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Sad news for the CAT and RAT...
RAT's sister was murdered Jan 13th, 2002..
She was shot by her soon to be ex-husband, Duane, in a murder suicide, while picking up the children from a birthday visitation with their father.
My Sister-In-Law Gari and her husband were given legal custody of the children in their mother's will, this custody was NOT contested by the husbands will..
The children- Taylor - 11 years old, and Natalie - 6 years old were taken illegally out of state by the husbands family w/in days of the murder.. rather than release them to their guardians, or even allow the rest of us to see them..
If you know anyone in an abuseive situation like this... please be certain that a current will is kept, giving custody as desired... and that they NEVER.. no matter how much they trust their abuser to have a smidgeon of sense.. NEVER EVER go to pick up the kids alone.
Shari.. We love and miss you.. Rest well...
Taylor and Natalie... We love and miss you too.. Hope to see you soon!!*
We found out the family who had the children out of state, had applied for a emergency hearing for custody of the children.. citing a "hardship case"... where the children were 'unwanted' by any but them... Our family hurriedly got a Lawyer on the scene, who disabused the judge of this notion.. the children were taken into custody of child welfare... and when asked in the GA court who they would choose to live with, the answer was with their mother's family in Texas... later Gari and her husband were allowed to take them home.
The children are doing well, all things considered.. their biggest worry is losing Gari and Bobby.. Which we've promised to do our best to prevent.
That is where things stood.. but now we're back to the finger crossing stage.. The Custody hearing in Texas is Tuesday morning, the 9th of April.. and the opposing family has filed assault charges against Bobby.. whom is well known as a gentle giant, who will hurt no one.
We do not think this will affect the TX judges decision.. We have limitless people willing to sign as character witnesses... but keep your fingers crossed everyone!!
Court today (4-9-2002) went well. Gari and Bobby retain their temporary custody of the kids. The opposing family didn't even show.. Just their lawyer. More than just the assault charges have been filed now against Gari and Bobby.. But it's all a smoke screen to make them look less pristine than they are... From the looks of things, these will make no more difference to the judges than the previous assault charges. After all, with 100% support of everyone who knows Gari and Bobby verses many people who know the other family who ALSO vote for Gari and Bobby.. well.. What does that say about the two parties characters??
One thing the court allowed today was for Gari to have access to Shari's savings... It will now have to go to court costs and funeral expenses, rather than the childrens college funds... (sigh) but we can eventually get them the money for that.. If our family can keep the kids, we have years..
Hopefully, in another few months the next custody hearing will go as well.. allowing Permanent custody of the children... and eventually adoption.
Keep your wishes well for us!!
Well.. yesterday, (10/22/02) Gari and Bobby received a subpoena to inform them that the other family has filed to contest custody of the children. This contention had to be filed back in July, or would be invalid, as I understand it... Amazingly, the form that the sheriff served Bobby and Gari.. (which just arrived to HIM mere DAYS ago) IS dated in July... Hmm.. I wonder if it was just lost for the last three months..
We have our friends and acquaintances testifying again to the childrens lawyer... We should be fine.. but..
Keep your fingers crossed for us!!
(12-(30?)-02)Just in time for the anniversary of Shari's death, Gari and Bobby finally have custody of the children... As I understand, this is not truly final for another month... but the kids are now happy to share the same last name as Gari and Bobby... and be relatively certain they will not end up sudenly living with a different family, in a different state, and going to a different school again... Even if (fingers crossed it won't) something happens to Bobby and Gari, once the adoption is complete, custody of the children should remain with in town family.
I think we are finally getting there, folks... now we just have to get thru Taylor's Birthday (01-13-03)without two majorly distraut children.
(a reminder, Their mother was shot on his birthday last year)
Keep your fingers crossed for us!!
(2003) We got thru both childrens birthdays without too major of an incident... I don't know how. I'm sure it will come up later.. I just hope when it does, the children are prepared to deal with it.
you won't see the kids on this banner... We knew where they were and who they are with.. even if we are not happy that they were stolden from us... and now know where they are.. I wanted to include this anyway, for the families of these children, who aren't that lucky.
E-mail me
Thank-you from the heart to Sharon from Angelic Graphics for the special Memorial Plate for Shari. It's perfect.
