Within the year after the tragedy, we were approached by The Oprah Winfrey Show. The interviews were set up immediately for the producers to come to Charlotte. Oprah, personally, went to the prison in Raleigh to interview David. I thought that we were helping people understand that these things could have happened to anyone. Oprah’s take, as I see it, was that she was trying to help by pointing out that David, in his drug-induced psychotic state, was responsible, had a choice in the matter and made the wrong choice. She actually noted that he should have chosen to kill himself instead of the girls. I don’t believe David had that choice and prefer that no one would have died that day or any other day as well.
ABC’s 20/20, interviewed us in October of 2007 but did not air until May of 2008. They noted that David had harbored a deep, dark secret of wanting to kill his family. What David had described to police when he was arrested was actually brief suicidal and homicidal ideation caused by the medications when he was adjusting to the medications. These thoughts were rarely discussed by the caregivers in the past and when they were mentioned, they were discounted as just the depression. More was made of these moments after the tragic event which is incredibly sad and unfortunate due to the losses. Sadly, the thoughts became real and David had been propelled to act out his worst nightmares.
We actually thought David was bipolar during this taping and drugged as a bipolar person, David thought he was completely where he belonged in prison, deserved to be punished, was severally mentally ill and justice had been served. Our family knew that this David was not our David but it was the best we could do in that moment.
People magazine did an article on our tragedy in the spring of 2008 that came closer to the truth as medication was noted. Still, we did not have the full truth and had limited places to look for the truth. Separated, alone and with David in prison, we were trying to help someone, somewhere not experience this horror. An interesting thing came out of People magazine’s research. David’s psychiatrist was now practicing in a women’s prison in California. He had no comment about our case. Amazingly, he had left North Carolina and to our knowledge, had never been questioned by David’s counsel or the State in 2006.
Onward to Withdrawal