A Family Broken: A true story of love, betrayal, suicide, and forgiveness <— This book has just been released, and it’s absolutely tragic, what this detective went through. My husband worked with both of them, and he told me the story of what happened (at least from the cops perspective on the call). He told me he was one of the OGs, and an excellent tactical SWAT operator.
But he had his demons, and his wife, ten years later, wrote her (their) story. So here it is, my friends. Something that I think might help heal anyone going through something similar.
So if it’s you, or if it’s someone you know, or if you just want to share in her journey, and get to know someone through her story, I wanted to post about it here.
A Family Broken: A true story of love, betrayal, suicide, and forgiveness
So what’s it about?
A Story of Love, Betrayal, Suicide and Forgiveness
This is a memoir of a young, very attractive strong, willed female who did whatever it took to become a law enforcement officer in the late 1980’s. After overcoming many obstacles, she finally earns respect from her male counterparts and becomes an important asset to her agency.
She marries and has her first child. Her husband at the time is non-supportive and would rather be single. This newly pinned officer faces challenge number one, she becomes a single mother. But not too long after her divorce, she meets the man of her dreams. She was so happy in love, she felt almost underserving to have been gifted with such joy.
Within a few years of this fairy tale love, a family of three, they would say, tried to become a family of four, but pregnancy never came. They then adopted a child and created quite an epitomized family.
They both begin to climb the law enforcement ladders of success. She becomes the domestic violence guru for the 12th judicial circuit, and he, a member of the most elite squad – S.W.A.T. They were considered by most, a power couple. But their self-built utopia begins to crumble when he becomes a raging alcoholic.
Together, they spend many nights in therapy, counseling, and rehabilitation programs. It was at this time, she re-evaluated her life with her husband, and how his drinking has affected her children. She decides to have him leave the residence. This is when the violence begins. He stalks her, torments her, becomes violent, he sends her emails of hate and disgust. She blocks him from calling her, but that doesn’t stop him. He begins to call her work phone and calls her the vilest names a man could call a woman. Her other co-workers would complain but being a member of the good ole boy club, everything he did was covered up by his buddies. She is left to fend for herself.
She is a nobody in an unbreakable system that still holds strong today. After reporting his tormenting to a Judge, he commits suicide with his service weapon.
Within one month of recovering from the tragedy of suicide, her daughter was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. She spent several months in hospital rehabilitation assisting her daughter’s recovery. Ultimately, her daughter achieved a complete recovery.
Just when she thought the sun was going to shine again, and a simpler life could begin, her mother succumbs to cancer and passes away. It seemed as if time had fallen still for this family. It took many years of therapy and strength to put this family back together. But she could never forgive him. It wasn’t until he started appearing in her dreams. He would never speak, just look at her as if he was begging for her forgiveness.
After ten years, she decides to forgive him. She does it in a church where she feels closest to God and found the cross to be the place to lay her burden down. After she forgives him, he begins to speak to her in her dreams. She can finally move on.
A Family Broken: A true story of love, betrayal, suicide, and forgiveness