Yahoo reported on a sexual assault allegation against Devin Patrick Kelley, the man who shot and killed 25 people in a church in Texas.
The woman who reported the sexual assault was not given a forensic examination and little effort was made to contact her after she gave her statement. When detectives did eventually speak to her, four months after she made the statement, they claimed they couldn’t find Kelley and let the case drop.
In her signed statement the woman said, “he told me would hurt me when I didn’t do what he said”. The records also include a statement from Kelley’s first wife, Tessa Brennaman, who said the alleged victim told her about the incident a day later.
By the time of the shooting, Kelley had been court-martialed and removed from the Air Force on allegations that he abused his then-wife and a child. The following year, deputies were called to his home to investigate a domestic violence complaint, and he was accused of misdemeanor animal cruelty in Colorado.
All of this goes to show the strong connection between men who commit violence against women and men who commit mass shooting in America. It also demonstrates the casual approach law enforcement has to men’s sexual crimes against women. And for the FixedIt project, it is yet another example of sexual assault being misnamed as “sex”.
It’s almost like there’s a relationship between all these things.
FixedIt is an ongoing project to push back against the media’s constant erasure of violent men and blaming of innocent victims. If you would like to help fund it – even $5 a month makes a big difference – please consider becoming a Patron
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