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“A dream you dream alone is only a dream; a dream you dream together is reality.” — Yoko Ono
Jun
12
How Many Wives Must a Man Stab, Before You Can Call Him a Lifer?
Filed Under courts, misogyny, patriarchy, violence against women and girls | Posted by Cara |
So, I’ve been doing an awful lot of complaining lately about the way that rape trials are conducted and how short sentences are when convictions do actually occur. Complain, complain, complain. That’s what I do.
Well, wasn’t I being short-sighted? Time to crank the misogynist courtroom insanity up a notch.
Joseph Groth pleaded guilty to attempted murder of his wife by stabbing. His wife is lucky to be alive. He was sentenced to 8 years in jail — that’s right, only 8 years — and will be up for parole in five. But you know the real kicker? The real kicker is that the wife he recently stabbed his is second wife. Divorce, you ask? No. The first wife, he killed. By stabbing.
And he served one year in prison.
The Ohio parole board released Joseph Groth after a year for the killing of his first wife in 1981.
That was his second chance, a Franklin County judge said today as he sentenced the 68-year-old laborer to eight years in prison for the attempted murder of his second wife.
Christine Groth, 54, was asleep in their bed when she was attacked by her husband about 8 a.m. on July 17, 2007, prosecutors said. She was stabbed repeatedly in the face, neck, hands and abdomen and spent more than a month in the hospital.
“She is lucky to be alive,” Assistant County Prosecutor Jennifer Rausch said in Common Pleas Court. “He killed his first wife in a very similar offense and shouldn’t be rewarded for having led a relatively crime-free life since.”
But defense attorney Mitch Williams said Groth suffers from undiagnosed mental health issues and has had three open-heart surgeries, a stroke and failing eyesight. He said Groth doesn’t remember why he stabbed his wife and is sorry.
Mrs. Groth told authorities her husband had been drinking and accused her of an affair, Rausch said. The attack took place in their home at 1217 S. Wilson Ave.
Instead of facing a trial, Groth pleaded guilty in April to attempted murder and felonious assault. Columbus police said Groth killed his first wife, Eva, on Dec. 16, 1981, and then tried to kill himself with the same knife during a police standoff at the same house.
Common Pleas Judge Charles A. Schneider could have sentenced Groth up to 10 years.
That’s right, the judge could have given him a sentence of up to ten years. Groth had his chance! He killed one wife and attempted to kill the second! What kind of man is this, how can we let him back out on the street? Eh, let’s not give him the max.
So let me get this straight: a man stabbed his wife to death. He admitted as much. Then he served a mere one year in jail. And wait, you’re telling me that he then later stabbed another wife, as though he could just stab wives all he wants and not expect any real consequences? NO WAY!
Also, for the record, according to this article, Groth stabbed one of his daughters in between killing his first wife and attempting to kill his second wife. By stabbing. But his other daughter, the one he apparently hasn’t (yet) stabbed, doesn’t feel that the penitentiary is “an appropriate place” for him. Why, because he might get his hands on a shank and start stabbing all willy-nilly again? Don’t worry, it won’t be an issue: I’m pretty sure that they keep the women in separate prisons.
God, and I wanted to complain about rapist Preston Wido’s friends and family standing by and defending him for no good reason? In any case, by this standard, Wido has had the goddamn book thrown at him.
Have I ever mentioned that I hate people? I mean, really, really hate them? Just checking. Because I feel like I always forget to mention that, my extreme, consuming hate for people. In case I have indeed failed to mention it: I fucking hate people.
(But not you folks, you’re lovely.)
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“Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.” — Susan B. Anthony
“He said Groth doesn’t remember why he stabbed his wife and is sorry.”
Oh, that’s ok then! That must be why they are so lenient with him – the poor guy is SORRY! Give him a break!
*sigh*
It’s such a shame that there are so many people to hate in the world…it’s such a negative feeling, but there are so many totally evil people…I guess you just have to look on the bright side and see that for every two ‘baddies’ (heh) there’ll be at least one moderately sane person. (That’s the closest I get to optimism, I’m afraid…)
I like your blog (well, I say like, the issues you raise awareness of aren’t exactly what I’d call fun but you’re informative and interesting) – adding you to my blogroll :)
I just said this in a different forum on a differnt subject, but what the hell:
I’m experiencing a Dalek moment.
And I thought the same thing as Caitlin – though I can’t tell whether she meant it seriously, I do – that a big part of it is down to crying sorry. Shows of remorse are popular. And that it’s down to most of the juducial system seeing him as “having led a relatively crime-free life.” Relative to what? I think repeatedly stabbing his family members outweighs carefully following the traffic laws.
