The prison sentence was much too harsh. I could see a few years but there were bad circumstances surrounding Laurie's life which would have justified a lighter sentence. Shame on the judicial system. What is hard to believe is that this happened to her in the last decade of the twentieth century. We still have a long way to go in our justice system.
shareI'm not really surprised by the verdict. It's interesting that when a woman kills her abusive spouse, there's tons of news coverage. Not so much when an abusive man kills his wife or girlfriend. Probably because that's so much more common.
In this country the leading cause of death in women 18-25 is being murdered by their husband or boyfriend. When these abusive men finally kill their partners, their sentences are substantially lighter than when an abused woman kills her abuser.
If the facts of this case from Laurie's perspective are accurate, This harsh sentence is truly a travesty of justice.
For men like Bruce Kellogg, death is getting off too easy in my opinion. It would be preferable to see him in prison where he clearly belonged, being controlled, instead of being the controller.
For any woman that is in an abusive relationship, document everything, take photos, let a third party know whats going on, and have them keep a calendar/diary that documents every instance of abuse. Make a plan, and get out as quickly and safely as possible.
Check out this website:
http://www.abusedadultresourcecenter.com
I pray that Laurie will be considered for clemency. For more informations about Laurie, check out her website:
http://www.grandpaws.net/lauriekellogg/
I've also noticed that abusive men who murder their wives/gfs get off much lighter than when the abused wife/gf strikes back & murders their abuser. That is a pathetic double standard & the laws must change!!!
sharewtl471629 - I agree
"When a relationship doesn't work out, I call that a relation$HIT"~Dane Cook
If this story is accurate, it is indeed a miscarriage of justice. But Laurie should have left Bruce long before, if it was bad. He killed her baby for crying out loud!
Women, no matter what their background or experience, have a responsibility for their own safety. She had more than one chance to escape according to the film.
"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."
I also could not understand her purposely getting pregnant again after that. Did she really think he would suddenly say, "Oh, how wonderful!" about it?
shareI also could not understand her purposely getting pregnant again after that. Did she really think he would suddenly say, "Oh, how wonderful!" about it?
I saw the film again, on YouTube.
I also thought it interesting how Laurie was portrayed. She was a victim yes.
But besides the bad choices she made in staying with Bruce, they didn't portray her as very intelligent in many ways.
She keeps getting pregnant, despite the fact that she knows he wants no more children.
Second, she literally watches him reluctantly agree to marry her...yet is so happy!
So she just wanted what she wanted, not caring much what Bruce wanted.
He was a vicious abuser, no arguments there!
He killer her baby, yet we never see her reaction to this. She stays with thim, though.
My point was Laurie wasn't shown as very sympathetic either.
"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."
I think that she just chose to be blind to reality. Even in the narration at the end of the movie, she speaks of dreaming about him abusing her, and still having only love for him.
shareIt is. I've followed the case since this movie first came out. I could identify with Laurie by her past and meeting a bad guy. My heart goes out to her and it is sad to think she is still in jail.
***'No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world- Robin Williams' ***
Ehg. For me after you have seen and heard a lot of these type of cases "abused women killing their abuser" you don't really feel sorry for them. At least for me that is the case. She didn't just kill her husband, she conspired with teens to do it. And if that movie is even partly true, then she apparently had no problem with the hundred and one ways to kill her husband. Why drive all the way down there to kill him? He's gone, so leave.
Women can't be abused, kill their husband and expect people to cut them slack. That's just stupid. And these movies are really annoying when the woman actually goes to family and the guy begs her to come back and she does. You had your out and didn't take it and now you want to kill him? Ridiculous.
If she had killed him herself, during a beating, that would be different. But she was having a drug & alcohol party, in his house. Where were her kids during the party? Then she goes with the teens to kill him. She could have packed her stuff and left at that point.
shareI agree, even her mom and friend told her to pack and leave. Many the teens could have aided her and the kids seeking shelter, till she found gainful employment.