Divorced dad shoots and kills 7-year-old son (Denver, Colorado)

I'm sure these crimes are always shocking to family and friends, but in the greater scheme of things, the actions of dad DAMION MORINE are not that unusual. Notice that "somebody" (the totally ignored and invisible mother?) called the police for a wellness check. That's generally done only when a parent has already shown erratic, neglectful, or abusive behavior. But notice the fact that is not brought out here. The  father STILL HAD ACCESS--even though we find (if we read to the end) that this guy had a big alcohol problem. He still had his custody/visitation rights (there is no mention here of abduction or kidnapping to suggest otherwise). So who gave these rights to an apparently alcoholic father who had a track record of DUIs and perhaps other odd or abusive behavior? Who ranked Daddy's rights over the rights of a mother or child to basic safety and security? Was a judge involved in this? What's the name?

This article also reflects a revolting theme often seen in these cases. The killer dad is not only "humanized" but nearly sanctified. Meanwhile, the little boy, whose short life no doubt ended in sheer terror, is totally ignored. The mother has been written out of the story completely, and her grief or despair erased. No one who cared about the child victim or his mother is quoted or interviewed. The only one who seems to matter in the whole universe is the Poor Daddy, who is NOT held responsible for being a child killer. It's as if journalists were somehow channeling the point of view of the killer dad--with all its sheer, repulsive narcissism.

And it is disgusting and ridiculous to claim that family was "everything" to a father who put a bullet through the head of his own child. Just stop with the bull sh**.

http://www.9news.com/news/article/261182/339/Friend-of-father-in-murder-suicide-Im-just-stunned


Friend of father in murder-suicide: 'I'm just stunned'

11:14 PM, Apr 5, 2012

Written by Will Ripley

DENVER - As new details emerge about the murder-suicide involving a father and son, there are also new questions about why Damion Morine would commit such a crime.

On Tuesday afternoon, 40-year-old Morine used a shotgun to kill his 7-year-old son Toby in the garage of their home on South Bryant Street near West 2nd Avenue, according to Denver Police.

The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner's report says Morine shot the boy in the chest before turning the gun and shooting himself in the chest.

Police found the two dead at the home after being asked for a welfare check.

9NEWS spoke with a man who considers Morine a brother.

Toby Medina, who lives in Windsor, was a close friend who says they grew apart in recent years. Medina wonders how a man who loved his family could have done something like this.

Medina remembers when Morine came to help him clean up after the 2008 Windsor tornado.

"He said, 'Hey, my brother needs me.' And he was here. He's like a brother. He was a brother," Medina said.

Medina says they were co-workers who became close friends - so close Morine named his youngest child after him.

"He told me that he was gonna name his son Toby," Medina said.

Medina says he will never forget that chaotic day after the tornado four years ago. "That was the last time I seen him," Medina said. Medina and Morine eventually drifted apart.

"I tried to get a hold of him, wasn't able to get a hold of him. Lost his number. We just lost contact completely," Medina said.

Medina never knew of the chaos in his friend's life.

Colorado court records show Morine was arrested four times for drunk driving prior to the tornado, and in 2010 he filed for bankruptcy and divorced his wife.

"Family was everything to him, you know? That's what really shocked me about what happened. I'm just stunned," Medina said.

Mixed-in with Medina's disbelief is a burning question.

"You just wonder 'God, what if I had been able to make that connection before all this happened?'" Medina said.

All Medina can do now, he says, is pray for the family and the friend he still considers a brother.

He wonders why Morine's life - like that tornado four years ago - seemed to spiral out of control. "Nobody knows what was going on in his mind but him. I want to remember the good part of him. What I know," Medina said.