The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

‘A History of Domestic Violence’

Posted on | March 29, 2024 | Comments Off on ‘A History of Domestic Violence’

Jennifer Cruz was 33 years old when she was fatally shot near the Royal Inn motel on U.S. 15 north of Sumter, South Carolina. She was also 35 weeks pregnant; doctors were able to deliver her baby alive, but the infant was last reported as being in critical condition. According to the sheriff’s department, security camera video recorded at the scene shows Cruz’s estranged boyfriend ambushed her as she arrived at the motel where she had recently been staying, The ex-boyfriend fired several shots at the car Cruz was riding in, chasing the vehicle down the street.

Sheriff Anthony Dennis said “Cruz and [Troy] Wells had a history of domestic violence.” Because the suspect knew that Cruz was pregnant, the sheriff described the shooting as “callous and cold-blooded.”

Don’t expect to see this story on CNN. The only reason I know about the murder of Jennifer Cruz is that, in an idle moment, I decided to Google “suspect manhunt.” This is something I do occasionally — Google some phrase like “mass shooting” or “stabbing suspect” and see what kind of stories turn up in the search results. Our news media establishment picks and chooses which crimes deserve national coverage, and I don’t trust their judgment in such matters any more than I trust them to deliver unbiased political coverage. On an average day, there are roughly 50 homicides committed in the United States — 355 homicides a week, more than 1,500 a month — and if the only murders you know about are the ones that get national media attention, you don’t have an accurate picture of crime in America. Much of the public is therefore misinformed about crime and law enforcement, and this misunderstanding has serious political and social consequences. As voters, how can we assess public policy in regard to the criminal justice system if we don’t have the basic facts about how and why and where and when crime happens? Beyond that, in terms of public safety, how can you act to prevent crime — to avoid becoming a victim — if you aren’t fully informed about the risk factors involved? Risk is not randomly distributed in society, but rather follows certain patterns and, if you are aware of the patterns of criminal behavior, you can reduce your risk of becoming a victim of crime.

All of this is to explain the rationale behind my occasionally doing searches for phrases like “suspect manhunt,” which is how I became aware of the March 23 murder of Jennifer Cruz in South Carolina.

The good news is that the suspect Troy Wells is no longer at large. He surrendered to Sumter County authorities on Thursday, and is now in custody, charged with murder and attempted murder:

“I say this was ‘cold-blooded’ because it was premeditated. Wells lay in wait for the victims, and he knew Cruz was pregnant,” said Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis.
“We believe he intended to not only kill both occupants of the car but the unborn child as well,” he added. . . .
Wells has had numerous encounters with law enforcement. His convictions include lynching, domestic violence, drug charges, larceny, traffic violations, and failure to stop for a blue light.
Sheriff Dennis added, “We believe that anyone who would commit a crime like this is a danger to the community and we are pleased that he is now in custody.”

One of the facts about crime that the media don’t tell you is that criminals seldom begin their criminal careers with murder. Which is to say, most murders are committed by people with prior criminal histories — repeat offenders, like Troy Wells — and therefore leniency toward such habitual criminals represents a menace to public safety. Speaking of patterns of behavior, local NBC affiliate WIS-TV reports:

“The baby was everything to her,” said Ashley Cannon, Cruz’s sister. “She was just so excited she was having another child.”
Cannon said Cruz had a tumultuous romantic relationship with Wells that had been going on for about year. Recently, Cruz had cut ties with him.
“They had lots of physical altercations,” Cannon said. “Not to the point where she would call the cops. She told me a few things, but she didn’t want to tell me much, because she knew I would get upset. I think she hid a lot from me, but I do know that he has been abusive to her before.”
Cannon also said Wells had threatened to kill people multiple times.

It’s a pattern of criminal behavior, you see. But this won’t be reported on CNN, and feminists — who love to lecture us about “violence against women” — haven’t mentioned this case, for some reason.



 

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Category: Crime, Media Bias, South Carolina, Violence Against Women

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