Column: Death of friend’s daughter brought domestic violence into my neighborhood

Published 12:00 am Sunday, October 16, 2005

About eight years ago, I was stunned when I learned of the death of a friend’s child to domestic violence.

This mother was still young, but had lived a troubled life. I met her when she joined my friend’s family as a foster child. The teen was quirky, but I think that was what was so endearing about her.

She met and married her husband while still a young woman and the relationship was rocky from the start. She was isolated from her foster family, the only functional family she knew, by her husband. My first impression of him was he was controlling and mean.

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He strangled her one day and stuffed her in a closet of their home while the kids were visiting their grandmother. It took a day or two for police to find her body.

In recognition of Domestic Violence month, this column is for my friend’s daughter and the 13 women who died last year because of domestic violence. Read their stories and remember them &045; they deserved better.

Lisa Mooers, 40,Deerwood, died Feb. 25, 2004 &045; Lisa was the victim of a murder-suicide at her rural Deerwood home. The perpetrator was her 80-year-old father-in-law, DuWayne Mooers. Lisa’s husband, Don Mooers, found the bodies and called authorities. Lisa’s body was found shot to death inside the house and DuWayne’s body was found outside. Lisa worked as a flight attendant and left behind three sons.

Pennie Rossland, 43, Coon Rapids, died Feb. 29, 2004 &045; The bodies of two gunshot victims were found by an Anoka County deputy sheriff at the boat access ramp on Linwood Lake in Linwood Township. Authorities determined that Steven Malloy, 47, shot Pennie to death and then turned the gun on himself. Pennie Rossland and Steven Malloy had had an ongoing relationship for an extended period of time. Pennie worked as a furniture finisher.

Pa Moua Lee, 35, Island Lake Township, died March 15, 2004 &045; A sheriff’s deputy found Pa Moua and her husband, Xiong Pao Lee, 35, dead of gunshot wounds at their home in Island Lake Township in southwestern Minnesota. An investigation determined that Pa Moua was murdered by her husband, who then committed suicide. The couple had moved to rural Minnesota to escape the hustle and bustle of the Twin Cities. According to relatives, the couple began to have marital problems after Xiong Pao was found to be infertile. Their troubles continued in late December when Pa Moua began having a relationship with a co-worker at the couple’s workplace.

Helen Strubbe, 40, Glyndon, died March 26, 2004 &045; The deaths of a Glyndon couple officially were ruled a murder-suicide. Helen Strubbe died after she was shot in the head by a .22 caliber rifle fired by her husband, Randy Strubbe, 43. Randy then shot himself in the head. The couple’s two children were in the basement at the time of the shootings and the 15-year-old daughter made the call to 911. Helen Strubbe worked as an office specialist in the insurance billing department of MeritCare Hospital in Fargo. She started working at the hospital in 1996.

Lynette Rossin, 48, Goodview, died May 8, 2004 &045; Lynette was found in the bedroom of her former home, dead of gunshot wounds. Her husband, Mike Rossin, 49, was also found dead of gunshot wounds. Police determined that Mike Rossin had shot his wife to death and then committed suicide. The couple was in the process of divorcing. On the night of the murder, Lynette was spending the evening across the street at the home of Goodview Mayor Jack Weimerskirch, along with her sister and brother-in-law. Mike Rossin telephoned the mayor’s home and asked Lynette to come over to talk to him. When Lynette did not return after 90 minutes, her sister and brother-in-law went to the Rossin house, where they discovered the bodies. Lynette was a nurse who worked for 29 years at the same clinic.

Diane Levy, 47,Minneapolis, died May 15, 2004 &045; Minneapolis police had been to the home of Diane and Frank Levy to arrest Frank at least seven times after receiving calls reporting domestic abuse. On the morning of May 15, Frank Levy made good on his threats, stabbing his wife to death more than 30 times, using a kitchen knife and scissors. Diane Levy’s 15-year-old daughter told police that she woke up to screams that morning. Diane Levy died before police could arrive. Under the plea agreement, Levy received 37-1/2 years in prison.

Next week, the remaining eight stories.

(Debbie Irmen,

Tribune Editor.)