MAINE, USA — Agnes Brackett was hoping her husband's arrest last year would stop the cycle of domestic abuse she and her daughter were enduring.
Instead, she's now back to living in fear for their lives and questioning a justice system she thought would protect them.
"He will try to find me because he thinks he owns us. He doesn't see us as people, my daughter and I. He thinks we are his property," Brackett said.
She and her 7-year-old daughter spent the last week packing up their home and moving to a secret location, preparing for Elliott Lee Barden Jr.'s release from prison.
Barden was arrested last December after he bought guns illegally and went on a rampage, according to police reports.
"He threatened to shoot our daughter, shoot me or shoot me and leave her an orphan or shoot himself or shoot my knees off," Brackett said.
While his wife and child were hiding from him, the reports go on to say that Barden lit the house on fire.
"He grabbed that gas jug and stormed in the house, laid a line of gas as soon as he walked in the door to past our bedroom door," Brackett said.
When officers arrested Barden for the guns, arson and domestic violence, Brackett thought that would be the last she'd see of him for a long time.
"Just one firearms charge if you looked at it federally is a 5 year sentence," she said.
Barden was sentenced to about half that. Court documents show the Franklin County District Attorney's Office charged him with one count related to domestic violence and five counts related to illegally owning guns. There was no arson charge in the filings.
According to Barden's plea deal, he was to serve two and a half years total. That outcome, to Brackett, was underwhelming.
"I don't understand how he didn't get any child endangerment charges either. Like there's so many things they didn't follow through on."
Brackett's concern grew last month when she received a phone call from Victim Services. They informed her Barden was being released on November 13, after only about three months of his sentence served.
Now, instead of bedtime stories, Brackett feels obligated to teach her daughter escape routes, and to come up with a plan in case Barden figures out where they are.
"I don’t walk around without something on me. I have an emergency whistle in my pocket at all times. I have pepper spray and I have a stun gun."
The Franklin County District Attorney's Office hasn't yet answered questions about why Barden was released so early, but Brackett thinks the decision reveals a fundamental flaw in the justice system
"If we don't try to stand up for ourselves, then they're just going to keep kicking us around. Not just our abusers, but apparently the people that are supposed to be representing us in the government."
Brackett is working with local advocates to try to help other women. Even if they have to live in fear, she plans to keep fighting.
If you or someone you know is experience violence in a relationship, there are resources available. You can learn about ways to find shelter, emotional support, legal help, and economic support by calling the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence. Their number is 1-866-834-HELP or 1-866-834-4357.
