FOR
FOR REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS IN YOUR AREA-- TEXAS ALSO HAS A WAY TO
SEARCH FOR PEOPLE WITH A HISTORY
OF DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE.
BUT THE KVUE DEFENDERS
DISCOVERED-- VERY FEW
NAMES AND CASES ARE AVAILABLE TO
SEE.
SEE.
SEE. BEFORE WE GET TO THIS STORY--
WE WANT TO CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO THE
INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF
YOUR SCREEN.
IF YOU NEED HELP-- THE NUMBER
FOR THE "DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE HOTLINE" WILL BE UP
THROUGHOUT
OUR REPORT.
OUR REPORT. HERE'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
ERICA PROFFER.
ERICA PROFFER. CALLS.
CALLS.
CALLS. CODES... PLEAS FOR HELP.
JON NEILSEN KNOWS THEM WELL.
" I'M A RETIRED POLICE
DETECTIVE."
BUT ONE CRY DIDN'T COME FROM A
STRANGER..
"SHE SAID, 'DAD, THERE'S
SOMEONE...'"
HIS DAUGHTER MONICA DEMING.
"'...TRYING TO OPERATE THE
KEYPAD ON MY FRONT DOOR.'"
DEMING'S EX-BOYFRIEND BROKE
THROUGH THE
SLIDING GLASS DOOR.
"AND I SAID, 'WELL, CALL THE
POLICE AND I'LL CALL THEM AND
ALSO BE RIGHT
OVER.' WELL, BY THAT TIME IT WAS
TOO LATE."
POLICE FOUND MONICA'S BODY BY
HER CHRISTMAS
TREE.
"I KNEW WHAT TO DO..."
AT THAT POINT.
"...WHAT THE PROCEDURE IS..."
HE WASN'T AN RETIRED COP.
"...ON
"...ON RESPONDING..." HE WAS A DAD. " THE HORROR BEGINS TO SINK IN:
THIS IS YOUR OWN FAMILY."
IT WAS A MURDER- SUICIDE.
MONICA'S EX BRANDON LEYVA KILLED
HIMSELF WHEN POLICE
ARRIVED.
"HE REALIZED ESCAPE WAS
IMPOSSIBLE."
MONICA CALLED A COUNSELOR DAYS
BEFORE.
SHE WANTED A PROTECTIVE ORDER. A
COURT DOCUMENT SHOWING IT WOULD
BE A
CRIME FOR HER EX TO BE NEAR HER.
ORDERS JON LEARNED WERE GIVEN TO
OTHER WOMEN IN
OTHER COUNTIES.
"CASES WHERE HE HAD BEEN VERY
ABUSIVE AND THREATENED THE
LIFE OF OTHER WOMEN."
PROTECTIVE ORDERS ARE PUBLIC
DOCUMENTS.
BUT KEPT IN COURTHOUSE FILES.
NOT IN THE PUBLIC EYE.
NEILSEN WANTED TO CHANGE THAT.
"THERE HAD TO BE A WAY TO LEARN
ABOUT THE VIOLENT HISTORY
OF SOME OF THESE INDIVIDUALS."
HE WANTED SOMETHING ONLINE. A
SEARCHABLE DATABASE TO SEE IF
SOMEONE HAD A
PROTECTIVE ORDER AGAINST THEM.
BUT HE WOULD NEED LAWMAKERS TO
HELP.
"I BROUGHT WITH ME TODAY A LIST
OF OVER 6,000 SIGNATURES."
"MONICA'S LAW" PASSED IN 2019.
CREATING THIS PUBLIC WEBSITE. IF
I WERE A SINGLE WOMAN AND I WERE
OUT THERE... I WOULD
ABSOLUTELY WANT TO KNOW IF THEY
HAD BEEN IN AN AGGRESSOR AND A
BATTERER IN THE PAST."
HEATHER BELLINO LEADS TEXAS
ADVOCACY
PROJECT.
ADVOCACY PROJECT. SHE HELPS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
SURVIVORS.
"IT'S A GREAT IDEA IN THEORY. I
LOVE THE IDEA."
BUT SHE DOES NOT THINK EVERY
PROTECTIVE
ORDER NEEDS TO BE PUBLICLY
LISTED HERE.
"IT'S FALLIBLE, RIGHT?"
BELLINO HAD A SURVIVOR SPEAK TO
LAWMAKERS
BEFORE THE LAW PASSED..
THEY ASKED FOR LIMITS ON THE
REGISTRY.
. AFRAID OF RETALIATION.
"AND THAT'S WHEN THEY DECIDED TO
MAKE IT SO THAT A SURVIVOR CAN
OPT
IN OR OPT OUT ON THE PUBLIC FACE
INSIDE OF IT."
NOW THE PERSON REQUESTING
PROTECTION
MUST CHOOSE TO LET OTHERS KNOW.
IN APRIL- THE REGISTRY SHOWED
MORE
MORE THAN
MORE THAN 25,395 PROTECTIVE ORDERS. ALL LISTED A PERSON'S ABUSIVE PAST.
OF THOSE LISTED...
