May 5, 2008 11:24 pm US/Eastern
Mom Makes Stopping Domestic Violence Her Mission
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Lisa Spicknall lost her two children at the hands of her husband.
CBS
The horrifying reality of domestic violence is rising at an alarming rate in Maryland.
Vic Carter reports advocates say more needs to be done to protect innocent children from parents who kill.
They are the smallest and most innocent of victims. Children, like Amy Castillo's, were killed by someone they trust.
"To have lost all three of my children all at the same time has just been devastating," said Amy Castillo.
The children's father, Mark Castillo, confessed to killing them after a bitter custody battle.
"I'm just so afraid to go through this pain that I know I must go through," she said.
It's a pain Lisa Spicknall knows all too well.
"Losing your children and burying them this way is the hardest thing you will ever do," she said.
"It's been eight-and-a-half years and Lisa says she can still feel her son Richie and her daughter Destiny with her.
Their young lives were cut short in 1999 when their father, Richard Spicknall, illegally bought a handgun and shot them in his jeep.
Lisa had been granted a protective order.
"When this happened, I was just in shock. I know in my heart that I couldn't have changed anything, but you still think those things. You still wonder what could have happened. I think truly what could have happened if we all stayed is we'd all be dead," she said.
Lisa Spicknall and Amy Castillo are not alone.
Just last year, a father killed his four children then hanged himself in Frederick in March. In April, a father killed his two children in Montgomery County. In November, a father killed his ex-wife and three children at a park in Montgomery County.
Maryland first lady and Baltimore City judge Katie O'Malley has seen first-hand the destructive and deadly effects of family violence.
"It's troublesome for the judge because even if you do grant the order, you know you're giving the petitioner this piece of paper and that can't really protect you from a gunshot wound," O'Malley said.
Amy Castillo begged the court for a protective order. She was denied.
Maryland delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez says the system failed her.
"I really think it reflects a sexism that's present in the courts," she said.
"I believe that the majority of the judges are doing a good job every single day and then unfortunately, just as in any profession, you have a few problems and a few that won't be doing what they're supposed to do," said O'Malley.
Since her children's death, Lisa has become a strong advocate, helping victims in court.
Lisa has advice for Amy Castillo.
"It gets easier. It never gets better, but it does get easier. You find a different way to live. There's always going to be that hole and there's always going to be something missing, but it just gets softer," Lisa said.
Mark Castillo will be arraigned in two weeks on murder and child abuse charges.
Lisa Spicknall's ex-husband, Richard Spicknall, was killed in prison in 2006.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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