The initial accounts of these murders viciously tarred the mother as an "abuser" because she allegedly "hit" the children (this accusation by a man who later shot his three children, killing two). She was also accused of being a "substance abuser."
See our earlier post here.
Never mind that it is a common tactic for abusers to try and deflect attention away from their own actions by attacking and smearing the victim, and enlisting the children in their smear campaign. After years of seemingly endless psychological attacks, even victims start to doubt their own sanity and personal take on reality. So I'm not sure how seriously I take these accusations without additional substantiation that is not the killer daddy's say-so.
And notice that Daddy was trying to set up a situation where he would get FULL CUSTODY and move out of state, presumably with full child support from Mom to support his deadbeat lifestyle. (The dude refused to work the whole time they lived in Florida and wasn't too successful at his chiropractic training either.) Don't suppose that had anything to do with his accusations, eh?
At any rate, despite her alleged faults, MOM DIDN'T KILL ANYBODY. AND DADDY DID. That should be the key take-away point, but it keeps getting lost in the public commentary.
For Example: "Neighbors" (who were apparently friends and enablers of the killer) self-righteously claimed she was just as "selfish" and "self-centered" as he was--even though she apparently never gunned down anybody in cold blood. It's a classic false equivalence argument. Any deviation from sainthood (however defined) means somebody is just as bad as a mass killer.
NO. That's just garbage, meant to excuse vicious criminals and minimize their actions.
NOW we're getting what seems like a more likely story. Mom was a "good mom" who was a "nice person and she cared a lot about her children." Daddy, the one who loudly proclaimed that it was Mom who hit the kids all the time, in reality had "some aggression."
Ya think?
But for people who only read the initial articles, the damage to the mother's reputation has already been done.
And finally, please get this. This was not a "volatile relationship." This was a vicious man who threatened the mother with a gun, then coldly gunned down all three children, killing two.
And even then notice that there is STILL a lot of denial here since killer daddy sometimes played with the kids--in the public eye at least.
People just don't get the difference between public performance and private reality, do they?
Dad is identified as DAVID MOHNEY.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/ap/ap/200-gather-to-mourn-children-slain-by-father/nhm3s/
Updated: 11:45 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014 | Posted: 11:45 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014
200 gather to mourn children slain by father
The Associated Press
PORT ORANGE, Fla. —
Nearly 200 people gathered outside a Florida middle school to remember two children shot and killed by their father before he killed himself.
Friends of 14-year-old Savanna and 11-year-old David Mohney mourned their deaths Saturday night outside Creekside Middle School in Port Orange.
The Mohneys' 9-year-old sister Lauren also was shot, but she survived and remained hospitalized.
The pastor of Thrive Community Church, Pete Keirstead, led the crowd of families and children, some holding candles in cups, in prayer.
"We pray for all those who have been touched by this tragedy," he said. "As Lauren is in this battle, she is not in it alone."
Mary Cook said that when her father died, Savanna never left her side.
"Even if you didn't know her and she saw you upset, she'd be there," the 13-year-old told the Daytona Beach News-Journal (http://bit.ly/1y6MSc9 ). She added that when her friend's death was announced at their high school Friday, "I don't think there was a dry eye at that school."
Chase Cross, 11, remembered his friend David as funny and enthusiastic.
"He was one of my first friends when I moved here," Chase said. "I liked that he was funny."
Chase's mother said David was a polite child, and she praised his mother, Cynthia Mohney.
"His mom was a good mom," Jordan Cross said. "She was a nice person and she cared a lot about her children."
Just before the shootings early Friday, Mohney went screaming to a neighbor's home and asked for help because her 52-year-old husband had threatened her with a gun during an argument, according to a 911 call.
At the Mohneys' home, deputies found Savannah and Lauren both shot in an upstairs bedroom. Their brother was in a bedroom on the ground floor. Their father was in the kitchen with a handgun next to him.
Authorities say the Mohney and her husband had a volatile relationship and were divorcing, and the father wanted to move his children to South Dakota where he planned to start work as a chiropractor. The family had lived in Florida for about four years.
Neighbor Justin King said he couldn't imagine the children's father wanting to taking their lives. The children had always seemed outgoing and energetic, just like other kids, he said.
"I know he had some aggression, but I didn't think he would go that far," King said. "He loved his children. He would always play with them."
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