RightsForMothers.com

March 30, 2009

Another Family Wiped Out by Dad in Illinois

My heart aches for the innocent children that are dying in the epidemic of fathers wanting control of it all…including the very lives of their children.  This is just one of several I have seen the past couple of days again, and I don’t want this site to just become a memorial of victims of this horrible hate crime (and that is what it is…hate enough for the mother that he’d take the lives of the children she brought into this world and loves so dearly).  But enough is enough!

Again, if anyone has news of a mother wiping out her family, please let us know.

Oh, and ATTENTION JUDGES, CPS and WHORES OF THE COURT:  When a mom says she is worried about her abusive husband doing something to the children, please take notice.  We are all sick of so many children dying.

TISSUE ALERT: 

Watch the video of their mom Amy being interviewed.  If you are a judge or Whore of the Court, you MUST watch this video.  Click here for the link.

From NBC Chicago:

The mother of two young boys found dead over the weekend said she feels the judicial system failed to protect her and her children.

Connolly Boys’ Mother: I Don’t Know What He’ll Do

As the search for the Connolly boys continues, their mother and grandmothers call out for their father to bring them home.  The two boys were reported missing in an Amber Alert earlier this month. 

Jack, Duncan and Michael Connolly

Jack, Duncan and Michael Connolly

The bodies of the 9-year-old Duncan G. Connolly and his 7-year-old brother Jack D. Connolly, were found in the back seat of their father’s car in a secluded, remote area of Putman County, police said.  The body of their father, Michael Connolly, was found about 60 yards away.  At a news conference Monday afternoon, the Putnam County sheriff said they were found off Taylor Road, between Hennepin and Henry, Ill.

Authorities said the father apparently killed the boys in a double murder-suicide.  Michael Connolly was said to have been depressed, despondent and “unstable” when he disappeared with the boys following a custodial visit.  The boys’ mother and Michael Connolly’s ex-wife, Amy Leichtenberg, had said Connolly was scheduled to drop the boys off at the LeRoy Police Department on Sunday, March 8, but never showed up.  She had an order of protection against Michael Connolly because he had been abusive, she said.  Leichtenberg issued a statement that a friend read at the news conference, while choking back tears: 

“My heart is broken and there are no words that express my pain. No parent should have to bury their babies. Duncan and Jack, Mommy loves you to the heavens and back. I feel that the judicial system failed me. I pray that the courts listen to the warnings from other parents like me. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. The family respectfully requests that we have privacy as we cope with this horrible tragedy. Please keep our family and friends in your hearts and prayers.”

 Leichtenberg had made numerous attempts to try to stop her ex-husband from having unsupervised visits with their children. And over the past several weeks, she told anyone who would listen that she felt her children’s lives were in jeopardy, and that her ex-husband was suicidal.

McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery was himself nearly overcome with emotion during the news conference Monday, pausing several times while he described the scene where the boys’ bodies were found.  “Today, Amy, her family, friends and many people are overwhelmed by sadness and pain,” Emery said. “That’s such a horrible crime that has been committed.”

After the Amber Alert was issued, a wave of support spread out over the Internet, with a lot of sites for missing children posting the Connolly story.  A Facebook group was created for the Connolly boys, where photos of them with their father and his car were posted.  On Monday, the Facebook group was filling up with comments of sympathy for the boys’ mother. 

The cause of death has not been released.  The McLean County Coroner’s Office was performing an autopsy Monday afternoon.

Our most deepest sympathies to Amy.

7 Comments »

  1. Please tell us what we can do to change Illinois laws. Those of us that live in this small community are devasted by this event and want to make a difference.

    Comment by Sarah's Mom — March 30, 2009 @ 5:33 pm

  2. I received this today to forward…it sounds like this is a great way to start taking action:

    Subject: CALL TO ACTION – PLEASE FORWARD
    Hello Everyone:

    Today, I spoke with Illinois State Representative, Robert Pritchard. He is a long time proponent of abating domestic and family abuse. He needs to hear from everyone. I asked him to author legislation called, “Duncan and Jack Law” which would only allow “Supervised Visits” to non-custodial parents who have either
    1). Violated Orders of Protection and/or
    2). Received a Guilty Conviction stemming from domestic and or family violence.

    Before ordering visitation, a judge needs to make sure that there was no abuse in the home. If abuse is determined, the non-custodial parent should either be granted Supervised Visitation or No Visitation Previlidges at all. Please email him and let him know that you’re in support of this legislation or similiar legislation.

    bob@pritchardstaterep.com

    If you have something better to add please feel free… anything helps…

    Comment by justice4mothers — March 31, 2009 @ 6:10 pm

  3. [...] More opinions: When the Justice System Fails You Another Family Wiped Out By Dad [...]

    Pingback by From The Liz Library: Things That Are Bad For Children | Divorce Information — April 5, 2009 @ 12:01 am

  4. The judge in this case did as all judges do, they order a psych eval in order to determine if the person is a threat to himself or to others. Beyond doing this and asking the person directly if they have any thoughts of harming themselves or others, there is no sound science to predict if or when someone will snap.

