|
   |
||||
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||
|
|
Doctor Cleared of Murder Charges Speaks By Nancy Cook  Listen to story (Real Audio)
BOSTON, Mass. - August 24, 2007 - A Cape Cod physician, cleared of any charges after killing her husband in self-defense, has finally spoken publicly. WBUR's Nancy Cook has more. TEXT OF STORY NANCY COOK: Ann Grybowski sat in a cramped law office and read from a brief statement as photographers' light bulbs flashed. She spoke of the domestic abuse she suffered in her seemingly bucolic Cape Cod home. GRYBOWSKI: It did not matter that I am a physician, or our family had money. It did not matter that ours sons were now young adults. For many years, it was safer for my sons, my family, my husband's family and me to stay. COOK: Grybowski shot and killed her husband of over 20 years, Patrick Lancaster, on Easter Sunday, after trying to break up a fight between him and their 25-year-old son. Grybowski said the abuse had gone on for years. GRYBOWSKI: My husband had tried to get help several years ago, and he did make some positive changes. For a time but did not continue with his counseling. He had limited options. I could not force him to return. I was his wife, not his doctor. COOK: Grybowski thanked her Cape Cod patients and the hospital for standing by her and acknowledged the many people who testified on her behalf in front of the grand jury. GRYBOWSKI: I am relieved and thankful that I do not have to face a trial. Not only for my sake but for that of my son's, my son's fianc?nd my grandson as well as our families, both mine and my husband's. COOK: Grybowski never talked about the specifics of the incident. But afterwards, her defense lawyer Kevin Reddington said the charges were dropped because they had physical evidence of the abuse - dental records showing Grybowski's fractured teeth and colleagues who remembered her bruises. The first day Grybowski appeared in court after her husband's death she had a large purple bruise and cuts around her mouth. Her lawyer wouldn't say how she got the gun and defended her decision to never get a restraining order. REDDINGTON: It's easy to say, just go get a restraining order and throw the bum out and put him in jail. When that occurs, the emotional rift in the family is significant. Obviously, people don't want their neighbors and friends to know. There's a psychological pressure not to do this. COOK: It's rare for a domestic abuse victim entangled in a homicide case to not face any criminal charges, according to a dean at the George Washington Law School. Phyllis Goldfarb represented one of the Massachusetts' women, known as the Framingham 8. These women helped draw attention to domestic abuse homicides while they were in the Framingham jail in the mid-1990's for killing their partners. Statewide, the number of domestic abuse homicides is increasing. The advocacy group Jane Doe counts 36 Massachusetts residents who have died this year alone in domestic abuse related death. Four happened within the last week. Goldfarb says Grybowski's professional background and middle class lifestyle probably helped her cause. GOLDFARB: The cases you find acquittals are cases in which you find the defendant to be a very credible person. COOK: Grybowski has said she wants to start working again. She had a private practice in South Yarmouth and is affiliated with Cape Cod Hospital. She voluntarily gave up her medical license after the shooting. A Boston University doctor and professor Michael Grodin says the killing should have no bearing on her ability to work. GRODIN: The only question is whether she has an impairment to practice medicine because of the emotional stress. And that's something to be assessed independently. COOK: Her lawyer says the board of registration in medicine is in the process of reviewing her case. Grybowski said even after all this, she and her family will grieve for her husband. For WBUR, I'm Nancy Cook.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Sponsor |
