Michelle Obama Attends Beyonce Concert
7 Weird Ways To Bug-Proof Your Picnic
An Ohio woman who helped counsel countless couples experiencing marital discord was found stabbed to death on Monday. The suspect is her husband.
Tonya Hunter(pictured below), owner of the marriage counseling service Success 1 Services in Bedford Heights, Ohio, met her husband, Maurice Lyons (pictured above), last year, when he attended a class that she taught on anger management. The 42-year-old woman married Lyons last December, but almost immediately, the marriage grew sour because it was fraught with financial problems: Hunter owned two homes, which are both facing foreclosure; had college loans; credit cards; and a car loan debt that totaled to nearly $500,000.
There were two police reports filed by Hunter against her husband for domestic violence. The last complaint was filed two weeks ago. According to police investigators, this report stated that Lyons appeared to be high on drugs and was demanding money from Hunter. "The defendant then pushed Hunter/spouse against the kitchen sink." Hunter's 4-year-old son witnessed the beating.
Hunter, who was pursuing a doctoral degree in marriage and family counseling at the University of Akron in addition to teaching at the University of Phoenix, ran a domestic violence group session every Wednesday at her office. Ironically, her website states that her company's services will "provide you with the knowledge and understanding of how relationships works and how problems can be resolved in even the most challenging situations."
When Lyons met his wife, he had been recently released from prison. He had served time in Illinois for aggravated battery, intimidation and vehicular invasion. The repeat offender also has a criminal record in Missouri and Ohio. People thought that the pairing of both Hunter and Lyons was very odd. Hunter was viewed as being outgoing and friendly, while Lyons was quiet and reserved.
Two weeks ago, with her young son in tow, Hunter had visited various building personnel where she worked, , to tell them to call the police immediately if they saw Lyons anywhere near the building. Many people in the office building had known about Lyon's prison record, and some even changed the locks on their doors when warned by Hunter.
Hunter called police to complain that she had been inundated with threatening phone calls from Lyons, where he allegedly said he wanted to punch her in the face and kill her. On July 20th, police issued a warrant for Lyon's arrest.
A week before she was found dead, Lyons could not be found. When Hunter was discovered stabbed to death in her garage, her son was dropped off on a street corner. Investigators did not state who abandoned the boy on the street. The little boy was taken to county social workers and interviewed, where he said that his mother was killed and lying in a garage.
Lyons was arrested last Monday and charged two days later with aggravated murder in his wife's stabbing death and domestic violence.
Here's the thing, most past convicts are usually attempting to readjust to society's values, norms and relationships outside prison walls.
Why this educated woman would marry a man who was convicted of aggravated assault is beyond me.
I'm not saying people don't change, but what I am saying is that this man couldn't have had that much to offer her. Lyons was enrolled in Hunter's anger management classes, for goodness sake. Clearly he needed some time to become stable both mentally and physically. Hunter was getting her doctorate in marriage and family counseling. As a professional, she should have left this one alone.
And what of the poor 4-year-old? How will he become anything different from his "father," when he has witnessed battery and possibly murder. With no Mother, and a "Father" who has abandoned him, who will love and nurture this child? As Mothers, we have to do better with our choices in men. If we can't at least do it for ourselves, we should at least do it for our children.
Comments: (108)
Add a comment
By: clarke on 7/30/2010 10:45AM
WOULD YALL PLEASE QUIT WITH THIS CRAZY ASS "VISION OF LOVE" S**T!
Report This
By: Israeline on 7/29/2010 9:38AM
Why blame the victim? Except, for the grace of God Almighty it could be anyone of us. This is not about race, gender or any physical feature. This is the same old dressed up evil. Whether it be Ms Hunter or others, please do not blame the victim and say she made a bad choice. We all make bad choices at some point in our lives. So, therefore,Pray, prey!
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: johnny on 7/29/2010 10:12AM
Whether it be Ms Hunter or others, please do not blame the victim and say she made a bad choice.
Note: there was a minister in Tennessee or Kentucky who wife shot him to death as he slept with a shot gun. They had no proof of domestic violence but woman get off after vilifying her husband, even the testamony of the couples daughter about their family life showed the mother as a liar, yet she got off. So, why is it o.k. to vilify a dead minister, and not a woman that probably went too far in bring this man in to her home. I think her debts were so high she was going to use his prison past and him as a springboard to the domestic violence talk show empire which is a doom in this country--any of which are men responding to abuse.
