Dad denied bail for killing mother of his twin daughters; she was holding 18-month-old daughter in arms when shot (Tampa, Florida)

Dad CEDRICK BONTRAY SALTER has been denied bail in the murder of his ex-girlfriend, the mother of their 18-month-old todders. The mother was holding one of the children in her arms when she was shot to death. Other family members were present during the shooting as well.

Despite the usual excuses from Dad's enabler relatives, Salter has an established history of domestic violence. When the mom broke up with him, he threatened to stab her in the neck with a screwdriver. He told co-workers he would kill her if she prosecuted. Later that night, Dad fired a gun outside Mom's home and threatened to kill her. Although Mom asked prosecutors to drop the case (and I can see why she might want to do that under the circumstances), prosecutors went forward, anyway--and without taking Dad off the streets. Dad was scheduled for a hearing on the day Mom was murdered--such a coincidence. He was facing battery and false imprisonment charges from the earlier offence and was expected to plead guilty and get probation. What can you say? It's the state of Florida's usual nudge-nudge-wink-wink approach to domestic violence offenses. The result? The mother of 4 young children is now dead, mowed down in the same home as her children were, with one still in her arms. Think Dad ever thought of the kids in all this? Doesn't look like it, does it? Just goes to show--when you abuse or kill a mom, you violate and wound her children, too.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/sep/10/101220/judge-denies-bail-suspected-killer/news-breaking/

Judge denies bail for suspect in Tampa mom's slaying
By JOSH POLTILOVE The Tampa Tribune

A man accused of killing the mother of his twin toddlers will remain in jail without bail, a judge ruled today.

Cedrick Bontray Salter's mother and other family members were in court to support him.

"I will be here for my child and I love him," Denise Salter said afterward.

She said she was deeply sorry for the family of shooting victim SaQuanda Simon, the mother of Salter's twin toddlers.

"I know that was not his intention," she said.

As Salter was led to jail late Wednesday after surrendering to authorities, a News Channel 8 reporter asked him whether he regretted what he did.

"Yes," Salter said. "Yes I do."

Simon's grandmother doesn't believe him.

"I'm glad they got him, and I hope he gets what he deserves," Mae Jackson said at the family's Grant Park home.

"Her children, they don't have a mother, they don't have a father – they're lost," she said.

Simon, a 30-year-old widow and mother of four who recently completed nursing school, was shot in her bedroom Tuesday night as she held her 18-month-old daughter in her arms.

Deputies say Salter had tried all day to reach Simon by phone before breaking into the home and confronting her. Several other family members were present during the shooting, including Simon's children. No one else was injured.

Court records portray a tumultuous relationship between Simon, a Brandon High graduate, and Salter, a 28-year-old disc jockey who goes by the nicknames "Woogie" and "Woogieman."

In March, after Simon broke up with Salter, he threatened to stab her in the neck with a screwdriver and told her co-workers he would kill her if she tried to have him prosecuted. That night, investigators say, he fired a gun outside Simon's home and again threatened to kill her.

Three weeks after the incident, Simon asked prosecutors to drop the charges against Salter, saying he deserved "a second chance."

The case went forward, however, and a hearing had been scheduled for today. Salter, who faced battery and false imprisonment charges, had been expected to plead guilty in exchange for probation.

"Mr. Salter will not be entering a plea today," his attorney, Dana Friedlander, told Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Gregory Holder. "It's my understanding that the state is going to evaluate their case."

Holder postponed the hearing until Oct. 1 as Salter, shackled and dressed in orange jail clothes after his bail hearing, stood before him.

Salter is being held in confinement at Orient Road Jail. He will spend 23 hours a day in his cell and will get an hour of indoor recreation in handcuffs and box chains.