Monday, October 12, 2009

Green Bay, WI: Murder Victim's Sister Says Couple had History of Domestic Violence

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 6:51 PM EDT
Featured Videos
Victim's Sister Says Couple had History of Abuse

By Molly Hendrickson

A quarter of a million dollars. That's the bail set for a Green Bay woman charged with first-degree intentional homicide.

Nawanna Polk was arrested Sunday morning on charges she stabbed and killed 51-year-old Kenneth Irving at her home.

This was the first homicide in Green Bay this year and the first domestic violence homicide since 2007.

The victim's sister told Action 2 News the pair had a history of domestic violence and she warned her brother to stay away from Polk.

There are still many unanswered questions about what allegedly caused Polk to kill Irving.

"There's still people we need to talk to, there's still evidence that needs to be gathered, we're still holding the scene," Lieutenant Dave Wesely of the Green Bay Police Department said.

Police say the man was found with multiple stab wounds to his chest.

"I didn't see it coming, but it was bound to happen," Matt Hill, a friend of Polk's said.

Friends of Polk describe her as a good person who got caught up in a volatile relationship, but the victim's sister tells a different story.

"Basically they're saying he was beating on her, she was beating on him, so I guess this is what led to her murdering him on Saturday night," Alfreda Irving said.

She says her brother called the police several times during the course of their two-year relationship and had even gotten a restraining order against Polk -- until September when he had it removed.

"I just wished he would've listened to me and stayed away from her like I'd asked him, but he didn't. He really loved her. She stabbed him and killed him," Irving said.

Ursula Bunnell works with victims of domestic violence and says while male victims may seem rare, they still are.

"In that 2008 homicide report, there were 46 domestic-related homicides in the state of Wisconsin and eleven of those victims were male," she said.

No comments: