Dad charged for urging 15-year-old son to beat mom with a baseball bat; dad was going for custody of both kids (Lawrence, Kansas)

Dad ARTHUR DAVIS III is a special kind of sicko abuser, the kind who recruits the kids into hate and abuse of the mother. But you won't find the fathers rights calling somebody like this on Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS), no sir. Even with a custody fight involved. Especially with a custody fight involved, actually. "Yes, ahem, she must have beaten herself with a baseball bat. Um, yea." I wonder if after this, the courts will actually give dad custody. It's happened before. Of course, if the dad and the kids end up in prison and/or a juvenile facility, I suppose it's a moot point.

http://www.kansascw.com/Global/story.asp?S=11047625

Lawrence Dad Charged For Urging Son To Commit Crime

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - The ex-husband of a Lawrence woman was bound over for trial after the woman testified that he urged his son on while the boy beat her with a bat.

The woman testifed Thursday in Douglas County District Court that she awoke late June 15 to find her 15-year-old son beating her with a baseball bat. She testified that at one point during the attack her ex-husband, Arthur Davis III, held her down and urged her son to continue hitting her.

The woman says the attack arose from a bitter custody dispute between her ex-husband over custody of the boy and a 12-year-old daughter.

Davis is charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and contributing to a child's misconduct. The couple's son is charged with attempted first-degree murder. Their daughter faces conspiracy charges for her alleged role in the attack.

And here's additional information from the Associated Press on the case:

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1424223.html

Posted on Fri, Sep. 04, 2009
Lawrence mom testifies that her son beat her as ex-husband urged him
The Associated Press
LAWRENCE A Lawrence woman testified that a bitter custody dispute prompted her 15-year-old son to beat her with a bat while her ex-husband was holding her and encouraging him to hit her harder.

The woman testified Thursday in Douglas County District Court in a preliminary hearing for her ex-husband, Arthur Davis III, who's charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and contributing to a child's misconduct.

The woman, whose name is not being published to protect the identities of the children, described a fight on the night of June 15 and early June 16 after waking up to her son hitting her.

"It was horror," the woman said. "I had feared that I would be attacked in this manner. I knew that if his dad was with him I couldn't fight them both."

The son is also charged with attempted first-degree murder and the couple's 12-year-old daughter faces conspiracy charges for her alleged role in the attack.

The victim, who lived with her daughter, testified that during the attack she yelled for her daughter to call 911, but the boy was telling his sister not to call 911 because he didn't want to go to jail.

The woman said she escaped into a bathroom and called 911. She said while she was on the phone, her ex-husband broke down the bathroom door, dragged her into the hallway, where she said her son continued to hit her.

The woman's 911 call was played in court.

"Hit her, harder, harder, harder," Davis can be heard yelling on the call, while holding the woman by her arms, according to testimony.

The woman eventually escaped and ran down the street. She said her son, armed with the bat, chased her. The attack ended when police arrived.

The woman was treated at Lawrence Memorial Hospital for multiple cuts to her head, including a 3-to-4 inch cut to her scalp that had to be stapled shut.

The woman testified she and Davis had fought over custody of the children since their 1999 divorce. She said he and the kids became upset when in 2006 she filed a motion with the court seeking roughly $20,000 from Davis in back child support.

The woman said Davis was "obsessed" with having the children live with him and that he wanted them to drop out of school to earn money on a paper route.

A custody evaluation was ordered in June 2008. The woman said the doctor who did the evaluation was going to recommend the son stay with his father, while the daughter continue to live with her. Davis had seen the report the Friday before the attack.

"I knew it was something the defendant was capable of," the woman testified. "I knew I was in the way of what he wanted."

At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Robert Fairchild bound the defendant over for trial on all three charges.

Defense attorney Greg Robinson said only the son was responsible for the attack.

"I'm almost speechless," Robinson told the judge. "All this catfight that went down in the bedroom, that's just smoke. It has nothing to do with Arthur Davis."

Davis' arraignment was set for Sept. 18.