U.S. Highway 50 from Rosebud to Mt. Sterling offers a great driving experience. Gently rolling farmland spiced with steep, picturesque valleys near the Gasconade River. In spring and fall this 18 mile stretch explodes with color, especially on the eastbound climb a bit before Drake. And, here the highway offers tight curves to really drive the car.
Yet, ten days ago that wonderful stretch of highway became part of a fatal journey involving Leslie Austin, Danielle Smith and Gregory Price.
Don’t remember the names?
Austin was an ex-con with a history of domestic violence. Smith is the mother of his daughter whom he shot and kidnapped (with the daughter) and thence led law enforcement on a nearly 200 mile chase from Jefferson City to Bond County, Illinois where Price – headed home after an evening of cards with friends – died at Austin’s hand. Then Austin died.
Getting an exact number of people killed or seriously injured due to domestic violence actually is pretty hard. Extreme cases draw attention but many others get fogged over as “apparent” or “alleged.” Still, googling Domestic Violence Deaths February 2019 produces a lot of (pardon the phrase) hits. The estimate that four to five women per day are killed by men in their lives seems very plausible.
For each incident covered by news media dozens more – including deadly encounters – escape attention.
What’s really sad is that Danielle Smith cooperated with the courts and seemed do all the right things. Yet, tragedy found her.
Austin? Well, orders of protection didn’t stop him and federal laws against a felon owning a gun didn’t prevent him from getting a weapon. And, based on press reports, Probation and Parole let him rent an apartment just a couple of miles from his daughter. (The most recent protection order was issued days before death day, ordering Austin to stay 100 feet from Smith and the child. , meaning the courts were aware of his violence and his closeness to Smith.)
What could be done to prevent some similar, senseless deaths?
Well, if prosecutors backtracked every gun used by a convicted felon and then charged the seller with a felony that would keep guns away from some bad guys.
If courts ordered buffers of more than 100 feet – and then used ankle bracelets with GPS to enforce that distance – police could quickly intervene.
Unfortunately, this is Missouri where guns ownership is a right granted by God and asking for additional money for policing or enhanced probation supervision is a non-starter in the Capitol.
Note too that several years back Austin kidnapped his daughter and led police on a chase, causing him to face seven years incarceration: that judge gave him probation.
So, last week a nice guy from Florissant died while coming home from an evening with friends. A woman got shot and kidnapped. Just another extreme local example of domestic violence, easily forgotten.
How sad.
Glenn Koenen