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Shaquan Duley: "Fed up" mother kills both her babies due to stress and unemployment
By
SusanC
HERWriter
Guide
August 18, 2010 - 1:18pm
I'm sure most of us know this story by now. This past Monday, Shaquan Duley killed her two sons - 1-year-old Ja'van Duley and 2-year-old Devean Duley. Fortunately, her five-year old was not in the car. She is a unemployed single mother with a mother who, allegedly, was quite critical of her and her parenting skills.
Sound....familiar? Not the murder part, but the stress-and-motherhood part.
According to reports, Duley 'just wanted to be free' and was tired of her mom telling her what to do.
She first claimed she lost control of her car as it drove into a river, and managed to escape, but left her children in the car. She was fully clothed and dry, and it has now been established that she manually strangled her children to death before setting up the 'accident' scene.
During her recent appearance in court, she cried and looked upset. She will plead not guilty. You can read more here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/18/south.carolina.children.deaths/index.html?hpt=T1
What do you think of this case? Do you think it speaks of a monstrous woman who looked at her children as inconveniences that cramped her freedom, a la Susan Smith?
Or do you see it as representing the growing problem of men impregnating woman and taking no responsibility, as well as the high stress of the current economic situation?
~Susan
By
londona
August 20, 2010 - 9:07pm
Then I would say it was just stress that made me do it and that I just wanted to be free from stupid people in our world...
August 20, 2010 - 9:07pmThis Comment
By
londona
August 20, 2010 - 9:05pm
I don't care who you are or what your situation is...killing little innocent children with you bare hands no less is 100% uncalled for. There are always other options. Ask for help leave the kids in front of a police station..doesn't matter at least they could have a chance at a better life. If the lady couldn't live with herself by giving her kids up for adoption how the hell can she live with herself for murder. I say we strangle her just enough to make her suffer and see what she put those poor babies through.
August 20, 2010 - 9:05pm
This was clearly not a case of a women coming to a breaking point and later realizing that some form of mental illness was present. She acted with total malice, premeditation, and was clearheaded enough to stage the "accident". Women like this are in a category all their own, selfish and conniving. I am a graduate student, full time mom, part time researcher and live on one income from my husband. I understand stress and have moments of decisive clarity where you take the path that will unleash the stress in forms of yelling, punishment or even abuse or you learn simple techniques to harness this stress and anger to diffuse the situation. As a woman who has family interference from both sides I understand how difficult it can be but that is NEVER an excuse to harm innocent childern. I feel some of this blame should go towards this country's lack of support for the family. We need to create, restructure and fund a system that can provide different levels of assistance from the most needy to those familied teetering on the brink of middle class without any help to hanging on. Women overwhelming take the role of single parent in the US and there is a total lack of voice for advocating policy to structure a system that works. This is why I handle my personal stress, study health administration and will get my PhD in health services to become a proactive player in the world of politics and policy.
August 31, 2010 - 10:24amThis Comment