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The facts regarding the Jackson/Gellatly incident in Oxford, Connecticut in May 2014

Edward Peruta

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2007
Messages
1,247
Location
Connecticut USA
Read the April Warrant and report at:

http://wtnh.com/2014/05/09/slain-wife-worried-spouses-mental-health/


Newly proposed legislation being considered appears to be based on events of May 7th 2014 in Oxford, Connecticut.


The testimony of Merry Jackson to the Connecticut Judiciary Committee on March 11, 2015, was extremely emotional and may have the effect desired by those seeking to further infringe upon the rights of lawful owners of firearms.

Knowing that there must be more to the story, I now present facts regarding the situation:

After attending the Connecticut Judiciary Committee Hearings on March 11, 2015, and listening to Merry Jackson testify, I began to research the issue of Merry Jackson and Lori Gellatly who were both victims of domestic violence on one or more occasions prior to the tragic event that took place in Oxford, Connecticut in the early morning on May 7, 2014.

Published reports document that Lori Gellatly was first assaulted by her husband Scott Gellatly in early April 2014, and subsequently murdered after being shot multiple times by her husband Scott Gellatly at her mother's home in Oxford, Connecticut on the morning of May 7, 2014.


In conducting my review of published facts and the testimony of Merry Jackson, I have arrived at the following conclusions, the last of which is the most troubling.


The arrest warrant for Scott Gellatly that was signed on April 4th, 2014 did not prevent the May 7th break in assaults or homicide.

The restraining order(s) that were issued, (and never served), did not prevent the May 7th assaults and homicide.

The Connecticut Risk Warrant statute was not suggested to, or requested by, Merry Jackson or her daughter Lori Gellatly.

The alarm system that was installed in the Jackson home did not prevent the May 7th break-in, assaults or homicide.

The emergency devices worn to summon public safety in case of emergency did not prevent the May 7th assaults or homicide.

The Jackson family's use of land line or cell phones to summon law enforcement to protect those in the Jackson home did not prevent the May 7th assaults and homicide.

Acquisition and/or possession of a firearm, (as a method of self defense in the Jackson home), was never suggested, advocated, considered or taken.
 
Last edited:

Maverick9

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
1,404
Location
Mid-atlantic
I was watching a Crime channel show called 'The Mind of a Murderer' on the ID channel (Investigation Discovery):

http://www.investigationdiscovery.com/tv-shows/the-mind-of-a-murderer/

...and though sometimes hard to watch (it's not excessively graphic, just heart-rending), it shows how much the 'victim' is almost a passive or even active participant, because they seem to ignore all danger signals and keep going back to their abusers.

One show was horrific and because of a "failure" of 911 (blamed on a shift change, of all things) the victim, though transmitting to 911 as she was being killed, was stomped to death.

She went back to this guy with 'explosive mood disorder' (according to the show) five times, I think. She ignored death threats, beatings, slapping, having bottles thrown at her and kept telling the cops she loved this guy.

I'm not saying your case is the same AT ALL. I'm just suggesting that in hindsight these things look totally preventable, but nothing seems to get done. The police were even sitting in the room when he called and made death threats. The lead investigator quit and retired because of this (I think because he did nothing, drug his feet or laughed it off, IDK).

Just something to think about. Fails all around and then it happens, despite 'orders', alarms, 911, cops' knowledge, because the most important person didn't 'wake up' and realize the real danger they were in.
 

Firearms Iinstuctor

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2011
Messages
3,428
Location
northern wis
Having been to hundreds of domestic violent calls. I learned that most victims just want what is happening then to stop.

But are more then willing to go back into the relationship afterwards . Even after one offers them several ways out.

What seems even more amazing is the ones that get out of one bad relationship to just find another abuser to get hooked up with.

Some end up dead, some end up getting their lives on the right track a huge majority just keep on in the relationships.
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
Having been to hundreds of domestic violent calls. I learned that most victims just want what is happening then to stop.

But are more then willing to go back into the relationship afterwards . Even after one offers them several ways out.

What seems even more amazing is the ones that get out of one bad relationship to just find another abuser to get hooked up with.

Some end up dead, some end up getting their lives on the right track a huge majority just keep on in the relationships.
Indeed some just get better at what they do - practice makes perfect. :(
 

EmmaDee

New member
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Messages
1
Location
Alabama
I rarely respond on boards such as these yet after watching Dateline tonight, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the Jackson family. You guys are such a great family and I know your daughter is watching over all of you, smiling as she watches from Heaven. Yet this should have never happened.