Report This
By: Israeline on 7/29/2010 9:48AM
You are absolutely right about the under tone of the coverage in this story is one of sensationalism. How will we rise when we are going into the same old deep and mire as the advesary? We should raise each other up instead of trampling each other under our feet. This family needs our prayers, particularly, the son Ms Hunter left behind. This is not about how many clicks you can garner, but keeping our eyes on what God Almighty is doing. Let's keep our eye stead fast on God Almighty and hold on to His hand and we will reach our rightful place, but if we faint and fall back we will fail. No matter how bad things seem, God Almighty is working a process for good, because all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purposes. We as a People of God Almighty must respect God Almighty's process.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Throat Deep on 7/31/2010 12:36PM
Save it "homes." We know what you mean by this story...Blackfemales should try WHITE GUYS? Stop sweating our females with all your TV shows, movies, at strip clubs, and prostitution rings.
At least he didn't [allegedly] kill the boy, too. A WHITE GUY would have killed the whole family, roaches, ants, fleas, burned the house, serially killed the hole neighborhood, then killed himself.
If our females need to "do better," at least it should be with another race besides WHITE GUYS: West Indian, Asian, JAHmaican, Native Afrikan, in other words, some other men Of Color.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: whitey Mcdevil on 7/31/2010 3:35PM
Actually the black man leads the white man in this category of crime too. The same thing with Serial Killers, Incest, Child molesting and killing their families. You can read it on the department of justice website. This is just another black myth about Whites. You know, Kind of like all the inventions they claim as their own. Just another myth.
Report This
By: Rev on 7/29/2010 2:38PM
Break the silence. Domestic And Relationship Violence must stop. Anyone in a abusive relationship (psychological, sexual, and or violent) please, please GET HELP!!! It's probably not love that keeps you in that relationship, but unadulterated fear masking as love. If there's no peace in the home there will never be peace in our communities. See Psalm 55. DV Hotline
1-800 799-SAFE. Note: We can't change people only God can.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: johnny on 7/29/2010 1:55PM
By: Rev on 7/29/2010 10:38AM Break the silence. Domestic And Relationship Violence must stop. Anyone in a abusive relationship (psychological, sexual, and or violent) please, please GET HELP!!! It's probably not love that keeps you in that relationship, but unadulterated fear masking as love. If there's no peace in the home there will never be peace in our communities. See Psalm 55. DV Hotline
note for you::: You don't want to stop the cycle of domestic violence. On youtube.com there is a video entitled: "reaction to a woman abusing man in public." It shows you why the violence continue. So, if Psalm 55 is important to you, this video should open your eyes to why violence won't be stopping anytime soon. It's like child sexual abuse. We all want to stop it, but we [the majority] only want to stop it if men are the abusers/criminals.
1-800 799-SAFE. Note: We can't change people only God can. [This phone number excludes men of domestic violence]
Report This
By: Not all black men are ex cons on 7/29/2010 11:01AM
It's amazing that black men are now responsable for the poor choices of Black women that should know better. I am a single Christian black man, with single black male friends that strive to be Christ like in all aspects of life. Hard working and respectful of the rights of others. I see it time and time again, where women will pass up men like us for the bad boy kind of guy. Then when he proves to be a bad boy and treat her like a tramp, she yell foul. It is not because there are no good black men out here. It is because women are choosing to marry ex cons and prisoners and the like. When are people are going to realize that it is not the Black mens fault these women would rather have a criminal than marry a good black man.
Then get angry when a good black man passed up by black women are embraced by other races. I personally hope to marry a level headed Honest Black woman. I hope that there are some left that is normal and sane. Black women are even passing up good black men to marry white men. Well when he get angry and tell you what he really think of you. Don't come running back to brothers, I for one would never touch a Black woman that has lowered herself to have a white man.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Happly Married to a White man on 7/29/2010 11:41AM
I am very sorry that this has happen to you. I am sure you and your friends are good strong black men and yes I have been in the situation of having married a man I knew for most of my life (a black man)who was a thug but I did love him. I was very young 22 at the time and thought I could make it work out. He wanted to run the streets and not act like an adult so I ended up divorcing him. A few years down the line I married a Turkish man that has treated me with nothing but love and respect. My ex husband has since gotten with a white women and had a daughter but he still asks to come back to me. Of course my answer was "Hell No"!!! I mean as long as the person treats you with the love and respect that you deserve that is all that matters not the color of their skin. I have been married to my "white" husband for 10 years now, he has since adopted my son and we are very happy. So you are right not all black men are ex cons but the problem there is most of the "professional" black men I have met do not try to talk to a black women or treat her with respect yes again even the professional ones seem to think that "She is a black women, she knows how we are so she should just take it whatever I dish out because I am a black man".
Report This