Search - No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge

This honestly wasn't a page turner for me as far as true crime books. I was surprised with all the great reviews, but I didn't find it that exciting. However, I feel like I learned a lot about the law system, and I have never been so angered at how little the law does to protect battered women from their spouses... this will enrage you!

John Battaglia Jr's unpunished stalking and physical abuses of his ex-wives is a ringing indictment of a judicial system that winks at the Good Ole Boy Defendant and says: Now don't do that again, OK? A system that didn't quite get around to revoking John's slap-on-the-wrist probation until after he had murdered his two young daughters, with whom he had court-ordered unsupervised visitation, at point-blank range, with their momma on the phone to them as they screamed: "No, Daddy, Don't!"

Finally, and way late, the system did something.

In Spring 2001, when Faith and Liberty were visiting their father, Mary Jean received a message to call her daughters. Helpless, horrified, she heard her older daughter's pleading cries. Then came the sound of gunshots -- followed by solence. What evil impulses had driven a seemingly devoted father to commit the ultimate act of violence and betrayal... and how could justice be served. 16 pages of photos.

This was a well written true crime story. The author did a good job of describing how John Battaglia eased his way into becoming a wife abuser. He terrorized and stalked his first wife, herself a lawyer without any legal protection. He then abused his second wife, who eventually kicked him out but he still had unsupervised visits with his two young daughters because he had not directly abused them. He couldn't stand the thought of his wife 'winning' so he shot the two girls while their mom listened on the phone.

The book is an easy read that does not dwell on unecessary courtroom information. The emphasis is on how his abusive nature increased over the years until he committed the ultimate act of evil.

This case directly changed the laws in Texas so that non-custodial parents with a history of assualt/abuse may not have unsupervised visits with their children.