DV Cycle Apparent in Murder of Jennifer Kruszynski
Experts see domestic violence cycle in killing Murder-suicide appears to parallel what they often see By TED CZECH and ANGIE MASON Daily Record/Sunday News Article Launched: 01/21/2007 03:22:40 AM EST Jan 21, 2007 — Domestic violence is not about anger; it's about power and control and believing that using that power and control over family members is normal, said Jesse Miller. Miller, director of NOVIS - Nonviolent Intervention Service - leads a 26-week class for men convicted of domestic violence by courts in Adams and Franklin counties. "The scary truth about it, when it comes to the guys in my class, one adjective that could describe them would be charming," he said. But that charm can fade quickly if there are what Miller calls "multiple crises" going on in the man's life, such as substance abuse, mental illness and unemployment. The danger to family members is ratcheted up if the man has access to weapons, Miller said. "They feel like they're losing everything," he said. "When they feel they have no control over their lives, one of the things they try to do to gain control is use violence." Suicide would be "the ultimate act of control," he said. Killing someone close to them before they take their own lives is justified in their minds because, "It's their possession; they have the right to take their 'stuff' and go," Miller said. Recent case The scenario Miller described bears a chilling resemblance to events that occurred in the past two weeks, where police in York and Adams counties searched for a 36-year-old Dallastown woman, Jennifer Kruszynski, who had last been seen Jan. 10. Her body was found Friday in a wooded area of West Manheim Township. The police investigation centered on Kruszynski's ex-boyfriend, Joseph Brenner, 41, who they found dead Jan. 13 from a shotgun blast to the head. According to court documents, Joseph Brenner's son, Justin Brenner, told police that his father, "was very upset about having to go back to prison and that he was going to kill himself." On Jan. 10, Joseph Brenner told his son about "having to take care of some business," court documents state. That was the same day that Kruszynski was seen getting into a pickup truck driven by Joseph Brenner, police said. Three days later, Justin Brenner told police, "He killed her," after police told him Kruszynski was missing. When police asked why, he said "that she had ruined his life." In April, Joseph Brenner was released from prison after serving a sentence for pouring battery acid on the car of a different ex-girlfriend and slashing her car tires. That same day, he showed up at Kruszynski's house. Kruszynski had Joseph Brenner arrested for trespassing, which violated a probation sentence he had been serving, effectively sending him back to jail. Protection-from-abuse orders The same day he broke into Kruszynski's home, Joseph Brenner violated a protection-from-abuse order issued to his ex-wife, Lisa, according to court records. Norma Lopez, coordinator for the York County office that administers PFAs, said that, in 2005, there were 564 PFAs filed and 97 of them issued to those who had received at least one before. That's 17 percent, she said. The next year, the number increased to 114 repeat recipient PFAs out of 636 PFAs filed. That's nearly 18 percent. Local agencies that work with domestic violence victims said it's relatively common to find that an abuser has a history of violence. "I would say, at least for us, it's not uncommon to have a victim come to Safe Home who will say her abuser's name or the defendant's name, and we'll have had heard of him before," said Anne Acker, director of Safe Home, a program serving domestic violence victims through the Hanover YWCA. A key to stopping someone who has a history of violence, she said, is seeking a protection-from-abuse order, as Joseph Brenner's ex-wife did. "It's just a piece of paper, but the police can charge him once he violates it," Acker said. Working together Roger Steffy is program director for ADVANCE, which is NOVIS' counterpart in York County, and is run by Lutheran Social Services of South Central Pennsylvania. Sometimes, clients don't complete the program, Steffy said. Then, they're back before the judge, and he orders them to attend and finish the program. "We're glad to have them back," he said. It's better that they come back, rather than "escalate their violence or murder their partner the next time." Both ACCESS-York and Safe Home in Hanover provide services for victims of domestic violence, including helping victims prepare safety plans. Adams County Assistant District Attorney Shane Crosby, who handles domestic violence cases, said his department has a "no drop" policy on domestic violence cases, even when they are asked by a victim to do so. If all systems - domestic violence programs, police and the justice system - work together as they should, there's a better chance to keep victims safe, Acker said. http://www.ydr.com/newsfull/ci_5056230