The last time I saw Corrissa Friends was at the Southern Friends Car Wash, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Her grandparent's own the business and she worked their part-time while attending college to become a nurse. Never in a million years would you have thought that this intelligent, vibrant, and beautiful 21-year-old woman was hiding so much pain behind her infectious smile.
Corrissa had such a promising future and her life was cut short by her estranged husband, Wisdom Jeffery, 17 years her senior who murdered her with a shotgun on August 11, 2010. Left to grieve are her family, friends and most heart-wrenching her young daughter, Casey Nicole Jeffery.
Domestic Violence Homicides
1. One in four women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime.
2. On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day.
3. Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend to 3 million women who are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend per year.
What is Domestic Violence?
The National Domestic Violence Hotline indicates:
- Domestic violence can be defined as a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner.
- Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure or wound someone.
What does Domestic Violence look like?
Women Helping Battered Women lists the following questions on their website to help women and men determine if they may be in an abusive relationship:
- Does your partner stop you from talking to or seeing family or friends?
- Does your partner embarrass you with bad names and put-downs?
- Does your partner treat you roughly, grab you, shove you, push you?
Ask for Help
If you are being abused or know someone who is in an abusive relationship, then please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE(7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224.
Jeffery's is a fugitive and is still at large for murder. If you know where Wisdom Jeffery is hiding, please call 1-800-CRIME-TV. Remember you will remain anonymous. For more information, please visit http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=77741
Love is kind and doesn't hurt. Please seek help if you need it, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE(7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224.
Article published on MyAtlantaMoms.com
References
1. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The National Institute of Justice, Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence, July 2000. The Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Woman’s Lifespan: 1998 Survey of Women’s Health, 1999)
2. (Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001, February 2003. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S. 1993-2004, 2006.)
3. (U.S. Department of Justice, Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends, March 1998. The Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Woman’s Lifespan: 1998 Survey of Women’s Health, 1999)
Thank you for sharing this incredibly important story; we need to stop making this issue of domestic violence taboo -- if you know someone in an abusive relationship, be there with them to support them, listen, and encourage them to stay strong. Telling them to get out immediately can be dangerous; working with them to create a plan helps. Work with your local Safehouse to provide you with a plan to help get out. Encouraging a victim to call the police can help; but it should be up to them (as they know the danger involved). Perpetrators should and need to pay--it's up to us to advocate for and challenge this horrific issue.
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