Wife-Beaters’ Threat to In-Laws

Last week’s killing of two Anaheim people by a man who then took his own life demonstrates that battered wives are not the only ones at risk when a husband becomes violent.

Police said Javier A. Sosa searched at least two days for his wife, who had fled from his abuse with her 5-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy. Fortunately for her and the children, she sought shelter at a facility for battered women. She told relatives what had happen, but she had the foresight to protect herself by not telling them where the shelter was, in case her husband went looking for her.

Sosa did just that, driving from his home in Commerce in Los Angeles County to the Anaheim residence of his in-laws. Unable to learn from them his wife’s whereabouts, he fatally shot his sister-in-law, wounded a niece of his wife by stabbing her, fatally stabbed a friend of the niece and then killed himself.

Police said Sosa had called the family repeatedly, demanding to know where his wife was and making threats. Sadly, the in-laws apparently did not seek police protection at that critical moment. Had they done so, Sosa might have been arrested. That would not have guaranteed their safety, but he might have cooled off behind bars and have been forced into a counseling program for wife-beaters.

An official of the Women’s Transitional Living Center in Orange said the threat of violence is especially high in the first 72 hours after a woman flees the batterer. That window is crucial for the wife and, as we learn in this case, in some instances also for her family.

Society has increased its attention to domestic abuse in recent years, with more facilities opening to help women and their children. The criminal justice system also has developed heightened awareness of the problem.

Counselors of victims of domestic violence expressed concern that Sosa’s rampage might deter other women from coming forward when they are attacked. That would be a mistake.

It is rare for a batterer to wreak vengeance on in-laws. It is important for the wife to seek shelter, and a restraining order. It may also be necessary to get police protection for an extended family. Those steps can increase the odds that there will be no further violence.