Usually we heard honor killing in muslim family in pakistan, but when honor killing was carried out by christian fundamentalist, the media just keep quite of that.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Assalamu Aleikum" WOUNDED CHRISTIAN CRUSADER MURDERS HIS WIFE IN HONOR KILLING > > > Soldier's Iraq trauma fueled wife's murder, lawyer > says > By Hal Bernton > Researcher Gene Balk contributed to this report. > Seattle Times > Wednesday, February 09, 2005 > http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002174826_soldier09m.html > > VANCOUVER, Wash. - Matthew Denni is an Army Reserve > soldier who went to Iraq, got shot and was sent home > to heal. But on a late night in March he pulled a hand > gun from his dresser and killed his wife, Kimberly, > with a single shot. > > At his trial, which began yesterday in Clark County > Superior Court, the prosecution and defense agreed on > the chain of events that night, which Denni recounted > in a taped confession to police. > > But what is in dispute - and looms as the core issue > in the trial - is Denni's state of mind the night he > killed his wife, stuffed her body in a footlocker and > placed it in the back of their blue Ford Aerostar van. > > > Was it a clear-cut case of premeditated murder, as > Clark County Deputy Prosecutor Mike Kinnie argued > yesterday before the jury. Or was this a crime of > passion, a sudden, spontaneous act, fueled by the > trauma Denni experienced in Iraq and the stress of a > rocky homecoming, as Thomas LaDouceur, Denni's > attorney, maintained. > > "Now he has to be held accountable, but this wasn't > something that he thought about a month, a week, a day > or a minute earlier," LaDouceur said. "It was murder > ... but not premeditated." > > Denni, 39, is one of a small group of soldiers who > have returned from combat and killed their wives. A > trio of Special Operations soldiers based at Fort > Bragg N.C., who returned from Afghanistan in 2002, > killed their wives. All three men committed suicide. > Last year, a Fort Lewis soldier who returned from Iraq > confessed to killing his wife. > > For some, these cases underscore the importance of > making mental-health counseling widely available to > returning veterans. > > "This was a wake-up call," said Sgt. Myron Denny, a > friend of Denni's, who served with him in the 671st > Engineer Company, a Portland-based Army Reserve unit > that returned from Iraq last February. > > A month after Denni's arrest, Denny said in an > interview, his unit was visited by several Army > mental-health counselors. The counseling was a good > thing, Denny said, "but should have been done when we > got home - not months after we'd been home." > > In opening arguments, LaDouceur cited Denni's Iraq > experiences as context for understanding his violent > outburst the night his wife died. But it will be up to > the 12-person jury to decide whether his Iraq > experience, or the stress of his homecoming, altered > the seriousness of the crime. > > Denni is charged with premeditated murder in the first > degree, which could result in a prison sentence of > more than 25 years. His attorney said he should face a > charge of second-degree murder, a lesser crime that > would make him eligible for a lighter sentence. > > Denni had no prior criminal record and has been > described by friends and neighbors as a quiet man who > kept his feelings to himself. His unit was part of the > invasion of Iraq. After the fall of Baghdad, it set up > a tent camp and was there during the early months of > the occupation. > > During his stint, Denni served as a supply sergeant > and helped ensure that the unit had enough ammunition, > food and clothing. Denni saw death and destruction and > "lived in constant fear," LaDouceur said. > > In November 2003, a loaded rifle accidentally > discharged and a bullet struck Denni in the leg, > according to LaDouceur. Wounded, Denni returned home > several months before the rest of his unit returned in > February 2004. > > Denni rejoined his wife and their young daughter. The > family rented an apartment in Battle Ground, a small > city north of Vancouver. > > Their landlord - Wayne Redjou - yesterday testified > that Kimberly was a lively, sociable woman who enjoyed > frequenting garage sales and second-hand shops. Though > she seemed to have a very different personality from > her more reserved husband, Redjou, who lived next > door, said he never heard the couple have any big > fights. > > But in the courtroom, the prosecution played taped > excerpts of Denni's May 31 confession, when he > described the couple's final night together. They went > out dancing, shot some pool and sipped beers, Denni > said. But once back at their apartment, a bitter > argument ensued. > > Denni said their talk grew heated over his wife's > alleged affair. Denni said his wife followed him into > their bedroom and declared she was leaving him for the > other man. > > At that moment, Denni said, he reached into his > dresser, pulled out his gun and shot his wife. > > Asked if he cried at the time, Denni said, "I don't > think I really have stopped since then." > > Still, Denni said, he was too scared to call 911. > Instead, he put her body in a green footlocker, which > was left for weeks in the couple's van. He told > friends that Kimberly had gone back east to stay with > her mother. > > Finally, on a warm day in May, Redjou testified that > he was out mowing the lawn when he noticed a foul > smell coming from the van. Assuming it was spoiled > meat, Redjou said, he went to talk to Denni, who said, > yes, it was spoiled groceries. Redjou then helped > Denni bury the footlocker in a field on his property. > > At the time, Denni appeared cool and calm. > > When the job was done, Redjou testified, "I said, > 'There - that's easy.' " > > "He said 'Yup.' " > > In late May, Battle Ground police and Clark County > detectives got a tip and came out to dig up the > footlocker. But what they found was a second > footlocker, which did contain rotting food. Denni > later told police that he had switched the > footlockers, placing the original with his wife's body > back in the van. > > Police that same night found the locker in the van, > stowed beneath a tarp, according to yesterday's > testimony. > > Detectives said they tracked down Denni, who was > staying at a church camp in Skamania County with a new > girlfriend. Confronted with the news that police had > discovered his wife's body, Denni confessed. > > Detectives and police say he waived his rights, > including having an attorney present during their > interrogation. He gave police numerous details and > drew a map of the crime scene. > > His trial continues this week and is expected to > include more detailed testimony about Denni's time in > Iraq. > > Hal Bernton: 206-464-2581 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002174826_soldier09m.html ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/TXWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of Hidayahnet unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. 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