Sad Story...

[gamma_girl52]

I hate to rain on everyone's parade today, but this is a big big story here in Atlanta...and it's something that needs to be brought to light. Here's the article from the AJC:
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Boyfriend's obsession blamed in teen's death

By TASGOLA KARLA BRUNER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


Debra Marchman

Divineking Thomas told people he was in love. But by many accounts it was more like he was obsessed.

He told girlfriend Deborah Marchman, 17, that she couldn't go to school or have a job, because he didn't want to share her with other people, her family says. He hid behind trees in the couple's southwest Atlanta neighborhood to watch her. If she told him she was home at her grandmother's house, he'd show up shortly afterward. If she wasn't, he'd ride through the neighborhood until he found her, her relatives say.

On Wednesday, Thomas, 22, turned himself over to police at a precinct in southwest Atlanta.

Police say he stabbed the young woman to death late Tuesday, nearly decapitating her in the attack.

He is charged with murder in her death.

Marchman's family says Thomas, whom she'd dated a year and four months, often threatened and sometimes hit the 5-foot-1-inch woman.

On Monday, he had threatened her with a knife, the young woman's twin brother, Daryl Marchman, said.

Marchman found his sister's body around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in a vacant lot at 1188 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., near her home on Grady Place.

"I got a feeling in my heart and I walked outside," Marchman said, standing in the street outside the home where he and Deborah lived with their grandmother. "I knew my blood was out there and she didn't have nowhere to go. I had a feeling something had happened to someone in my family."

He said he first thought the body in the lot was that of a junkie. Then, he recognized her clothing.

He said Thomas is the father of Deborah Marchman's 5-month-old twin daughters. She also had a 2-year-old son from a previous relationship.

At the home where police say Thomas lived, in the 600 block of Holderness Street, a man who answered the door Wednesday identified himself only as a relative of Thomas'. He declined to give his name.

"It doesn't matter what we say," the man said. "We are just leaving things in God's hands."

Deborah's mother, 38, who is also named Deborah Marchman, said she knew her daughter was being physically abused by Thomas, but that she was unable to help her.

"I've been through the same thing, with men fighting me, and I didn't know how to respond to her, me getting high for so many years," the elder Marchman said.

She said she received the call about 3 a.m. Wednesday that her daughter was dead, but she didn't get to the house where she lived in the 600 block of Grady Place until Wednesday afternoon, after she was given permission to leave a drug rehabilitation center.

The elder Marchman re-entered the lives of her daughter and son about five months ago, about as long as she has been clean from drugs, she said. The twins were born prematurely because of her drug use and custody was granted to the grandmother, Nellie Ruth Hill, 59.

Hill said Thomas recently hit Marchman, causing the teenager to leave his mother's house where the couple had been living, about a block away. Hill said she warned Thomas several times to leave her granddaughter alone.

"I told him, 'You need to leave her alone if you're not going to do the right thing,' " she said. "I told him, 'For God's sake, don't jump on her if you can't get along.' "

Hill said her granddaughter was to start a class Monday to prepare for a high school equivalency exam.

Deborah mistook control for love, said her aunt, Jo Ann West-Gary.

"He said he loved her. Everything she did he wanted to control. She was like a little kid. She misunderstood it for love." West-Gary said she suspects her niece was finally trying to end the relationship.

Deborah's father, Stephen Hill, 39, said he told the young woman after he suspected abuse that she could live with him in northwest Atlanta. But she wanted to be with Thomas, he said. "He stalked her and he killed her. He took advantage of this small 17-year-old."

Hill said his daughter "was a church girl." She'd won beauty pageants. To earn a little money, she passed out fliers for a politician who lives in the neighborhood.

Marchman's family said Thomas had gotten out of the Navy in April and returned to Atlanta, saying he wanted to settle down and marry Marchman. Her family said she was too young.- Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this report
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Ladies this story really touched and saddened me...if you know anyone who may be in an abusive relationship HELP THEM! I have more details but I wanted to just share with you all. Please pray for the family of this young lady as she didn't deserve to be abused and killed this way.

[nikki1920]

Ok, she was 17 and had 3 kids!!!!? Wow.

That is so sad... LOVE DOESNT HURT. PERIOD.

[MeezDiscreet]

quite interesting and saddening. a couple of points:

1. not to take anything away from this story, is the murderer's name actually divineking? wow

2. she was 17 and he was 22 and were dating for a year and a half, placing her at 16, possibly 15 when they met. that's illegal and should've been stopped

3. again, not taking anything away, did the mother really give her child the same name as hers? wow

4. so the mother said she's been abused too. that's a very unhealthy and unfortunate cycle in life. it's sad t hat the daughter wasn't able to break it.

5. there seemed to be so many red flags in that relationship: the age thing, the stalking tendencies, previous abuse. it saddens me that there wasn't any serious and effective intervention. now 3 kids are left without a mother.

[gamma_girl52]

I thought the same thing on the names, too. And there were A LOT of red flags.

Now Deborah's cousin called in on the radio this morning and gave more details. Deborah's boyfriend really did keep her that sheltered...she did not go to school and she rarely went out. Also they would fight a lot and the neighbors as well as other family members KNEW this. They never tried to intervene. Deborah had JUST broke up with this guy and he didn't want to let her go...she kept going back to him, saying she loved him, they had kids, etc. etc..

He just threatened her with a knife on Monday. He killed her the other day.

I really feel for these children. They'll never know who their mother is.

[LawyerGal]

There are SOOO many damn things wrong with this story the family needs to be brought up on charges of negligent! How can you not help your child (lawd who has 3 children!!!)... Hummm wow this is just sick and sad!

[lovelyivy84]

She had a child by a previous man.

She met this one when she was 15/16.

How old was she when she had her first kid?

THis story is sad, but becoming all too typical in our poorer communities. We don't raise our children with fathers anymore and this is the result.

[vanda]

Oprah had similar stories to these on her show this morning. It's sad when we don't have the esteem we need to move on. They had a detective who beat his wife so bad he broke her jaw and dislocated his ribs but she still stayed with him. Another guy weighed his wife daily and watched her go to the bathroom. It's dumbfounding to me how some girls think that is love when it is simple possession. If you can catch Oprah today please do so.

[DELTABRAT]

Darnit. I missed Oprah, obviously.

Dang, dang, dang!