    I would offer, however, that when you attempt to unjustly isolate and politically marginalize a person without any actual findings of harm, the chances of that person being pushed to the brink over an extended period of time are likely to increase.

    What happened in this case with the father and the couple’s two boys is a terrible tragedy. Keep in mind, the adversarial nature of our courts is what drives cases like this. Don’t be fooled into thinking that lawmakers in Springfield, ie: Madigan, Fritchey, or Cullerton, are going to magically turn over a new leaf because of this or other such cases. They’re there to protect the interests of trial lawyers, judges, and bar associations. Regardless of the fact that you have cases that involve murder, murder/suicide, parental kidnapping or domestic violence, these con artists in Springfield are going to do whatever they can to protect the state quo.

    If this group is truly interested in working to help alleviate conflict derived from protracted litigation, and want to find a worthwhile target, you have to go for the head of the snake; Madigan, Fritchey, Cullerton, and the IL State Bar Association.

    Comment by Sheila_Lewis — April 23, 2009 @ 1:55 pm

  5. Sheila, thank you for the thoughful comment. Yes, the court and all the Whores that are supported by it need to shame themselves every time something like this happens. Something needs to happen with the family court judges in this country…they need to start serving time in prison when they fail children like this. They need to stop having judges control other judges…these Judicial Commissions are loaded down with lawyers/judges…it is the fox guarding the hen house. However, no matter how things happen in court, that is no excuse for any parent to take it out on the children…plenty of mothers here and everywhere not doing this, but fathers are. Plenty of fathers taking out entire families too. And media giving fathers an excuse too…”it is the economy driving these guys to do this.” I’m sorry, this is BS. Murder is murder, and deserves no excuse.

    Comment by justice4mothers — April 23, 2009 @ 4:28 pm

  6. I would like to offer a different perspective here. I am a divorced Father. I work hard to try to stay involved with my children. The biggest of the problem with “family law”, or rather I think of it as “anti-family law” are the attorneys. For whatever reason, it seems as though the attorneys do not work as advocates for both sides. Fathers cannot get good representation, Their resouces are constantly tapped by large child support and other support orders that make their lives financially unmanageable. This strain, along with the fact that women basically do as they please with children, whether their is an order of joint coustody or not is highly frustrating to fathers.

    Here is my story, approximately 2 1/2 years ago, I rented an apartment to provide my oldest son from constant attacks from his mother, culminating in an incident where my son claimed she had wiped feces from the toilet on him. I can not prove for certain that this happened, I was not there. In order to get my son I had to compell the ex to mediation (this cost me $1500 in attorneys fees, simply to get this slip of paper to force my ex to talk to me. We went to mediation (this cost another $1500) Then we went to a psycologist (not court ordered) who explained to her that the court would listen to him about where he wanted to live. Finally, he moved in with me. I continued to try to contact the “mediator” to find out what to do next. I finally gave up after 20 some unreturned phone calls. Phone calls to the attorney that got me to mediation, we also unreturned. Not knowing what to do next, I just provided my son with a place to live. I did only one thing which I thought was fair, I did not pay portions of bonuses to my ex that I did not feel were justified since I had my son. This amounted only to a few thousand dollars.

    Immediately upon his turning 18, my ex filed for the unpaid bonuses, and also sued me for a whole bunch of costs related to my 2 other kids. I contacted one of the foremost “father’s rights” attorneys in the land to attemp to protect me from this. This attorney which shall remain nameless filed responses to her 5 petitions, and went to court for me 1 single time. He told me to pay the bonuses. His charges for approximately 10 hours of work that I saw him do for me were $ 13,500. I promptly fired him.

    The problem is not that fathers do not want to do right, it is that the deck is entirely stacked against us. Because we are the ones with the primary income, we are the ones that have to pay…many times, also for the fees of the opposing party.

    It could be thought that this serves us right, but it is not us fathers who are being damaged the most. It is the children and their future. These precious resources are being stolen by courts, attorneys and a legal system that is out of hand. Fathers that dont work, dont pay support, dont see their children are never brought back to court, because they would not have the ability to pay get off scott free. Those of us who are trying to do right are kept in the dark, dragged back to court constantly, and are paying way to much.

    Even child support laws need reform, if only to shift tax burden. Fathers are taxed on the entire income, recipients get large sums of money tax free. Further, there is nothing to compel the recipient to actually use support to really support the children.

    It is no wonder a few men snap. I cannot condone somone who would kill their children, but there are simply few lawyers, or judges, that will even have cases heard. They are simply in it to take all of the family’s financial resources. Unfortunately, a great share of women, remain caught up in their anger against the ex, and there is never resolution, forgiveness, or a place of peace for divorced kids.

    Worse yet, there is no one out there really trying to help.

    Comment by Fred Gibson — November 15, 2009 @ 4:39 pm


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