8:12 AM Fri, Mar 23, 2007 | Permalink |
Photographer Eric Wold and I have spent the last couple days in a Snohomish County courtroom, where a man accused of a brutal attack on an Everett woman is going through a competency hearing. These hearings allow a judge to determine if a person is mentally fit to stand trial for the crime of which they are accused. The attorney representing the accused, Anthony Viscussi, says his client suffers from psychosis and has a long history of drug use that has made the mental illness only worse. His behavior in the courtroom has led the judge to force Viscussi to wear a spit mask and be restrained to a chair. While this is an extreme case, it certainly is not unique.
At the root of a good many high profile crimes, we find two things: mental illness and drug use. In this case, no one disputes Viscussi is mentally ill; it is a question of the degree and severity. His drug use is well documented, dating back to when he was just 13.
Whenever I cover a story like this, I wonder how things could have been different. Did they slip through the cracks, did they have a tough home life, is it biological, did the system fail them? I don't know the answer. As a parent myself, looking across the courtroom and seeing Anthony Viscussi's father weeping for his son was heartbreaking. I come home from covering stories like this and give my own son a big hug.
Well try this one
Im 38 yrs old & a Mother of 3 great kids.We have 3 cats & a dog.My BF was injured at work & even though recently released to work.Still isnt.
Im now 2 almost 3 months behind in rent.The power & phone are about to be shut off.There is no money at all comming in & that means no food for the kids or the animals.
Desprate times call for desprate mesures.I posted an ad on craigslist & it said...
I need BIGTIME help! I need to make $5000. in 2 weeks & am willing to do ALMOST anything to get it. If you think you can help me PLEASE let me know.
Well it seems there are these 3 guys that are all friends with eachother that decided to make a bet with eachother.Who would get to do me first & what they would get to do.To make a long story short there only intrest was to humileate & degrade me.They did that very well & I got nothing out of it except the inabilaty to look at myself in the mirror anymore.To make matters worse my BF knew I was doing this & still the only thing he did to help was drive me to meet the poeople who were suppost to help.Instead they made things worse by killing any self esteem I did have.
Ive tryed every agency I could think of & no one will help.
Now the roomate I had thats in the service is nolonger going to be my roomate so he can go down south to help his family after all the flooding.
Im not afraid to work & I work hard.But for some reason cant seem to catch a break any where.
Im out of time & out of options & dont know what to do.I cant eat,cant sleep & am having panic attachs regularly.
All I want to do is take care of my kids & I cant even do that.So now I have failed them & myself.
Im writting this because if something happins to me I want the world to know that I tred.I tryed to do my best & nomatter what my best wasnt good eneph.I just want my kids to know how much I love them.And I did this trying to save them.