Hawaii Soldier Suspected of Killing Wife
Georgina
http://www.starbulletin.com/
Husband held in fatal stabbing
A Schofield Barracks soldier (not yet named in the media) is being held
today suspected of killing his wife in the couple's apartment at
Helemano Military Reservation. Military police were called to the
couple's home in the 2000 block of Akoaakoa Court last night and found a
pregnant 26-year-old woman stabbed to death, police said. The couple had
one minor child, but the military said it is not known if the child was
there when the slaying occurred.
The suspect is a 33-year-old 25th Infantry Division soldier who
apparently was not living with his wife at the time. The military said
the MPs were responding to reports of a domestic argument in the
couple's second-floor apartment unit. Today, the suspect was being held
in a military jail.
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From Hawaii's KHNL Channel 8 News http://www.khnl.com/
Military police hold soldier in wife's death
A Wahiawa woman, believed to have been eight months pregnant, was found
dead last night. Military police are questioning the woman's husband.
Military police found the dead woman at about 7:30p.m. Thursday night in
her home at the Helemano Military Reservation. Military officials say
they learned about the body when the husband of the victim told military
police there had been an 'altercation'.
"He had gone there and said an altercation had taken place in his
residence and that they should go out there and check the area. The
soldier is currently being detained at Schofield Barracks, and we're
awaiting further information in the investigation," explained Public
Affairs Officer, Major John Cornelio.
One next door neighbor said she would often hear the couple fighting in
their apartment. The military is withholding the victim's name until her
family is notified.
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Ans still a few more details are available in the following report, from
last night's KHON Fox Channel 2 News 11:00pm broadcast on the Helemano
stabbing:
A murder investigation is underway tonight at a military housing area
near Wahiawa. A 25th infantry division soldier is in Military Police
custody, being questioned about the death of his wife. As Linda Jameson
reports -- a neighbor says the woman was nine months pregnant -- and the
suspect is a staff sergeant.
Military police are tonight investigating the stabbing death of a 26
year old pregnant woman. Her Schofield Barracks-based husand is being
questioned about her slaying. The couple's downstairs neighbor said he
had never heard the couple argue before but last night heard the
commotion.
Lee Blake/Neighbor "About 7--7:30 my wife and I heard some screaming and
some loud thuds..when I went out to go shopping about 8, the MPs were
here. The U.S. Army Hawaii spokesman says the husband was the first to
alert authorities.
Major John Cornelio\U.S. Army Hawaii spokesman:"Last night the soldier
reported to miltiary police station told the military police personnel
that an altercation occurred at his residence and they should respond to
his residence.
LJ: when police responded was the woman alive? I believe the woman was
dead."
Blake describes the victim as a native of Germany who was looking
forward to the birth of her second child." -- She was 9 months and any
day now..It really is a shock. The couple's 2 year old is now under the
care of the state's child protective services. It is unknown at this
time if the husband lived with his wife.
Blake: I seen the husband off and on at the house ..I don't know if he
stayed at the house..he lived off and on." Major Cornelio would not
comment on whether double murder charges are pending against the
suspect.
~Georgina
Georgina
last week, in Oahu, that resulted in the death of Bianca Ward and her unborn
child. Seems that Bianca's husband, Timothy Ward, may have been angered by
the fact that earlier that day Bianca had been awarded temporary custody of
their year old son and had planned to travel with him back to her hometown
in Germany, where she wanted to give birth to the child she was 9 months
pregnant with.
The couple was in the middle of divorce proceedings. A restraining order had
been issued in May, when Bianca stated that her husband's 'controlling
behavior' put her in a state of constant fear and stress and caused her to
worry about the safety of her unborn child. Just a couple of months ago, the
husband responded with an affadavit stating that he, " denies ever
threatening his wife physically or verbally. While they have had
disagreements or exchanged harsh words, he has never harassed her, nor would
he place his son and unborn child in an unsafe situation." Well, now the
unborn child is dead. And so is Bianca. And it is believed that the couple's
one year old son, who is now in the custody of Child Protective Services,
may have been present to witness the murder of his mother.
~Georgina
Tuesday, August 31, 1999
No signs of violence seen before stabbing: But a pregnant mother was
murdered and her husband is being held
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
To court officials, Timothy and Bianca Ward, going through a divorce, showed
no signs of domestic violence. Apparently until Thursday. That morning, the
military couple appeared in Family Court, and Bianca Ward was awarded
temporary custody of their 1-year-old son, allowing him to accompany her to
her hometown in Germany. She was also expecting a second child in October
and wanted to give birth there, where she had the support of family members.
