Violations Must Be Reported for a Restraining Order to Work
The law didn't save her.
That is the headline of a Chicago Tribune article posted just minutes ago about the Cindy Bischof-Michael Giroux murder-suicide which occurred outside of Bischof's Elmhurst office last week. It was a tragic event that has taken the life of a 43-year-old woman...and, perhaps, may have been prevented by a phone call.
The Tribune's sub-head reads:
She tried a court order. She had him arrested. She took all the legal steps she could right up to the day her ex-boyfriend shot her dead in a parking lot.
Giroux's history with Bischof includes vandalizing her home last spring, which prompted the restraining order. Two violations of that order of protection - one described as a suicide attempt on Bischof's front porch - resulted in Giroux serving two months in jail and subsequent home confinement. The system was working to protect Bischof.
However, two-thirds through the 36-paragraph story that follows is a statement that, despite it's low placement in the story, jumped off the page. It reads, "In a brief voice-mail message about 10 days before the slaying, he (Giroux) apologized for everything he had done. It seemed harmless, so Bischof didn't report it, her mother said."
There is a very simple but important lesson in this tragedy: While the system has its failures, it only can work if you use it all of the time.
If there is someone who has threatened or harmed you, don't give them the benefit of a doubt. Report any and all contact in violation of an order of protection.
If you believe you are being threatened, immediately contact authorities. Find an attorney who will pursue an emergency order of protection if necessary. And if you have any question in your mind about what is necessary, error on the side of caution.
That is the headline of a Chicago Tribune article posted just minutes ago about the Cindy Bischof-Michael Giroux murder-suicide which occurred outside of Bischof's Elmhurst office last week. It was a tragic event that has taken the life of a 43-year-old woman...and, perhaps, may have been prevented by a phone call.
The Tribune's sub-head reads:
She tried a court order. She had him arrested. She took all the legal steps she could right up to the day her ex-boyfriend shot her dead in a parking lot.
Giroux's history with Bischof includes vandalizing her home last spring, which prompted the restraining order. Two violations of that order of protection - one described as a suicide attempt on Bischof's front porch - resulted in Giroux serving two months in jail and subsequent home confinement. The system was working to protect Bischof.
However, two-thirds through the 36-paragraph story that follows is a statement that, despite it's low placement in the story, jumped off the page. It reads, "In a brief voice-mail message about 10 days before the slaying, he (Giroux) apologized for everything he had done. It seemed harmless, so Bischof didn't report it, her mother said."
There is a very simple but important lesson in this tragedy: While the system has its failures, it only can work if you use it all of the time.
If there is someone who has threatened or harmed you, don't give them the benefit of a doubt. Report any and all contact in violation of an order of protection.
If you believe you are being threatened, immediately contact authorities. Find an attorney who will pursue an emergency order of protection if necessary. And if you have any question in your mind about what is necessary, error on the side of caution.
Trackbacks
-
3/22/2008 10:03 PM
The Law Blog - Joseph P McCaffery wrote:
The US Supreme Court will put the 32-year-old Washington, DC, handgun ban to the test. The High Court's finding could affect a similar gun ban in Chicago, and other restrictions on the Right to Bear Arms in effect across Illinois municipalities. We welcome you comments and points of view on this debate, and share with you two related video clips... -
4/2/2008 8:42 AM
The Law Blog - Joseph P McCaffery wrote:
Anyone who violates an order of protection could be forced to wear a satellite tracking device that would issue an electronic warning if the offender gets too close to the victim, under legislation introduced Tuesday in Springfield. -
5/2/2008 10:09 AM
The Law Blog - Joseph P McCaffery wrote:
Anyone who violates an order of protection could be forced to wear a satellite tracking device that would issue an electronic warning if the offender gets too close to the victim, under legislation introduced Tuesday in Springfield.
Check this out http://haloscan.com/tb/zendodeb/9001912026473761594
Says a lot about Illinois gun laws.
Reply to this
The only thing I hate about restraining orders is that they are over used in divorce cases. My husband has used one on me because out of 25 years of marriage, I threw a pincushion at him on the night I left. It was his way of keeping me out of my house and limiting my ability to remove items from the house. 8 months later, I still don't have all my clothes, and the restraining order is still in effect because he hasn't settled with the divorce yet. I wish I would have done something like that Tricia Walsh Smith. My husband has less money than her, but he acts just like hers does when it comes to money.
Reply to this