Why is it so difficult for domestic violence victims to believe that their abusers really will kill them? There are numerous reasons. It appears to have happened again in a highly-publicized case in affluent Collin Co.
Last Friday, Plano resident Albert Jackson Sterling II was found guilty by a Collin Co. court jury of attempted murder. He was convicted of hiring a “hitman” to kill his wife, Roxane-Johnson Sterling, who was eight months pregnant with their unborn child.
As recently as last week, after months of preparing for the trial, she said that she still couldn’t believe that he would have done so, despite the hitman’s testimony and additional evidence. Sterling also admitting to having an affair with another woman and claimed that he only did so to fulfill his sexual fantasies and because he had lost trust in his wife and thought their new baby was fathered by another man.
The Sterlings have two sons: four-year-old Ryan, and 13-month-old Reece. No doubt Roxane is worried about losing their father and having to raise the boys on her own. Many domestic violence victims also share this fear. So many affluent victims are just plain afraid of losing their lifestyle, as it certainly appears the Sterlings have.
