"Estranged" wife of stabbing suspect hints at incest; he was custodial dad who took daughter from mom in Guatemala (LeHigh, Florida)

We've posted on Dad MANUEL ROSALES before, who is charged with the stabbing of his adult daughter and her infant son. The baby subsequently died, and last I heard, the daughter was in critical condition. My first impression was that there was something icky and incestuous here. Now Dad's estranged wife, the daughter's stepmother, has more or less confirmed my suspicions.

We also find out that Rosales is a custodial father.

So where is the mother? Apparently poor and penniless back in Guatemala. Seems Daddy had "tried for years" to bring the girl to the U.S. from Guatemala (Dad became a U.S. citizen around 1996). He finally succeeded when the girl was 15. I've posted at least 4 similar cases where fathers took advantage of poor moms in impoverished countries, only to abuse or kill their children once they were in the U.S. or Canada.

http://www.news-press.com/article/20100526/CRIME/5270389/Wife-of-Lehigh-Acres-stabbing-suspect-hints-at-incest

Wife of Lehigh Acres stabbing suspect hints at incest
By Evangelia Ganosellis and Gabriella Souza • eganosellis@news-press.com gsouza@news-press.com • May 26, 2010

Manuel Rosales shadowed every move made by his daughter, Karminda Rosales Salazar.

"He wanted to know at all times where she was, what she was doing," said Madeline Rosales, Manuel Rosales' estranged wife.

Her husband and stepdaughter were affectionate toward each other, hugging and kissing and holding hands. Manuel Rosales treated Karminda the way a husband would treat his wife, Madeline Rosales said.

Manuel Rosales' behavior led his wife to suspect her husband was the father of Karminda's older son, 1 1/2-year-old Brian Rosales. She doesn't believe he fathered Josue, the 3-month-old boy Manuel Rosales is accused of killing May 20.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office hinted at the possibility of incest when it reported that Manuel Rosales stabbed his daughter, although it would not confirm Wednesday it was investigating that angle.

Manuel Rosales' affection was known to turn to rage, Madeline Rosales said, and frequently, 20-year-old Karminda was the target. In the last confrontation, reports show, he slit Karminda's throat three times before he forced her to watch him slash her youngest child's throat, telling her: "Here's your bastard."

Baby Josue died hours later. Karminda was taken to Lehigh Regional Medical Center, but no recent information about her condition or whereabouts has been released.

Manuel Rosales, 43, was holding the older baby, Brian, in his arms when emergency crews arrived at his Lehigh Acres home. He is being held in the Lee County Jail without bond, facing one count each of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.

Manuel Rosales will be represented by a public defender who has not yet been assigned to the case. An arraignment is scheduled for June 21.

Although Madeline Rosales, 45, said her husband is violent, she never believed he was capable of killing. She hasn't been in contact with him since November, when she moved to Miami. She plans to file for divorce.

"Since I found out, I don't sleep at night," she said. "I can't believe what he has done."

Manuel Rosales tried for years to bring his daughter to the United States from her native Guatemala. He succeeded in 2005 when Karminda was 15, Madeline Rosales said.

A native of Honduras, he had moved to Guatemala at age 18. There, he met a woman who gave birth to Karminda.

Manuel Rosales met Madeline in Miami after he moved to the U.S., and they were married in 1996. He became a U.S. resident shortly thereafter, Madeline Rosales said.

After her stepdaughter came to live with them, Madeline Rosales said, her husband would go into Karminda's room often, where he would talk with the girl for hours.

"She would come and lay next to him and lay on top of him," Madeline Rosales said. "I wouldn't think of anything bad because that's his daughter."

While Madeline Rosales doesn't believe her husband fathered Josue, she isn't sure who the father is. She remembers Karminda talking with a boy around the time Madeline Rosales moved to Miami, but she doesn't know his name.

Incest underreported

Incest is far too common an occurrence, and local abuse shelters see a number of women impregnated by their fathers, said Christine Kobie, a community educator at Abuse Counseling and Treatment.

Sexual abuse is about power and control, Kobie said.

"It's not about sex," she said. "It's an abusive person using sex as a weapon."

Incest is greatly underreported, Kobie said, because victims grow up believing their situation is normal.

As they get older, Kobie said, they usually begin to understand that the relationship is abnormal.

But by then, the teenage victims don't want to report the crime because they fear being taken away from their homes.

Although Manuel Rosales hasn't been formally accused of being sexually abusive, Madeline Rosales said he has a temper that often flares.

"He was a very abusive man, verbally and physically," she said. "He was just very aggressive. It had to be his way only, and if not, just forget it."

In 2008, Manuel Rosales was arrested and charged with beating Karminda, who took out a protective order against him. This past November, she fled to Philadelphia, but he convinced her to return, promising to change.

He used the same excuse with his wife.

"He tells my sister that all the time," said Maite Pinon, Madeline Rosales' sister. "That's how he gets them back."

Madeline Rosales said her husband beat her as well. Once, she said, he came after her with a machete, repeatedly beating her with its blunt end.

Despite his violent history, Madeline Rosales can't imagine what might have compelled him to slash the throats of Karminda and her infant son, as he's accused of doing.

"It's something crazy," she said. "I don't know what could have gotten into his head. I really don't know."