Springfield, MO: Woman had reported death threats

Couple in apparent murder-suicide had a history of problems.
6:06 AM, Jul. 14, 2011 | Comments

Written by
Jess Rollins

Michael Clavier Violated parole four times since 2009 probation
Help is available for abuse victims
Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson said uncooperative victims are a common challenge in domestic violence cases.
"In the end, when the victim really wants to be with the other person, you can't protect them against that," he said.
Rodney Dwyer, executive director of Harmony House, said it is not uncommon for victims of domestic violence to immediately report abuse, then back away from the allegations later.
Dwyer said there are several reasons for this phenomenon, but it is important for victims to know that help is available.
Call Harmony House at
864-SAFE.
"He told me as long as I don't do anything stupid, I'll die a peaceful death."
Yvonne Clavier, in filing a 2008 order of protection against her then-boyfriend Michael Clavier

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Springfield Police say murder-suicide couple have history of domestic violence
Yvonne Clavier told authorities at least three times that her husband threatened to kill her.

Just as many times, she stood up for him in court.

On Tuesday, Yvonne, 53, and her husband, Michael Clavier, 45, were found dead in their home in an apparent murder-suicide.

The Greene County medical examiner has not yet ruled on who killed whom, but Michael had stabbed Yvonne before.

At the time their bodies were found in a second-story bedroom in a duplex on Mount Vernon Street, Michael was on probation for a 2008 domestic violence conviction.

In that case, Yvonne was stabbed twice -- once in the chest and once in the groin -- on Nov. 7, 2008, according to the documents.

She was also slapped, kicked in the stomach and forced to take more than 300 prescription pills, according to the documents.

Yvonne's son, William Michel, told authorities he witnessed some of the assault and he believed Michael was trying to kill his mother, a probable-cause statement says.

In addition to those charges, Yvonne requested an order of protection against her then-boyfriend.

"He told me as long as I don't do anything stupid, I'll die a peaceful death," Yvonne wrote in the order of protection paperwork filed Nov. 11, 2008.

Later, prosecutors said in court notes that Yvonne was "completely uncooperative and does not wish to prosecute."

Michael Clavier agreed to a plea deal and received a suspended 7-year prison sentence on April 30, 2009.

He was granted probation and released, according to court records.

Over the next year and a half, Clavier violated his parole four times; including once for drugs, once for alcohol and once for domestic assault, according to the court record.

On June 26, 2010, Yvonne requested another order of protection, stating: "He choked me and squeezed my windpipe, hit me in the face... jabbed thumbs into my eyes."

But on July 14, 2010 -- one year ago today -- Yvonne dropped the order-of-protection request.