would not say why Estrada sought a divorce. He said she never claimed in court that Arroyo abused her or her children.

But Gene Decker, the meat plant manager, who is related to Arroyo through marriage, said he believes abuse compelled Estrada to seek a divorce.

"I know that she wouldn't have left him if he hadn't of been abusive," he said. "Knowing her and knowing him, I know that he forced it with his behavior."

Decker said Arroyo was known around town as a kind of "macho man," who drank, flaunted his guns and was rough with women.

"He's that kind of guy and he got his just reward," Decker said. "I just hate that other people had to get mixed up in it."

Family and acquaintances of the elder Arroyo said he was grieving over his mother's death just last week and upset over a custody dispute involving his and Estrada's youngest child.

"The only thing he wanted was to get his child custody. That's all he wanted," Marie Avelar, Arroyo's niece, told Dallas station WFAA-TV. "He was the sweetest person. ... I never see him mad, he always had a smile on his face."

Samuel Hernandez, whose sister lived near Arroyo, said he seemed like a caring father.

"I know one thing: he really loved that little boy," Hernandez told the Tyler Morning-Telegraph for Friday's editions. "He would always go everywhere with him."