The bodies of Guerline Damas, 32; Michzach, 9; Marven, 6; Maven, 5; Megan, 3; and Morgan, 11 months, were discovered Saturday, Rambosk said.
Authorities have been unable to locate Mesac Damas, who possibly left the country Friday morning and may be in Haiti, Capt. Chris Roberts of the Collier County sheriff's department said Sunday at a news conference.
The Damas family had had its share of domestic problems. There had been a "handful" of domestic disturbance calls to police since 2000 involving the Damas couple, with the latest resulting in the arrest of Mesac Damas in January. He pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor battery against Guerline Damas in June.
The police wouldn't release the cause of death information, which I'm told is standard operating procedure. I'm curious to learn what it was. Unlike the Heinze family murders, this one could have been done by a single person using any number of weapons, since the kids were all too young to defend themselves.
Regardless of the means with which he dispatched his family, if indeed he did do it, this case brings up a bigger question. What is wrong in America that we have so many of these cases? Is the male dominance and right to abuse his family so deeply ingrained in the American psyche that we can't overcome it? Did women's liberation and the feminist movement not correct this situation? Who are these guys who think they can slaughter their families if they like?
This is where I agree with the many commenters who keep pointing out that it's not only about the gun availability. Of course, they say it has nothing to do with the gun, but what I'm willing to accept is that gun availability is not the only factor. It's the frequent occurrences of "men are bad news for women" and "men are bad news for their own families" that are the problem. When those things are added to the gun availability we have, the situation is dramatic.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
What do you think?
