SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — It was a horrendous crime in Salt Lake City, the shooting death of a 16 year old boy, Om Moses Ghandi, at the hands of his father—a man who then turned the gun on himself.
Leah Moses told 2News, nine months after the murder-suicide, she is coping by working—and Thursday she was at the state Capitol to testify on HB 272, proposed court changes in child custody cases that she said will keep more kids safe.
“No piece of paper, and no statute is going to stop an abuser,” said Moses. “That's just the reality of things. But I truly believe that if it had been in place, and if it had been used and really put into motion, then he (Om) would be here with us today. I think he'd be able to testify actually.”
The measure would require judges to consider not only physical, but psychological safety of children, in their custody decisions.
It would also direct state courts, presumably judges, to have training on recognizing domestic violence, coercive control, and physical and psychological safety.
“I think the biggest change is the prioritization of child safety above all other elements,” said Rep. Paul Cutler, R-Davis County, the bill sponsor. “Yes we have parents who have arguments with one another, but let's make sure that whatever we're doing, we're prioritizing the child's safety above everything else in all child custody cases.”
Shaynie Hunter said, even as an attorney, a custody case with her ex-spouse was traumatizing—especially for her kids.
“There were many instances when they feared for their safety,” she said. “As I've started to speak out, I've heard from so many other people, so many other mothers, so many other parents, who are in the same situation.”
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