You fall in love, get married, have children, and expect to live the rest of your life in the warmth and security of family. Then, your partner begins to manipulate and undermine you. That's before he starts beating you. Even when sent to jail, he tries to hire people to kill you and the children and you share together. That is the story of Nicole Beverly.
The Ypsilanti Township woman is taking the lessons she learned, sharing her story and educating others, so they might avoid a similar circumstance. Beverly's experience exposed a number of holes in the legal system that keep victims in danger. Now, she advocates for legislative and policy changes to create greater protections.
Nicole Beverly updates her story with 89.1 WEMU's David Fair in this Domestic Violence Awareness Month conversation.
Nicole Beverly's story in the media:
Convicted stalker gets another 13-35 years for threatening to kill his ex-wife
Jury convicts Washtenaw County man of threatening ex-wife over court testimony
Victim of domestic violence shares emotional story with high school students
Convicted stalker Kevin Beverly to stand trial on extortion charge
Stalker ex-husband stays in prison for now
Prisoner plotted to slowly kill children in front of ex-wife, witness says
Abuse survivor plans to escape Michigan, a state where the law won't protect her
Bills proposed to protect Michigan domestic violence victims
If you, or someone you know, needs help, there are resources available:
If the emergency is immediate, call 9-1-1.
Safehouse Center in Washtenaw County -24-hour help line: 734-995-5444
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— David Fair is the WEMU News Director and host of Morning Edition on WEMU. You can contact David at 734.487.3363, on twitter @DavidFairWEMU, or email him at dfair@emich.edu
