Rosemarie Reilly knew her ex-boyfriend Jeremy Kelley might hurt her. But when she sought a restraining order, a Kent County, Michigan judge allowed Kelley to keep his guns.
Three weeks later, Reilly would be dead.
In collaboration with @teamtrace:https://bit.ly/3qSRrb3
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In a recent interview with
@teamtrace, Zemaitis said he did not remember the specifics of Reilly's order. But in general, he said, judges need to be cautious about restricting a person's gun rights without sufficient evidence.https://bit.ly/3qSRrb3Show this thread -
While Reilly had checked a box asserting that Kelley had guns and had threatened her with them, Zemaitis said she did not mention it in the narrative. This could have been why he didn't order the gun restriction for Kelley. https://bit.ly/3qSRrb3 pic.twitter.com/PcyRObjP8g
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Experts and advocates say it's unreasonable to expect domestic violence victims to present their evidence perfectly during a terrifying situation. Advocates also say that the bar is high for a person to get a temporary protective order — and that should be enough to bar guns.pic.twitter.com/A0zDsagvZU
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—In eight states, the subject of a temporary protective order is automatically barred from having a gun. —In 13 states, including Michigan, the decision is left in the hands of a judge. —In 29 states and Washington, D.C., there is no process for taking guns away from the subject.
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James Rasor, family attorney for the Reillys, says the wonder of the story is that Reilly and her family did everything right. They called the police on Kelley at least 15 times in six weeks. Reilly went to court for a protective order. She asked them to take his guns.pic.twitter.com/xuxwy2KNuF
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Photos of Reilly cover the walls of her family's Michigan home. "I always told her, 'Have the best day of your life, because you never know what tomorrow will hold,'" her mother, Pam, remembered. https://bit.ly/3qSRrb3 pic.twitter.com/657Swbx0JJ
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Days after Reilly's body was laid to rest, her aunt, Noreen Axsom, found a notebook that belonged to Reilly. Inside she had written: "I just want to live by myself in my own place. I just want to start my life." More from
@anngivenswrites:https://bit.ly/3qSRrb3Show this thread
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