I am actually an abuse survivor. My stepmother went to jail for beating the crap out of me when I was 17, and she was charged and convicted of domestic violence.
I just got divorced and I was in an 8 year abusive relationship and believe it or not, I was diagnosed with PTSD and GAD (since I was 5) and the therapist also said I was a victim of spousal abuse and noted into my medical history and it's also a crux of my divorce case.
Just because it's not in the DSM does it mean that being abused isn't a relevant diagnosis. I don't like being compared to Snow White, either.
And I believe that JA is guilty. Not a fan of his approach today. Sorry.
I'm so sorry for what you've been through. There are a lot of survivors - walking wounded, as someone very accurately once stated - among us. :hug:
Me included...sometimes I cringe at Juan raising his voice or becoming sarcastic too...
but that's my emotional response to someone else doing the same, not for so nearly stellar a cause as seeking justice for the real victim. I should hope if anything ever happens to me that someone would fight for me with so much passion.
All I have to do is remember that the person who most likely endured abuse - and indeed the ultimate form of intimate partner violence - would have no voice at all were it not for dogged, determined prosecutors who dedicate their careers to little pay, less recognition, and often the fear of retribution.
Anyone of us could have been Travis and that's the way I guess I see this and the determination of Juan...I'd want that for someone I loved, or for myself, especially if an acquittal or conviction rested on how hard the prosecutor was willing to fight to expose a sham of a defense.
All MOO
ETA: There were a lot of people, myself included, who felt the prosecutors in the first Jason Young trial let Michelle down. It ended in a hung jury after a wholly ineffective cross of the defendant. It was glaringly apparent the prosecution had made almost no attempt to prepare for such an occurrence. Most of their questioning was blase for their own CIC. Fortunately, his testimony was allowed via video in his retrial and he was convicted of his wife's murder. He was never charged with the murder of their unborn baby son, Rylan, due to state law which has since been changed iirc.