In a recent blog post, we reviewed a horrendous news story about a woman who allegedly took the lives of her 10-year-old and 13-year-old children, after she lost a custody battle with her ex husband due to what the judge called her “extreme parental alienation.”
42-year-old Marilyn Edge had been unemployed for years. She had also been locked in a custody battle with her ex-husband, U.S. Air Force Reservist, Mark Edge, since 2007. If convicted of two charges of felony special circumstance murder, she could face life behind bars without a chance of parole.
This horribly tragic ending is unusual, even for the most bitter child custody battles. But it does demonstrate several points:
• Going into a brutal custody battle can take a psychological toll on parents and potentially endanger kids caught in the middle;
• Protecting the rights and welfare of the children involved should be of paramount concern – always;
• If you’ve been struggling with a child custody issue, seek legal help sooner than later — not only so you can protect your rights and the rights of your kids but also so you can mitigate (to the best of your ability) against tragic outcomes.
Are you caught up in an emotionally difficult California child custody battle? If so, please turn to Dinnebier and Demmerle for an empathetic and smart case consultation.