Episode 142: Jack and Jenny Edwards (Part 1)
Listen now
Description
On July 5, 2018, 13-year-old Jennifer Edwards got off the bus and walked eight minutes to get to her home in West Pennant Hills, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. Jenny had no idea that her father, 67-year-old John Edwards, was following her in a car he rented so she wouldn’t recognize him. When Jenny arrived at home, John pulled into the driveway and chased her inside the house with a handgun. Jenny fled to her brother’s bedroom, where she and 15-year-old Jack huddled under his computer desk, terrified, as their own father stormed in and fired multiple shots directly into his helpless children’s bodies. This is the story of two kids whose mother did everything she could to protect them from the man she left after years of psychological and physical abuse. It’s also the story of a family who was catastrophically failed by multiple systems that were in place to prevent horrific events like Jack and Jenny’s murders from occurring, and of a man who, despite leaving decades of red flags in his wake, still managed to secure the permits and licenses he needed to buy multiple guns. This is part one of the infuriating story of Jack and Jennifer Edwards. Links discussed in this episode: Laura Richards on coercive control: https://www.thelaurarichards.com/resources/coercivecontrol Domestic violence resources in Australia: 1800 Respect national helpline: 1800 737 732 Women's Crisis Line: 1800 811 811 Men's Referral Service: 1300 766 491 Lifeline (24 hour crisis line): 131 114 Relationships Australia: 1300 364 277 NSW Domestic Violence Line: 1800 656 463 Qld DV Connect Womensline: 1800 811 811 Vic Safe Steps crisis response line: 1800 015 188 ACT 24/7 Crisis Line: (02) 6280 0900 Tas Family Violence Counseling and Support Service: 1800 608 122 SA Domestic Violence Crisis Line: 1800 800 098 WA Women's Domestic Violence 24h Helpline: 1800 007 339 NT Domestic violence helpline: 1800 737 732
More Episodes
Last week, I told you the story of two-year-old Macy Grace Ditty, who arrived at the hospital in Fayetteville, North Carolina on December 2, 2015, covered in bruises. Macy’s mother, Jeanie Ditty, went to trial for murder, but that ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury, and now, over eight years...
Published 05/26/24
On December 2, 2015, 23-year-old U.S. Army specialist Jeanie Ditty called 911 and calmly requested an ambulance for her two-year-old daughter, Macy Grace, who she said had thrown up in her sleep and aspirated. As soon as Macy Grace arrived at the hospital, medical staff took one look at the...
Published 05/16/24
Published 05/16/24