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| Jay (left) shot dead his daughter's molester Raymond (right) |
Raymond was her mother’s adoptive father – and therefore became Julia’s adoptive grandfather. He exploited his position and abused her multiple times until she was eight. Raymond tried to make Julia believe it was normal and told her she was special, but Julia was brave enough to speak up and the police were called.
Raymond was charged and in 2002, he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing Julia. He served just two
years and three months of a five-year sentence before being released on parole. He paid a fine and was registered as a sex offender. Raymond continued to reside in Alabama, near Julia’s home in Cullman.
Thirteen years on, mum-of-three Julia, now 24, was suffering from the effects of her childhood abuse. She’d had PTSD and received treatment, but she struggled to get a handle on her emotions and it was impacting her marriage. She and her husband were heading for a divorce because she didn’t want to make him miserable any more. There were mornings when she struggled to even get out of bed.
Raymond was still damaging her life over a decade on. Even though she hadn’t seen him for years, and the abuse was a hazy memory, just a smell could take her right back to the horror of what happened.
Julia’s dad Jay Maynor, 43, could see that his daughter was still suffering. It was agony for him to see her so distressed. Raymond had served a short length of jail time while Julia was still reliving the pain every day. What could he do to help?
On June 8, 2014, Jay and Julia saw each other. Jay could see Julia was hurting. She said something about the abuse – something neither her or Jay has shared publicly. All Julia has revealed is that it was said ‘in anger’. But it was enough to make Jay snap. He rushed out to his motorbike and sped off – with payback on his mind, and a gun in his pocket.
As he passed a convenience store, he spotted one of his daughter’s ex-boyfriends. Allegedly, he’d mistreated Julia when they were together. In a rage, Jay fired his weapon at him but the man hid and dodged the bullets. But that wasn’t Jay’s mission and he got back on track.
The father took off to where Raymond was living in Berlin, Alabama. Raymond was standing in his front yard when Jay aimed and fired two shots. Raymond dropped dead. Jay was arrested later that day and charged with first-degree murder.
As news of what he’d done became public, it divided opinion. Was Jay a dangerous vigilante or a desperate father protecting his little girl?
There was a chance for Jay to argue for a lesser sentence. The court could have heard about Raymond’s history and the suffering that Julia was experiencing but instead of going to trial, Jay took a plea deal.
The father knew that testifying in court would be deeply traumatic for his daughter. Having to relive the abuse was the last thing he wanted for her, so he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder knowing it would mean a longer sentence. He was willing to do it to save any further emotional ordeals for his daughter.
In November 2016, at the Cullman County Court, Jay was sentenced to 40 years in prison. It included 20 years for the attempted murder of Julia’s ex-boyfriend to run concurrently.
After the sentencing, Julia waived her right to anonymity as a victim of sexual abuse in order to defend her dad. She told the local press that Jay had done what any father would do.
"Basically, he took [the plea deal] so that I didn’t have to relive the molestation and also be on the stand in front of a bunch of people talking about, and bringing back memories, of the molestation," she said. "My father was protecting me, like a father should do. He is an amazing father – actually the best. He loves us so much."
Julia said that they are both ‘going through hell’ and the punishment was too harsh. She also spoke of the guilt she felt about inadvertently putting her dad in such a position. Jay had felt it was the only way to end Julia’s pain.
A petition has started campaigning for his release claiming that Jay is a good man who is ‘no threat to society’. There are over 2000 signatures. Yet many say that Jay’s actions were premeditated and what he did was inexcusable, no matter what provoked him to kill Raymond that day.
What no one can deny is that the murder was an extreme example of a father’s love and his desire to protect his daughter, whatever the cost. Jay wanted to liberate Julia and in doing so, ended his own freedom.
Culled from MirrorUK
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