John Edwards: A note about “justice” is posted on the desk of the evil father

Where John Edwards committed suicide after murdering his two children, within a few meters, the police found a note paper on the desk in his study. It said “Justice was delayed and justice was rejected.”

There were also family law documents on the table, and more documents were found in a folder in the same room. The court order was tucked into the driver’s door of the golden Nissan 4-wheel patrol car of the retired financial planner.

Detailed information about the chill notes and documents can be revealed for the first time, and further highlights the serious risks to women and children in the family law system.

In the West Pennant Hill house where Jack and Jennifer lived with their mother Olga, Edwards shot them. Family law documents were found in a green suitcase in the lounge. They are piles, plastic sleeves, folders. They are in Jennifer’s school file.

When Olga learned that her child had been killed on the night of July 5, 2018, when a neighbor approached her house, the proceedings were in Olga’s heart.

“I said, are you okay? What’s going on?” The neighbor told the police. She said: “My ex-wife came to kill my children. He killed my children. Our court settlement day is two weeks. It’s so fucking.'”

State coroner Teresa O’Sullivan passed on her findings to the cause of death of 15-year-old Jack and 13-year-old Jennifer in April. The family’s situation without understanding that the litigation process that dominates family law is “impossible” for their last few years.

Judge O’Sullivan said that the court’s case provided background information at key moments. For example, Olga reported to the police that Edwards physically abused children a week after the court ignored these allegations. The officer incorrectly recorded her complaint and took no further action.

Hayley Foster, chief executive of the New South Wales Women’s Safety Organization, told NCA NewsWire that the Edwards case “showed all the major flaws in the system”.

She said: “But these incidents are not accidental.” “This is not an uncommon situation. In this case, the kind of failure we see is the failure we see every day.”

Ms. Foster said that important moments in family lawsuits, like separation, are dangerous moments that increase the risk of violence.

She said that many of the behaviors shown by Edwards after his separation, including a note on his desk and an e-mail mentioning “my kidnapped child”, were all of the perpetrators who eventually entered the family court system. Typical behavior.

Ms. Foster said: “Most people who use violence and abuse in romantic relationships are actually victims, just like being wronged.”

Generally, reporting of family law proceedings is strictly prohibited to protect people’s privacy. However, in the unique and tragic circumstances of the murders of Jack and Jennifer and the suicides of Edwards and Olga, this was clearly resolved in the investigation.

When Olga filed a lawsuit in April 2016, she attached an affidavit stating that the children did not want to see John and disclosed many violent incidents, including him hitting Jack with a book and nailing him to Paris On the wall. She wrote that she was worried that “I will go home one day and find that my child is dead.”

The family counselor’s report for the case was published in September 2016. The report said: “Although the children may have a legitimate reason to be frustrated with their father, it seems extreme for them to completely refuse the relationship with their father if they are with their father. , May cause emotional barriers in later life without the opportunity to try to repair this relationship.” It also pointed out that the children’s views may be closely related to Olga’s feelings.

In a court hearing in December 2016, Magistrate OsSullivan discovered that independent children’s lawyer Debbie Morton despised Edwards’ violent history as “important parents” and misled the court And ordered the children to stay with their father for three hours every Saturday.

In May 2017, Ms. Morton wrote to Olga’s lawyer, stating that if she continues to “uncooperate” to let the children receive treatment with their father, she will “have no choice” and instead suggests that Jack and Jennifer be released. In Edwards’ home. concern.

At a hearing in June 2017, Judge Geoffrey Monahan expressed frustration that the Saturday hour was not observed. He said he didn’t see anything suggesting Jack and Jennifer (14 and 12 years old), except that they “don’t want to go”, he shouldn’t see John. He said to Olga: “Frankly, I think mom can work harder.”

Ms. Foster said that the family law system prioritizes access over risk.

“If someone who uses violence or abuse receives news that they feel wronged somewhere in the system, they should be able to expect more, which can make him energized. “It makes him feel more empowered to continue pursuing his own anger. “

“If he starts to stop functioning in the system… it may have a strong reaction.”

In February 2018, a judge handed Olga the sole custody of Olga and pointed out that whether the children continue to visit the father depends on the child. They don’t want to.

Around this time, a family friend told the police that Edwards “begins to become more peaceful” and “looks like he is moving on.”

The friend said in the witness statement: “He started to talk about things other than Olga. He doesn’t seem to need to report to her what happened.”

Magistrate O’Sullivan discovered that it was also at this time that Edwards decided to kill Jack and Jennifer.

The coroner found that death was preventable after a series of personal, system and regulatory failures. She made some suggestions to improve the sharing of information between the Family Court, the New South Wales Police Department and the Firearms Registry.

Ms. Foster said that such changes were “no effort” and called on them to expand to state and regional justices of the peace, as well as specialized domestic violence services that work with front-line women.

She said that a new initiative to require judges to receive training in domestic violence is positive, but lawyers, report writers and all related personnel should receive specialized training in the behavior of offenders and the effects of violence and abuse.

“If the participants in the system do not understand gender roles and expectations, or hold skeptical or outdated views of gender roles and expectations, then we will be in a very dangerous situation and the abuser will be informed about their entitlements. Red flag. Moving forward,” Ms. Foster said.

“In this case, everything went wrong and it did lead to the murder. There are many reasons why people escalate to murder.

“But the reality is that in the presence of serious risks, many, many women are currently not protected. At present, they cannot always rely on the police and the courts to ensure their safety.”