Domestic Violence Law

NEW YORK 4/25/2007 9:32 AM “Did not see it coming at all. None of us,” said Martha Warner of East Greenbush. Warner thought her daughter, Liza, had a happy marriage, until she heard the news that her daughter was a victim of domestic violence. She was killed by her husband on Oct. 1, 2004. “I never saw signs of physical abuse, black eyes or broken bones, but he was controlling,” said Warner. Her son-in-law took his own life after taking Liza’s. The pain of losing her child inspired her to take action. Warner and her friends created Liza’s Legacy foundation to help other victims of domestic violence. “I made up my mind I was not going to stand back and watch people suffer,” she said. Warner is doing her part for victims for Crime Victims’ Week. But it was news of legislation at the Capitol that made her day. “The victim will be notified and know that he, usually she, is in danger,” said Republican Senator Andrew Lanza of Staten Island. A Republican-backed piece of legislation, focused on protecting victims of domestic abuse, passed the Senate. The package of bills includes a mandatory GPS tracking device for abusers under an order of protection. If they break that order, the victim and police would be notified immediately. Another piece would allow women to testify against their abuser in a closed circuit instead of facing her abuser in court.

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