COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Prosecutors and domestic violence experts hope an east Cobb County murder case will push lawmakers to strengthen domestic violence laws.
John Kristofak pleaded guilty this week to murdering his ex-wife. Before she died, he threatened her on the phone and via e-mail.
"He didn't want to put his son through the ordeal of testifying," Cobb County Chief Assistant District Attorney Don Geary said.
Kristofak's son saw his father fleeing from the murder scene.
Kristofak received a life sentence for the murder. He had already been convicted of stalking his ex-wife, receiving a lifetime ban from contacting her. In court, she requested that it be noted that she feared for her life.
"She did everything she could to protect herself, except to go underground," YWCA Executive Director Holly Tuchman said.
Critics question whether temporary protective orders go far enough to protect victims.
"When someone doesn't want to follow them, they're of no purpose. The reality of it is someone that would follow it doesn't need one," Geary told Channel 2's Ross Cavitt.
Tuchman also noted that Georgia has 159 counties, but only 46 state-authorized shelters.
"Yet we have animal shelters in every county," she said.
Prosecutors hope E. Cobb murder changes domestic violence laws
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