In her own voice: Stephanie Roller's testimony | Forensic Files

Stephanie had um applied for restraining order after Dale Bruner had hit their son she had applied for a restraining
order and everything is taped he yells a lot at the kids you could hear Stephanie
and you could hear the fear in her voice I can't go back to him he's not going to
trust me it was incredibly powerful um to hear that because you don't hear that in murder cases the the victim
oftentimes does not have their voice and to actually have Stephanie get up and talk about what their relationship was
through this tape was was an incredibly powerful piece of information and I know
when we talked with the jury they found that very powerful as soon as he finds out from social services that I've
entered the system I'm going to run with my kids I mean I don't know what he's going to do that's the one line that I
could never well cross he loves me he wants to control me he wants me to be there he will hold me down to be there
and do everything against it a lot of these things were a long time ago um the physical stuff dragging me down the hall
that stuff was a long time ago um he's kind of redirected some of his frustration to the children and I've
certainly learned not to press issues you know people who are in normal healthy relationships have trouble
understanding why somebody would go back to somebody who hit them why somebody would still have compassion for somebody
who has hurt them so badly Time After Time After Time and it's it's tough in domestic violence um relationships to
understand that but ultimately this is classic domestic violence I can't go back to him he has threatened my life
years ago but you know with a hand on my throat didn't squeeze it screaming in my
face I will kill you if you leave I've never forgotten so I'm here asking for help

One of the most moving pieces of evidence presented against Dale Bruner when he was tried for murdering his wife, Stephanie Roller, was the voice of Stephanie herself. Stephanie was recorded just six weeks before her murder when she requested a restraining order against her husband.

Brief Summary

Stephanie shares her harrowing experience with domestic violence and the challenges of leaving an abusive relationship.

Key points

Stephanie's Restraining Order. Stephanie applied for a restraining order after experiencing domestic violence.
The Voice of the Victim. Stephanie's testimony highlights the often unheard voices of victims in murder cases.
The Cycle of Domestic Violence. Understanding why victims return to their abusers is complex and often misunderstood.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I can't go back to him he's not going to trust me.

Stephanie expressing her fear and determination.

0:15WatchMar 9, 2014

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