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No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge
No Daddy Don't A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge
Author: Irene Pence
Mary Jean Pearle and John Battaglia's marriage seemed picture perfect from the outside. With their two young daughters, Faith and Liberty, they made their home in a wealthy Dallas suburb. John was handsome, charming, and successful - but behind his mask of normality lay a vicious, violent abuser who'd brutally beaten his first wife - and who mad...  more »
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PBS Market Price: $7.59 or $3.69+1 credit
ISBN-13: 9780786022205
ISBN-10: 0786022205
Publication Date: 7/1/2003
Pages: 320
Edition: Reissue
Rating:
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 18

3.6 stars, based on 18 ratings
Publisher: Pinnacle
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge on + 222 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
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.
reviewed No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
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.
reviewed No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
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!
shanna71 avatar reviewed No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge on + 145 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Omg this true crime account literally made me cry. How could a man do something like this to his own children , as an act of revenge on his soon to be x wife? Not for the tender hearted. But a very good true crime account.
StacyJ avatar reviewed No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge on + 87 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
True crime about how John Battaglia terrorized his family and ultimately killed his two young daughters. Very graphic, but a good read.
Read All 25 Book Reviews of "No Daddy Dont A Fathers Murderous Act of Revenge"

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Shervivor avatar reviewed No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge on + 97 more book reviews
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.
reviewed No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge on + 24 more book reviews
NO DADDY DON'T: A FATHER'S MURDEROUS ACT OF REVENGE tells of one of the most heinous crimes I've ever read about. How a father could cold-bloodedly kill his own two daughters is beyond imagination. The horror and abuse he subjected his wives (later ex-wives) to and then to get away with his acts in the courts makes a person wonder about the judicial system that would turn a monster like John Battaglia loose on an unsuspecting community. This book by Irene Pence is very well written and documents the lives of those involved in the story and the one case that John Battaglia was finally held accountable for. Once I started reading this book, I found it very hard to put down!
reviewed No, Daddy, Don't!: A Father's Murderous Act of Revenge on + 47 more book reviews
This is a absorbing account that doesn't rely only on transcripts, and that makes you feel like you know the people involved

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