Dad on trial for murdering mom, her father during child custody exchange (Costa Mesa, California)

The DA's opening comments seem pretty darn charitable. Based on the descriptions of the murders below, these acts don't sound at all like a heated crime of passion by a loving father. They sound like a cold-blooded double execution. Notice the part where the father-in-law had thrown up his hands in surrender, and this dude allegedly continued to shoot him, even after he was down.

Also notice that the mother and her father were put in harm's way by a child custody exchange, and that this apparent executioner had been assigned the "care" of a 7-year-old disabled child (who is now motherless).

Daddy comes across as the kind of classic psychopath who fights for custody, just so he continue to toy with, control, and ultimately torture/murder his victims. I suspect that this wasn't brand new behavior, but somehow, Daddy got awarded his "rights" anyway. I'm assuming this was court-ordered, though the article doesn't say. But somehow I don't think this was really voluntary on Mom's part, or something she was comfortable with. Very often when mothers are afraid, they'll bring along a man for the child exchange. I'm thinking that may have been the case here.

Once again, contrary to fathers' rights propaganda, we see that fathers are not killing because they don't have their "rights." On the contrary, this apparent psycho was given all kinds of rights--which he leveraged to allegedly ambush and massacre two people, people who were apparently forced by the system to deal with him. When are the innocent people going to have their rights???

Of course, as we previously mentioned, we're not actually informed whether this was court-ordered visitation (i.e. a state-enabled murder). But maybe that's the point. By not going into all that, we don't need to reveal the names of the judge(s) or other incompetent and/or crooked court officials who set up this crime, do we?

Dad is identified as ROBERT ALAN LEHMANN.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/09/man-killed-wife-father-in-law-in-dispute-over-daughter-da-says.html

Man killed ex-wife, father-in-law in dispute over daughter, D.A. says

September 24, 2012 | 8:59 am

 A prosecutor made clear that Robert Alan Lehmann loved his daughter and wanted her to receive the best possible education and treatment for her development disabilities.

But that love and concern ultimately fueled a heated battle between him and his ex-wife, whom he stands accused of shooting dead alongside her father in front of his Costa Mesa home, prosecutors asserted in opening statements last week.

Lehmann, 37, is accused of two counts of murder. The charges include sentencing enhancements for lying in wait and for multiple murders. If convicted, he faces two life sentences in state prison without the possibility of parole.

On May 3, 2011, as he waited for Emily Ford, 32, to arrive and take custody of their 7-year-old special-needs daughter, Lehmann took antidepressants and drank beer before loading a magazine into his Beretta 9mm handgun, prosecutor Matt Murphy told jurors.

Murphy said Lehmann sent a text message to his ex-wife: "I've sent them away so they don't have to see."

She replied that she would soon arrive at the house on Santa Clara Circle.

When Ford arrived, Lehmann shot her in the chest and later shot her father, Russell Ford, through his arm raised in self-defense, Murphy alleged.

Lehmann then loaded another magazine and shot Russell Ford in the buttocks, back and back of the head, as the 62-year-old lay face down at the end of the driveway, Murphy said.

He then allegedly walked to where Emily Ford lay and emptied the magazine into the back of her head, the prosecution said.

Lehmann returned to his house, where he called 911, then "collapsed" on his lawn and waited for police, defense attorney Jeremy Goldman said.

In a 911 recording played for jurors, Lehmann told a dispatcher that he took medication.

"I took an overdose," Lehmann said in a groggy voice. "I'm going to go ahead and lay down now."

When asked by the dispatcher whether the shooting victims needed paramedics, Lehmann replied, "No, they're dead."