That evening, Bianca Ward, 26, was found dead with stab wounds at her
Helemano Military Reservation apartment. Her unborn child did not survive.
Her toddler son may have been present when she was killed and is now in
Child Protective Services' custody. Husband Timothy Ward is being held by
military authorities in connection with her death.
"Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, we cannot protect all the
people from each other or themselves," wrote Dennis Chun, Family Court
bailiff supervisor, in documents filed in the couple's divorce file, a day
after Ward was murdered. "Sadly this may be such a case."
Bianca Ward apparently had not expressed any concern to her attorney, Paul
Tomar, the records state. The issue of domestic violence did not come up at
the couple's scheduled court hearings, including Thursday's hearing before
Family Court Judge Allene Suemori. Suemori said Ward "appeared unhappy with
her situation but did not express any concern for her safety," wrote Chun.
"From all concerned, there were no signs or fears that (Timothy Ward) would
resolve his situation in such a violent
way."
Timothy Ward, 33, an infantry squad leader in the U.S. Army, filed for
divorce from his wife of three years on April 23. On the complaint, he
checked off the box that stated the marriage was irretrievably broken. In
April, Tomar filed a motion for pre-decree relief, checking an item on the
document requesting a temporary restraining order and going into detail why
he
sought a protection order for Bianca Ward. According to Bianca Ward, her
husband used controlling behavior such as verbal
intimidation, harassment and threats by denying her use of the couple's
cars, the phone or preventing her from accessing their
bank accounts. He also changed their phone number without her knowledge, put
a block on all long-distance calls made from
their phone, and controlled all expenses, such as grocery shopping, the
records say. His control over her emotional, economical and physical
well-being resulted in a state of false imprisonment, put her in a constant
state of fear and stress and put the safety of her unborn child at risk,
Tomar wrote. A restraining order was granted by the court May 5. But it
never came up again, even at the Aug. 26 hearing.
In an affidavit in response to Bianca Ward's statements, Timothy Ward denies
ever threatening his wife physically or verbally.
While they have had disagreements or exchanged harsh words, he has never
harassed her, nor would he place his son and unborn child in an unsafe
situation, he wrote. But he said he had to take steps to ensure what
happened in June 1998 would not happen again. Last June, his wife had left
for Germany with their son without his knowledge. He sought legal recourse
through
the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction and went to Berlin for
a hearing on the case. His wife agreed to return to Hawaii on condition he
drop the parental abduction charge and help her obtain permanent immigration
status.
He said before she fled, she ran up a $600 phone bill calling Germany,
withdrew a large amount from their bank account and left their new car
parked at the airport. So he put a long-distance block on the phone, closed
their joint bank accounts and destroyed her automated teller machine card.
He refused to give her money until he learned she was sending food to
Germany.
He denied cutting off her access to prenatal or medical care. "I believe I
have acted legally and morally toward my wife," he
stated.
He could not understand why she wanted to leave for Germany after she
learned she was pregnant in February. Her doctor also had advised her that
she shouldn't be traveling long distances after Sept. 2. "She seems anxious
to leave me and the United States and to not let me have a chance to see the
new baby," he wrote, indicating he was having doubts about the baby's
paternity and sought to have the issue resolved. In a report by Mitchell
Werth, guardian ad litem of the couple's 1-year-old boy, the couple seemed
to be willing to settle issues, including paternity of the unborn child,
allowing Timothy Ward more time with the couple's son, short and long-term
visitation and custody.
The couple attended a 2--hour mediation session Aug. 19 where they appeared
to make good progress, Werth reported. They worked out a settlement where
they would have joint legal custody of their son, but with primary custody
to Bianca Ward. But at the end of their session, Timothy Ward reverted to
his earlier desire to have his son for six months, followed by six months
with his mother. The toddler cried as they left the mediation session, but
Timothy Ward would not permit his mother to comfort
him, Werth noted. While there was no question the father loved his child, he
failed to show the emotional sharing and nurturing his wife exhibited, Werth
wrote. Timothy Ward was given until the next day to accept the proposed
settlement but he didn't respond.
Chun's preliminary report Friday indicated he saw no fault in the way the
court handled the case. "It is important to remember that in addressing this
issue of domestic violence, we are only as good as the evidence before us,"
Chun wrote. "In this case there was no evidence of violence."