In the course of one day, two stories dominated my Facebook and Twitter feed: what happened to beautiful porn star Christy Mack and the death of beloved comedian Robin Williams. Both were tragic, albeit in different manners. But, they both touch upon two greater, even if very different, subjects: domestic violence and depression/ suicide.
Christy was allegedly beaten to a pulp by her ex, MMA fighter War Machine. She has 18 broken bones and a ruptured liver. I first saw the horrific pictures on Instagram. I was disgusted by them. If there is one thing that sickens me to the core, it is guys who hit women. It's a cowardly thing to do and utterly reprehensible. Also, sickening is the comments I have seen online with people making jokes or siding with him. These people are just as cowardly and disgusting, hiding behind their computers. Fuck their punk-bitch asses! No one deserves a beating like this, not a porn star, not anyone.
Below is her account/ official release, and the aforementioned, horrific pics:
"At about 2 a.m. Friday
morning, Jon Koppenhaver arrived announced to my home in Las Vegas, NV.
After he broke up with me in May, he moved out of my house and back to
San Diego. When he arrived, he found myself and one other fully clothed
and unarmed in the house. Without a single word spoken, he began beating
my friend; once he was finished, he sent my friend away and turned his
attention to me. He made me undress and shower in front of him then
dragged me out and beat my face. I have no recollection of how many
times i was hit. I just know the injuries that resulted from my
beating. My injuries include 18 broken bones around my eyes, my nose is
broken in 2 places. I am missing teeth and several more are broken. I am
unable to chew, or see out of my left eye. My speech is slurred from my
swelling and lack of teeth. I have a fractured rib and severely
ruptured liver from a kick to my side. My leg is so badly injured, I
have not been able to walk on my own. I also attained several lesions
from a knife he got from my kitchen. He pushed the knife into me in some
areas including my hand, ear and head. He also sawed much of my hair
off with his dull knife.
After some time, the knife
broke off of the handle and continued to threaten me with the blade. I
believed I was going to die. He has beaten me many times before, but
never this badly. He took my phone and cancelled all of my plans for the
following week to make sure no one would worry about my whereabouts. He
told me he was going to rape me, but was disappointed in himself when
he couldn't get hard. After another hit or two, he left me on the floor
bleeding and shaking, holding my side from the pain of my rib. He left
the room and went to the kitchen where I could hear him ruffling through
my drawers. Assuming he was finding a sharper, more stable knife to
end my life, I ran out the back door, shutting it behind me so the dogs
did not run inside to tip him off. I hopped the fence to the gold course
behind my house and ran into a neighboring house. naked and afraid he
would catch me, I kept running through the neighborhood running through
the doors. Finally, one answered and I was brought to the hospital and
treated for my injuries.
I would like to thank everyone
for their support through this rough time. I am healing fast and well,
and I appreciate a lot of the prayers and visits I have received over
the past few days. After many months of fear and pressure to keep this
man happy, although I fear for my life, I feel that I can no longer put
myself in this situation. The cheating by him nearly everyday, and
almost weekly abuse, is now more than I can stand. There is a $10k
reward for the capture of Jonathan Koppenhaver at this time. Please
report any information to your local police.
Thank you.
- Christy Mack
Beaten, stabbed, attempted rape. This reads like a real life horror film. It is certainly not the fun stuff, I usually cover. But, it's important to talk about however unpleasant it maybe. Vegas PD are still on the hunt for him. There is a $10,000 reward for his capture. And, now I hear that Dog the Bounty Hunter is looking for his ass.
He left this tweet on his
Twitter account:
.
@WarMachine170 better
2Give All You Excuses To The Judge ..you got 24 hrs to turn your self in or I am Coming After YOU.!
#CMTDogAndBeth
If you see him, please call the local authorities.This is War Machine to the right, above.
You can also help Chirsty by donating to a fund for her expenses, here:
https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/qcd5/christy-mack-s-medical-expense-fund
Even if you can't help, please pass this link around.
Later that day, we all got the horrible news that Robin Williams had passed away. It is suspected to be suicide via asphyxiation. He was 63.
His wife, Susan Schneider, released the following statement: “This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world
lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings.” She
added: “As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on
Robin’s death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave
to millions.”
Robin Williams is connected to one of my earliest memories as a child. When, I was very little my mother used to take me to the movies, a lot. One of the first, if not the first, we ever saw was the live action
Popeye, where he played the title role. I still remember sitting in the movie and enjoying the movie's climax. Funny what stays with you all these years later. He was primarily known for his comedies. While, I am not a fan usually of comedies there is no denying he was in some very funny ones, including one his best known and loved,
Mrs. Doubtfire. He also did the voice for the Genie in Disney's
Aladdin.
But, my favorite movie of his was one where he took a chance and played a completely different role. That of the disturbed man in the horror/ thriller
One Hour Photo. A personal favorite of mine, it showed that Williams could play a very complicated role in a deeply chilling and disturbing film. I absolutely fell in love with this film after seeing it in the movies.
It is being said that Williams had been battling a deep depression. I think this made it hit even harder on me. I, myself, have battled depression since high school, and admit to be going through a hard stretch right now. I also have learned that many people do not understand depression. It should be noted that suffering from it is not about being sad or even feeling "depressed". It's something much deeper, bigger, and all encompassing. If one positive thing came out from this tragic ordeal is I saw people posting about depression and suicide on Twitter and Facebook. I hope that people can at least try to understand this killer. Because that is what depression is: a killer, both literally and figuratively.
If you know someone who suffers from it, please lend them a ear and be there for them. That's all we sometimes want, someone to hear us. And, if you are feeling suicidal get the help you need. You can contact the National Suicide Prevention here:
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Robin Williams, thank you for all the laughter you bought the world; it is oh so much sadder without you. May you RIP and God bless.
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