But as the family members in question are women, I guess that’s a minority view.
Yeah I was being sarcastic, but it’s amazing (scary, even) what people can get away with by being penitent…I suppose at least he wasn’t yelling about how pleased with himself he was…but then again, if he had been maybe the sentence would have been the full 10 years?
Also, RE this: “Groth suffers from undiagnosed mental health issues and has had three open-heart surgeries, a stroke and failing eyesight.”
Why the frick haven’t they diagnosed his ‘issues’? And then treated him accordingly (ie locking him up before he stabbed a second wife…)?! How does having had surgery and a stroke make you less responsible for your actions? My father has had two open-heart surgeries in the last YEAR and he’s not getting shank-happy. Failing eyesight? So he meant to stab something else instead, the pillow beside her or what? *confused*
Anyway, there are clearly many issues with the justification of this shorter sentence…and indeed the fact that he got a second chance in the first place. There’s no reasoning with it, as the judge’s decision seems to lack reason altogether. At least the guy’s being punished in some way though, rather than just getting a third chance!
Caitlin: this is a guess, but I think the mention of his health problems was meant to provoke sympathy more than provide an excuse. As in “oh, poor guy, he’s been through so much, hasn’t he suffered enough” and also “he might not live out his sentence” sort of thing. It seems that people are squeamish about sending the elderly or those in poor health to prison.
Seeing the system, I kind of am, too, particularly for non-violent crimes. But while of course he should have access to reasonable medical care wherever he is, his crime is without a doubt bad enough that the concerns for his wellbeing are very far down on the list of concerns. So for me, it’s irrelevant here. But I think the defense was hoping that the judge and/or jury would feel differently.
204…obviously.
Its in the bible somewhere I’m sure.
Violence against women is simply not taken seriously. Look at the sentence 1 day plus time served sentence of Wayne Ryzcak for killing Stephine Beck. How is that justice? When men are not punished for their crimes against women is it any wonder that our lives are not valued? This is why we have women setting themselves on fire in Afghanistan. They know that there will never be a reprieve from the horror of their lives. At least today I can report that the crown is seeking to appeal the sentence. Perhaps they will get it right this time and he will pay for his crimes, but I am not holding my breathe. It seems that the burning times never ended.
This illustrates the absurdity of the “mental health” bullshit that murderers and rapists like to use to their defense. All you have to do is find ONE psychiatrist who will tell the court you’re crazy. Thats not hard to do, especially when the defense counsel pays them upwards of $1000 per hour to testify. Its easy to find a doctor at that rate to say whatever you want him to say. Many of these scumbag doctors are on official retainers with law firms.
Thats not even mentioning the fact that psychiatry is mostly bullshit anyways. I could go into 10 different psych offices TODAY, and convince all of them that I’m insane. Once you know the right key words to say, you can bait them all day long. There are zero objective tests for diagnosis in psychiatry, the only thing they have to go on is what you tell them. Its a lot different than diagnosing high blood pressure.
Disgusting.
The only thing that may possibly save this for me is hopefully the bastard WILL die in prison.
WHAT
Seriously, sometimes I think I come to this blog to be reminded that crap like this still happens. If I haven’t had my RDA of moral outrage, I’m certain to find something on Curvature that hasn’t popped up on the news.
It’s a grim service to provide, but I’m glad you do it. Thanks for this entry, much as it makes me faintly ill.
It’s a grim service to provide, but I’m glad you do it.
Seconded.
My sister was brutally murdered by her expartner in November 1992. She had left him a few months earlier because she was worried about her own safety and the safety of their 4 month old baby. He hired a private detective to find her and waited till my sister was at my mum’s first anniversary Mass (she’s died in Nov 91) to break into my sister’s house and leave a broken window so he could get back in and stab her 22 times when she returned and went to bed.
He was given 12 years, was out on license and after a few months of playing the good citizen he failed to report to his probation officer. Unbeknown to me (my darling protective brothers decided they shouldn’t frighten me) my sister’s killer actually escaped the country and was eventually found New Year’s day 2008 hiding out in his Mother’s bunker in her garden in Italy.
He is now back in prison and we are all able to sleep at night. I for one, would like to see any killer locked up forever as this is the only sure way they will not kill again. I t would be so easy for any killer to start a new life where noone knows his past and trusts them but our lives have been ruined by this man and I am currently having pschiatric treatment for depression since I found out he had managed to leave the country etc…
[...] her, and is serving only 5 years. While it’s not sexual violence, I can also tell you of a man who killed his first wife and stabbed and seriously injured his second wife, only to receive a total of 9 years in prison. Or of a man who murdered a sex worker and served a [...]