Dad murders mom, abandons infant in car (Delano, California)

This is unbelievably badly written. Almost a parody of all the worst tendencies in domestic violence reporting.

We start with a ridiculous headline based on a ridiculous claim that is made with no evidence, that "the couple" in fact "left" this baby in the car before both inexplicably died in what is labeled a murder-suicide.

First, notice the complete lack of agency here. It's as if they had been randomly hit by a meteor and just happened to die. What is not in fact made explicit till you read further is that dad VICTOR MOTA murdered the mother of their child, then offed himself.

Second, given that we had a killer and a victim who lost her life, where is the "we" that "left" this infant behind? Do we think Mom consented to be being murdered, that she consented to "leaving" her baby behind? Would it not be more accurate to say that this killer in fact ABANDONED a living infant at a murder scene by killing the baby's mother?

And third, what is this crap about a "troubled relationship"? The murder of a mother and the abandonment of a helpless infant at the murder scene is not a symptom of a "troubled relationship." It's a vicious and inexcusable crime.

http://delano.bakersfieldnow.com/content/couple-leaves-infant-car-during-apparent-murder-suicide

Couple leaves infant in car during apparent murder-suicide
Submitted by Cory Smith, Web producer
Monday, November 29th, 5:38 pm

A Delano couple is dead in an apparent murder-suicide.

A passerby found the man and woman shot dead in a car on Thanksgiving evening in an orchard near Road 148 and County Line Road. The Tulare County Sheriff's Office suspects 19-year-old Victor Mota shot his girlfriend, 23-year-old Vanessa Majarro, and then turned the gun on himself.

The couple left their infant alive in the car, according to the sheriff's office.

Investigators said the couple had a troubled relationship, but no other details were released about the events that led to the shootings.

The couple were likely in the car for several hours before their bodies were discovered, according to the sheriff's office.