My comment is in response to Mr. Peruta’s comment namely the last line
Acquisition and/or possession of a firearm, (as a method of self defense in the Jackson home), was never suggested, advocated, considered or taken.
When I was going into the 8th grade, a friend and I were walking down my street a mere four blocks to a local “putput golf” when we were approached by a man in a car asking do we know where Smith Road was. I had dropped my change accidentally and when I raised my head up to the car, he had a gun pulled on us, saying “shut the f#@* up, get in!” My immediate thought was yeah buddy Smith Road is in Ohio and we’re clearly in Alabama!! In a moment like this and like the Jackson family had, you can always say what you would have done yet you NEVER know what you would do in a situation like that until the actual moment it happens. However, even as a young child, for some reason I had eerily thought about the what if’s should I end up in such a position likely due to watching too much tv. To make a LONG story shorter, I ran behind the car, yelling for my friend to run as I watched her get into the car. I just knew at any moment he would be backing up to come after me, he would shoot me in the back or run me over. On my bare feet, I ran through rugged alleys full of glass and debris to the putput golf. As I ran into the little office where my friend worked, I’m ducking, crying, cutting off the lights and begging him to drive me to police station. It took probably 15 minutes from the time my friend was taken until I was at the local police station. I was able to give them a very good description of the brown Toyota Celica and within an hour, they found my friend dumped on side of road ONE street over and CAUGHT THE BAD GUY fleeing from the neighborhood. He had sexually assaulted her and her senior year of high school was forever ruined. This dude by the way was from an affluent family and was home on two week leave from military.

There is SO MUCH I learned from that tragic event. What I carried away from it the most was at that moment, I was defenseless. I never wanted to live in fear and I refused to change my way of life because of the crazy folks out there. However, I was too young to carry a personal weapon permit at that time but I suddenly realized I wanted to learn some self defense tactics and to shoot a gun. Once I turned 18, I got my first little pistol and to this day, I’ve always got my gun nearby. There is so much controversy over various gun laws and I agree with most. I have no problem with background checks, a “wait period” for purchasing a gun, etc. I was raised by a single mother who never would have thought of owning a weapon so it wasn’t like gun owning was something I was raised around. In fact later in life my mom would often fuss that I had several guns around the house. I just have to ask, what would have been wrong had the Jackson Mom and daughter had a gun the day that bastard broke into their home with the intent to harm and him knowing he wasn’t supposed to be there? I watched on TV tonight and confidently thought to myself that Mrs Jackson could have pulled the trigger on that evil man to protect herself and saved her daughters life but they had nothing. Is it so wrong to own a gun to protect your life or the life of your loved ones? My daughter is 15 and since she was five or six years old, I have shown her my guns, taught her to shoot various guns as she has matured and fully explained to her all of the accidents that can happen, that they are not a toy and most importantly you never point that gun at another human being unless your intent is to shoot them (meaning that you would never do that to anyone in a jokingly way). We’ve talked a hundred times about “WHAT IF” a bad man comes in and what we should do. It only takes me back to one never knows what they would do unless they are in the actual moment. In most cases when children have been raised around guns and educated, they are not curious about them. After all, curiosity killed the cat. My daughter would know how to save herself or us if need be which is what I wish could have been different for Jackson family. They had NO way to defend themselves and were sitting ducks for that evil man who definitely came to hurt them. All the gun laws in the world couldn’t have stopped him from getting a gun somewhere to inflict the harm he had his mind made up to do. I never heard what his final cause of death was nor do I have one ounce of sympathy for him yet I promise you, he is not with Ms Jackson in heaven.



Regards,

Emma in Alabama
 

HP995

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2012
Messages
730
Location
MO, USA
My daughter would know how to save herself or us if need be which is what I wish could have been different for Jackson family. They had NO way to defend themselves and were sitting ducks for that evil man who definitely came to hurt them. All the gun laws in the world couldn’t have stopped him from getting a gun somewhere to inflict the harm he had his mind made up to do.

Very true! Or he could have used a machete, tire iron, etc. Many people are in deep denial. Welcome!

But are more then willing to go back into the relationship afterwards . Even after one offers them several ways out.

What seems even more amazing is the ones that get out of one bad relationship to just find another abuser to get hooked up with.

Well, a lot of different things can be going on in these situations. Unfortunately people are not always attracted to what's nice and good. They can be extremely attracted to someone with vibes of danger and conflict. Biological drives at work. People can also want to use a third party for a little spice or to deliver a warning or a little adjustment to their relationship, help set boundaries. Doesn't mean they necessarily want a total change.

When a third party (such as an LEO or first responder) changes in blindly looking to be a white knight and rescue the damsel from the beast (bio drives at work again, too much emotion) it's a very confusing and dangerous mess.
 
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