Bresha Meadows, a 15-year-old Ohio girl who allegedly shot and killed her abusive father, is getting support from all across the country as calls mount for all charges against her to be released, The Root is reporting .
The facts of what happened on July 28, as provided by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer , are not in dispute. Authorities say that Meadows, then 14, walked into the bedroom where her father, Jonathan Meadows, was sleeping, picked up his.45-caliber, semi-automatic handgun, and shot him dead .
The story of Bresha Meadows: Hailed as a heroine by her mom & public, but condemned by law https://t.co/xJS5WOIuBU pic.twitter.com/wDp5uYw0Yn
— Black News (@BlackNewsOutlet) August 20, 2016
Depending on whom you ask, Bresha’s actions that night were either an act of cold-blooded murder, or an act of self-defense of a victim, driven by years of abuse, who felt she had no other choice.
Did Jonathan Meadows Terrorize His Family?
Bresha’s mother, Brandi Meadows, says that Jonathan terrorized her and her family – Bresha, and Bresha’s two siblings – for years. Brandi says that she had been to the emergency room 15 to 20 times over the years from the injuries she sustain at Jonathan’s hand.
“You name it, he did it. Mentally, physically, emotionally.”
Brandi declined to say whether or not the abuse extended to Bresha or her siblings.
Bresha Meadows’ mother speaks out in emotional interview https://t.co/1AB3LR9c5F pic.twitter.com/3hQ5db4ZZb
— NewsOne (@newsone) August 17, 2016
At one point, Brandi had filed a restraining order against Jonathan, but he made her drop it. Some time later, Bresha ran away from her home in Warren, Ohio, and stayed with an aunt in Cleveland. How or why she returned to Warren remains unclear.
On the night of the alleged murder, Jonathan Meadows came home from work, ordered take out, smoked some marijuana and drank a cocktail, and fell asleep. By sunrise the next morning, he was dead of a gunshot wound.
Or Was Jonathan Meadows A Good Man Who Was Unjustly Persecuted?
Meadows’ family paints a much different picture of him than the one Brandi painted. His sister, Lena Cooper, says her brother wasn’t perfect, but that he was being persecuted for a single act of domestic violence that had taken place “years ago.”
“This was not a family living in fear. My brother is being crucified for something that happened years ago. There is no evidence of recent abuse. We talked with the authorities, and they said there was no signs of abuse.”
Cooper also says that if the situation was as bad as Brand claims it was, she could have left and gotten help.
Did Bresha Meadows Commit Murder?
Regardless of which version of Brandi Meadows’ story is factual, Bresha has found herself facing criminal charges for her actions that morning. She’s currently being held in a juvenile detention facility, facing charges of delinquency by reason of aggravated murder. An August 30 hearing will determine whether she will be tried in juvenile court, or tried for murder as an adult , according to The Root .
Support For Bresha
Huffington Post writer Melissa Jeltsen notes that the criminal justice system in the U.S., rather than protecting victims of domestic violence (especially juveniles), often makes criminals out of them.
“Bresha’s case is shining a light on what happens to the 3.3 million to 10 million children in America who are exposed to domestic violence each year. As well as facing higher rates of depression, substance abuse and attempted suicide, kids who grow up in violent homes are more likely to end up in the justice system. According to one report, 84 percent of girls in the juvenile justice system have experienced family violence.”
Supporting is pouring in for Bresha from a variety of sources – women’s rights groups, domestic violence victims’ advocacy groups, black advocacy groups. And a GoFundMe account to help Bresha with her defense has, as of this writing, raised $37,000.
Do you believe that Bresha Meadows acted in self-defense, or is a cold-blooded murderer?
[Image via Facebook ]