18 ARE PUBLIC.
"IT CAN ALSO GIVE A SENSE OF
FALSE SECURITY. RIGHT, BECAUSE
YOU
MIGHT ASSUME THAT JUST BECAUSE
YOU LOOKED UP THIS
PERSON, IF YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP
THERE, THERE'S NO WAY HE'S DONE
ANYTHING WRONG. BUT THAT'S NOT
ALWAYS TRUE."
WE ASKED BELLINO - WHY HAVE A
PUBLIC REGISTRY IF THE
PUBLIC CAN'T SEE IT ALL?
SHE SAID BECAUSE OF WHO CAN
SEE IT.
"LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL ALWAYS
HAVE ACCESS TO THE
REGISTRY, AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE
PROTECTIVE ORDERS SHOULD
BE ON IT."
BUT IT'S NOT EASY.
SURE. COPS CAN SEE ALL
25-THOUSAND ORDERS..
SO CAN JUDGES.
AND ATTORNEYS.
PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM AND
STRUGGLED TO FIND THIS
INFORMATION BEFORE THE REGISTRY
WAS CREATED.
BUT IT'S ONE EXTRA STEP. NOT
EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT
IT...
AND THIS IS NOT PART OF WHAT
OFFICERS USE WHEN THEY RUN
A LICENSE PLATE. OR CHECK AN
I-D.
"WE'RE WORKING WITH ALL THE LAW
ENFORCEMENT ENTITIES ACROSS
THE STATE TO GET THEM TRAINED ON
HOW TO DO IT."
DAVID SLAYTON IS THE
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR FOR
THE TEXAS COURT SYSTEM.
IT'S HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO HAVE
THE DATABASE
WORK.
"HI, WELCOME TO THE OVERVIEW OF
THE PROTECTIVE ORDER
REGISTRY..."
THE PANDEMIC PUSHED BACK THE
LAUNCH OF THE WEBSITE.
SOCIAL DISTANCING LIMITS
TRAININGS.
" ARE YOU GUYS EVER GOING TO
LINK UP THE SYSTEM ON THE
LAW ENFORCEMENT SIDE TO WHERE IT
COULD BE A ONE-
STOP-SHOP?"
"THE CURRENT SYSTEM THAT DPS
OPERATES DOESN'T HAVE THE
DOCUMENTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH DPS
ON HOW THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT
IS."
IT'S NOT WHAT JON ENVISIONED.
"WHEN THE STALKING AND THE ABUSE
WAS GOING ON.."
BUT IT'S SOMETHING MORE THAN HE
HAD.
"MONICA WAS SO FRUSTRATED SHE
DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN. ..
AND SHE MADE THE REMARK TO ME,
SHE JUST SAID, DAD, SHE SAYS, 'I
WISH PEOPLE KNEW WHAT WAS
HAPPENING TO ME.' AND. THAT WAS
IN
ONE OF OUR LAST CONVERSATIONS.
ADVOCATES SAY A PROTECTIVE ORDER
WORKS FOR MORE THAN 80-
PERCENT OF CASES.
IF YOU NEED HELP. WE HAVE A LIST
OF RESOURCES
ONLINE WITH THIS STORY.
ADVOCATES URGE YOU TO USE
CAUTION WHEN SEARCHING
ONLINE..
ALWAYS HAVE A WAY TO LEAVE THE
WEBSITE IF YOU FEEL THREATENED.
FOR THE KVUE DEFENDERS, I'M
ERICA PROFFER.
ERICA PROFFER. LAST MONTH--
LAST MONTH-- POLICE ARRESTED A FORMER TRAVIS COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE DETECTIVE FOR
MURDER.
MURDER.
MURDER. STEPHEN BRODERICK IS A SUSPECT
IN A SHOOTING THAT LEFT THREE PEOPLE DEAD.
TWO OF THE VICTIMS-- WERE
BRODERICK'S DAUGHTER AND
EX-WIFE.
BRODERICK HAD A PROTECTIVE ORDER
ISSUED AGAINST HIM IN
AUGUST 2020.
WE SEARCH FOR HIS NAME IN THE
PROTECTIVE ORDER
REGISTRY.
IT WAS NOT PUBLICLY LISTED.
WEBSITE
WEBSITE IF YOU FEEL THREATENED. FOR THE KVUE DEFENDERS, I'M ERICA PROFFER.
ERICA PROFFER.
LAST
LAST MONTH-- POLICE ARRESTED A FORMER TRAVIS COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE DETECTIVE FOR
MURDER.
MURDER.
MURDER. STEPHEN BRODERICK IS A SUSPECT
IN A SHOOTING THAT LEFT THREE PEOPLE DEAD.
TWO OF THE VICTIMS-- WERE
BRODERICK'S DAUGHTER AND
EX-WIFE.
BRODERICK HAD A PROTECTIVE ORDER
ISSUED AGAINST HIM IN
AUGUST 2020.
WE SEARCH FOR HIS NAME IN THE
PROTECTIVE ORDER
REGISTRY.
IT WAS NOT PUBLICLY