Free Delores Kapuscinski
In January 1988, Delores Kapuscinski was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for killing her abusive husband. Delores had suffered years of emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of her husband and learned that her husband was also sexually abusing their two children. She planned to take her own life, but in fear for her children, turned the gun on her abuser. At the time of her trial, Battered Woman Syndrome was not available to support self-defense. It was raised at trial as part of a temporary insanity defense; however, due to the emergent nature of the theory and the lack of public recognition, understanding, and public support of battered women and their experiences, it was simply ignored, lost in the prosecutor's rant as he trotted out stereotypical myths and accusations that branded Delores Kapuscinski a "scheming murderer" who lied and planned the killing and tried to cover it up, while trivializing the severe sexual, psychological, emotional, and financial abuse she had endured for 17 years.
Delores has now served 21 years in prison. Her record is exemplary. She has earned a college degree while incarcerated and serves as a paralegal, assisting other inmates with their appeals and habeas corpus petitions. She has taken advantage of every opportunity educational opportunity offered by the prison and has also done volunteer work. Delores is not a threat at this point and has served more than enough time in prison for an act that was brought on by severe emotional trauma due to the abuse she suffered. We ask that Governor Granholm commute Delores Kapuscinski's sentence and allow her to go free.
In January 1988, Delores Kapuscinski was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for killing her abusive husband. Delores had suffered years of emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of her husband and learned that her husband was also sexually abusing their two children. She planned to take her own life, but in fear for her children, turned the gun on her abuser. At the time of her trial, Battered Woman Syndrome was not available to support self-defense. It was raised at trial as part of a temporary insanity defense; however, due to the emergent nature of the theory and the lack of public recognition, understanding, and public support of battered women and their experiences, it was simply ignored, lost in the prosecutor's rant as he trotted out stereotypical myths and accusations that branded Delores Kapuscinski a "scheming murderer" who lied and planned the killing and tried to cover it up, while trivializing the severe sexual, psychological, emotional, and financial abuse she had endured for 17 years.
Delores has now served 21 years in prison. Her record is exemplary. She has earned a college degree while incarcerated and serves as a paralegal, assisting other inmates with their appeals and habeas corpus petitions. She has taken advantage of every opportunity educational opportunity offered by the prison and has also done volunteer work. Delores is not a threat at this point and has served more than enough time in prison for an act that was brought on by severe emotional trauma due to the abuse she suffered. We ask that Governor Granholm commute Delores Kapuscinski's sentence and allow her to go free.
Delores Kapuscinski suffered 17 years of severe emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of her husband before she took his life in 1987. She also observed her husband fondling her children and became afraid for their safety. One night after a particularly heinous incident of abuse, Delores retrieved a gun, intending to commit suicide because she felt it was the only way out of the hell she was enduring. However, at the last moment, she realized that if she left her children alone with her husband, they would likely suffer abuse at his hand as well. She turned the gun on her husband, killing him to defend herself and her family.
Battered woman syndrome was not available to support self-defense at the time of Delores' trial. It was raised as a part of a temporary insanity defense; however, at the time of trial, battered woman syndrome was relatively new and lacked of public recognition. Additionally, there was a lack of public understanding of the prevalence of domestic violence and its effects, resulting in a lack of support and understanding of abused women.
Despite the horrible abuse she had suffered, Delores was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. She has now served 21 years. Delores has made the most of her time in prison, earning a bachelor's degree, taking post-graduate courses, and serving as a paralegal. She has an exemplary record and has been involved in volunteer efforts while incarcerated.
We the undersigned believe that Delores Kapuscinski poses no threat to the community and has already served many years. We ask that you commute her sentence and give her the opportunity to start a new life on the outside with the support of her family and friends.
Thank you for considering our request.
Enough is enough, commute this womans sentence. It is bad enough to suffer yourself but to know he is abusing your child is beyond my imagination!
Justice has been served. Time to Free Delores Kapuscinski and give her a medal for protecting herself and her children.
This is a classic case of what women have had to put up with over the years, and she should never had to go to jail to start with. But now that she's served 20 years, isn't that enough to pay for her own and her children's safety? LET HER GO HOME!
As a former abused woman, I think she has served her time and should be set free. What about victim's rights? And what about self-defense?
I am a victim of domestic violence. Although I got out before it got to this stage I feel as if I understand. Living in fear, everyday, and then to see it turn on your children. I ask that all that read this, sign. If you have never been beaten into a scared little girl, curled up in the corner, begging for it to stop, you may not realize that this was self defense.
