She filed. He was the respondent. She had the attorney. Her attorney worked out the arrangements. He simply signed. So I don't see how he manipulated the process. He wasn't fighting it. He didn't use an attorney. I expect that what was in the decree was how Crystal wanted to do this. Either that, or she should have hired a better attorney if she was wanting a different outcome in the decree.
Well, abusers find many ways to manipulate their victims. Leaving an abusive marriage isn't as cut and dry as it is in a normal divorce. They often use children as pawns to keep the other party under their thumb. Perhaps he threatened to take the kids and run or to take sole custody of the kids if he didn't like what the agreement said. Just speculation here but to me it is abundantly clear she was still being controlled by him and is it any wonder why she complied? She finally decided to move on and he kills her.
I don't find it odd that she was still living in his house. The most dangerous time for an abused person is when they decide to leave.
It's hard for people to understand the rational of someone being abused. They spend years being torn down into a shell of their former self often while still trying to keep up appearances that everything is perfect. And if no one knows what they are going through no one knows how to help or that they even need help.