Former UFC fighter Josh Grispi made headlines last week following a horrific instance of domestic violence. According to reports, Grispi chased his wife, Kaitlyn Grispi, down, punched her in the face, dragged her into the home, continued punching and kicking her before having their pitbull attack her.
Police on the scene told local news that it was the worst case of domestic violence they'd ever seen.
In the following days it was revealed that this wasn't a one off case, and that Josh had recently made several text message threats to Kaitlyn, including threats that he'd have Buddy (their dog) attack her.
Given the shocking details of the case, some may be surprised that Kaitlyn is back in the news, this time telling local news that she plans to try to save her marriage, so long as she sees that Josh gets help.
Here are some quick excerpts from the article:
"My husband’s a great father and my kids miss him so much," said Kaitlyn, 25, a mother of two children, ages 1 and 3, as she broke down crying. "It’s hard. My son’s birthday is tomorrow. It’s just rough."
Standing on the porch of her Middleboro home Monday afternoon, Kaitlyn Grispi said her situation has been blown out of proportion in police and media reports.
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"Yes. What he did is wrong. That is wrong to put your hands on a girl, and I understand that and I know that," she said.
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"I’m not just going to throw away a marriage," she said Monday.
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At times, she defended her husband, saying he is "a good person." She downplayed the accusations of his abuse.
"Behind closed doors, everyone has a fight," Kaitlyn said. "Maybe not that far, but everyone’s gonna fight. Every marriage has its problems. Does that mean you give up on it?"
Kaitlyn also suggested that the real reason for Josh's violent actions could be his fighting career. She says that she told Josh he needs a CAT scan to see "what is going on up there."
Before anyone goes over the top suggesting that Kaitlyn is "stupid" or that they can't believe she'd stay with Josh--a neighbor recently told the same news outlet that these incidents have been happening for some time--it should be noted that there are a number of different factors that lead to someone staying in abusive relationships.
Some of those reasons are:
Emotional reasons for staying
- belief that the abusive partner will change because of his remorse and promises to stop battering
- fear of the abuser who threatens to kill the victim if abuse is reported to anyone
- lack of emotional support
- guilt over the failure of the relationship
- attachment to the partner
- fear of making major life changes
- feeling responsible for the abuse
- feeling helpless, hopeless and trapped
- belief that she is the only one who can help the abuser with his problems
Situational reasons for staying
- economic dependence on the abuser
- fear of physical harm to self or children
- fear of emotional damage to the children over the loss of a parent, even if that parent is abusive
- fear of losing custody of the children because the abuser threatens to take the children if victim tries to leave
- lack of job skills
- social isolation and lack of support because abuser is often the victim’s only support system
- lack of information regarding domestic violence resources
- belief that law enforcement will not take her seriously
- lack of alternative housing
- cultural or religious constraints
These situations are complicated and are rarely as easy as "well, just leave."
And, no, she will not "have it coming" if she stays with him and is abused again.