I am a victim of domestic violence and can truly understand. I have begged and pleaed for help to be safe from this man and to protect my children. I experienced mental abuse, physical, being held hostage to being dropped in the middle of no where while holding my children hostage. It took one day to get in it and 6 months to get out and 2 yrs o get away. I have been threatened with murder numerous times. He is serving time on a past charge and is due to get out and coming for his daughter (whom i got pregnant with during this abuse) with a vengance and at no cost including killing myself and my new family and because I cannot prove he will harm his daughter there is nothing I can do. No injunctions no nothing. All I do is wait for him to find me and face the battle to come. How scary this is and all because no one person can stand as witness because those who seen are afraid for their lives and no cops were called because I had lost everything and was surviving as a single mother at the time and unaware of what to do. Being young is hard, being abused is harder and waiting for someone to kill u makes you want to protect yourself. Now days it;s hard to get help and when you protect yourself you become the criminal. Seems unjust but I am living it.
she did what any mother would do, shes served her time, being in an abusive relationship takes everything from you i think shes endured enough in her life let her have a nomal lfe and let her be back in society we have let worse criminals than that out and shes done enough with her life in prison than most do outside of prison
This woman deserves to be released. She has more than served her time. She was a battered mother protecting her children from the horrific abuse she suffered for years.
I have been involved in domestic situations while dating and with my ex husband. When he is strangling you and you can't breathe, and you wish to God he would stop and he doesn't or he punches you with a closed fist as if you are his opponent in the boxing ring, demoralizes you in front of your children and every chance he can get, when you fight back and the abuse worsens because you defended yourself, the cops when called, don't do a thing, I believe I and Delores could in fact take every precausion necessary that it doesn't happen again! IF the Women's Battered Syndrome was not in effect the time of her case, and IS NOW- I believe her case should be re-opened and evaluated!!!!!!!! FREE HER!!!!
I too have suffered years of domestic violence. There were times when I knew that if he wouldn't have stopped, or left it would have led to the death of one of us. Delores is a brave brave woman. And should not spend another day in jail.
i WAS AN ABUSED WOMAN FOR MANY YEARS I WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED AND ALMOST KILLED MANY TIMES I THOUGHT THE WHOLE TIME IT WAS HAPPENING IT WAS MY FAULT BUT AS YEARS WENT BY I REALIZED IT WASN'T . I SURVI8VED BY THE GRACE OF GOD BUT THE MEMORIES AND THE PAIN WILL NEVER LEAVE MY HEART OR MY SOUL . ITS A LONELY WORLD OUT THERE FOR A SCARED ABUSED WOMAN .PLEASE HELP THIS LADY CAUSE SOMETIMES HONESTLY YOU JUST WANT IT TO STOP AND WHEN NOBODY LISTENS OR HELPS IT TAKES ONE TO TAKE THE PAIN AWAY....
THIS IS OUTRAGE , GET REAL
Free her it's a shame the OJ simpson Trial that this was finaaly noticed Since it was 88" she needs a new trial
I am a University of Michigan student and I have been incredibly moved and inspired by the work of Carol Jacobsen and the Michigan Women's Justice & Clemency Project. www.umich.edu/~clemency. There are serious problems with our judicial and prison systems which need greater attention. I personally feel that Delores' story is horrifying and her punishment has been extremely excessive and unnecessary when examining the facts that led up to her her husband's murder. Delores should be freed immediately. More people need to know about this issue and I urge you to read the stories of the incarcerated women that appear on the clemency project's website.
This woman should not be in prison for protecting herself ad her children this just shows how are judicial system really works!
Govenor Granholm. I could have been Dolores as well. I lived in a abusive marriage for 22 years. Why didn't I kill my husband because I fought back and have many scars to prove it. When I finally did find the courage to leave I had to leave my children with this monster and friend of the court defend and enabled him to manipulate and terrioze me over and over again. The mental, physical and emotional abuse that my childrena and I endured was amazing. It would take a million years to wrap your mind around it to understand. I have been out of that marriage for 10 years and just last month I had to go to the police because he was harassing me. Until you step in a abused person's world you can never understand what levels that they will go to defend, protect, and survive. Clemency is the only option for Dolores Kapuscinski and Nancy Seaman. Do the right thing.
