BALDWINSVILLE, N.Y. — Christopher Wood purchased the 20-gauge shotgun used in the murder of his 14-year-old daughter Ava Wood on Jan. 4, 2023; 16 days before Onondaga County Sheriff's Deputies found Ava and Christopher dead in their Baldwinsville home, with Christopher dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Sheriff Toby Shelley. "I'm in my 29th year of law enforcement; that was … [Read more...]
New York Legislature: Experts in Child Custody Cases Must be Licensed
Legislation seeking to reform a key aspect of New York's Family Court system passed a crucial hurdle. By a unanimous vote, the state Senate passed the bill raising standards to be a "forensic evaluator" providing paid expertise in Family Court cases. Previously, the same bill had passed the Assembly. The bill is the first among a package seeking to increase child safety in Family Court that … [Read more...]
Advocates, Lawmakers Say Family Court System is Failing Families it was Designed to Protect
NEW YORK - Growing calls for family court reform in the state come on the heels of a sobering statistic: 20 children have been killed by a parent in the past five years during custody disputes in New York. Advocates and lawmakers say the system is failing the families it was designed to protect. Read more here. … [Read more...]
New York Teen Advocates On Behalf Of Late Toddler: Preventing Child Abuse in Custody Cases
14-year-old Shayna Blumenfeld of Port Washington, from home, appeared virtually in front of New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Forensic Custody Evaluators, expressing the importance of making child safety the top priority in custody cases. Shayna is a youth ambassador for Kyra’s Champions, an organization that works to pass laws to protect children in child custody cases … [Read more...]
Federal Lawsuit Claims NY Judge Anthony McGinty Favors Abusive Men in Custody Cases
An upstate New York domestic violence survivor, author, and family child advocate Francesca Amato said Ulster County Family Court Judge Anthony McGinty violated her rights by awarding custody of her teen son to her abusive ex — and she claims other female litigants are facing similar fates, an explosive federal lawsuit alleges. Judge McGinty placed her 13-year-old son with a father, who has a … [Read more...]