Reporting
Stephanie Lucero DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
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Jennifer Carroll says she wants to work with Dallas County officials who plan to evaluate domestic violence murders. The goal is to look back in order to prevent similar murders from happening in the future and Carroll says "If one person's life gets saved, it's worth it."
Carroll lost her mother and her sister on November 11, 2008 when Keith Hill entered the family home and shot and killed both women. Janice Carroll had recently filed for divorce from Hill and the murders took place in the home of Jeanne Carroll, who was also murdered.
The Dallas County Commissioners Court recently approved the formation of a team of experts who will examine domestic violence killings and make suggestions on how to prevent it from happening in the future. The program is called the Dallas County Adult Intimate Partner Violent Fatality Review Team. Organizers say it will be a collaboration that will include the Dallas County District Attorney's office, the Medical Examiner, police agencies, Child Protective Services, and shelters for battered women.
"Our ultimate goal is to reduce homicides in Dallas County" says Jan Langbein, the Executive Director of the Genesis Women's Shelter.
State Representative Carol Kent sponsored a law passed in the last session of the Texas Legislature that allows fatality review teams to gather documents and records that are confidential. The bill establishes immunity from subpoena for certain types of information gatherED during the review. Kent says some agencies might not participate if they believe(leaved out the d) flaws within the judicial system would be released.
"It seems as if there are families and incidences where people are falling through the crack in this" says Kent.
"Ideally what we're trying to do is create a system of services that would be applicable to a person within a certain dangerous situation that would be across county lines" Kent adds.
(Change this sentence: Jennifer Carroll says that type of exchange of information may have led to Hill's release from jail prematurely. ) Change it to:
Jennifer Carroll says that type of transfer of information didn't take place in her sister's case it she believes Hill was released from jail prematurely.
She says there were signs that Hill would harm his estranged wife. "That Sunday the police were called out because he had posted messages on Facebook that he was going to kill her" she says. "Nothing really could be done because they couldn't find him" says Carroll.
But the family of Janice and Jeanne Carroll say Hill should have been in jail at the time of the murders. He was on probation and was arrested in Grand Prairie three weeks before the murders after beating his wife a second time. "How can he bond out of Grand Prairie knowing that he's on probation out of McClennan County? Because the transfer of information didn't happen" says Carroll.
Janice Carroll started to document the abuse before she was killed. Jennifer Carroll completed the process and put together an extensive booklet that includes police reports, affidavits, the emergency protective order and an outline of the murders. Carroll has labeled it "Saving a Life, One Person at a Time" and she hopes to work with the review team to help prevent similar murders in the future.
Carroll found the bodies of her sister and her mother. "It was evident that my mother was shot first and then my sister was shot twice and then he committed suicide" she says.
"They were outspoken, gifted, loving affectionate and had hearts of gold" Carroll says. "Anybody who knew them were blessed."
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