Mindy Dodd was convicted of murdering her abuser. Then came the TV cameras. quasimado writes
Mindy in her 20s, pictured with her daughter Angel. Photo: Courtesy of Melissa Jeltsen On March 29, 2015, the Oxygen network aired an episode of Snapped, a true-crime series about women who commit murder. This particular episode profiled Mindy Dodd, a five-foot-tall, soft-spoken Tennessee woman who worked graveyard shifts at Walmart before she was accused of orchestrating her husband’s death.
Around the same time as the episode bearing her name aired, Mindy was watching television inside her cell at Mark Luttrell Correctional Center in Memphis. By this point, she had been incarcerated for almost 14 years, serving a life sentence for first-degree murder. Mindy liked scary movies, but her cellmate Francine hated them, so they usually settled on lighter fare like the Golden Girls or The Simpsons or a football game if the Dallas Cowboys were playing.
When Snapped first aired, Zak Weisfeld, a supervising producer at the time, stated that the show would not focus on domestic-violence victims. “These are not the old stereotypes of battered women who are trying to defend themselves,” he said. “This is the dark side of female empowerment. This is not syrupy, and these women are not sympathetic.” But a show about women who kill was always going to be a show about domestic violence.
Her initial reaction to the letter was hope, she told me on a recent phone call from prison. “I felt like finally that I would get to tell my side of the story,” she said. “It was my opportunity to have a voice.” She didn’t testify at her criminal trial, a decision born of fear that she’d fall to pieces on the stand. Still, she was shocked when her defense attorney rested his case without calling a single witness on her behalf.
Kaiya, who was convicted of second-degree murder for killing her abusive husband and sentenced to ten years in prison, wondered how a short television program, designed to entertain, could possibly grapple with the totality of her and her husband’s life. “My husband was my lover, my friend, comforter — he was also my captor, my abuser, my rapist — the giver and taker of all things,” she wrote. “I never meant to hurt anyone, I’m sure my husband never meant to hurt me or my [child].
I learned her story piecemeal over a series of phone calls, emails, and letters sent during the pandemic. I was also able to review a psychiatric evaluation conducted after Mindy’s arrest, affidavits from her family attesting to her claims, her parole application, and over a dozen letters from correctional officers describing her behavior while incarcerated.
The other factor was that Mindy’s daughter, Angel, was almost the same age that Mindy was when Henry first started raping her. Mindy was convinced that Henry was going to start sexually abusing her daughter and didn’t feel she could protect her, she said. She was afraid of Henry, who would take out his gun during fights and threaten to kill her. She admits talking to James about her fears and recalls James telling her that he was going to take care of it.
Österreich Neuesten Nachrichten, Österreich Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Yes, You Can Wear a Bra Top in the WinterYes, even in December you can wear a bra top. Learn how with these tips.
Weiterlesen »
Elizabeth Hurley stuns in animal print bikini in gorgeous beachside snap as she shares health updateElizabeth Hurley was in a thankful mood on Friday as she shared an important health update with fans while posing on a beach in a gorgeous bikini
Weiterlesen »
Vanessa Morgan Shares Adorable Snap of 10-Month-Old Son River: 'Cutest Fit in the Game'Riverdale star Vanessa Morgan welcomed her first baby with husband Michael Kopech in January
Weiterlesen »
Deadly tornado updates: Search for survivors continues after devastating stormsAFTERMATH: Video taken while driving through Dawson Springs, Kentucky shows a path of destruction left in the wake of a devastating tornado. Multiple tornadoes were reported across six states as strong storms impacted parts if the midwest and south.
Weiterlesen »
Emilia Clarke Is Using NFTs for GoodThe Game of Thrones star is looking to the virtual world to raise money for survivors of brain injury.
Weiterlesen »
Rescuers hunt for survivors after deadly tornadoes rip through several statesRescuers are combing through piles of debris looking for survivors after a deadly tornado outbreak tore through Kentucky and other states late Friday and early Saturday, leaving entire communities devastated.
Weiterlesen »