Prior Incidents

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Below is a compilation/timeline of events which transpired between 2018-2023.

Collectively, they depict frustration, anger, paranoia, and mental instability.

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Arizona – young adult

2018-12-08: Damien was almost 18. There had been multiple outbursts, and he’d seen multiple doctors and treatment centers. Around 0:50, Damien shouts, kicks, throws a binder and intimidates Betsy.

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2018-12-27: Betsy’s father visited us from PA. Damien had just turned 18 – a legal adult. Escalates quickly. Around 5:00, Damien grabs a metal security bar and threatens his grandfather.

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Pennsylvania – 9/11

2019-09-11: After moving back to PA, Damien smashes Ernie’s car windows after smashing windows/TV inside the house. This happened on 9/11, not by coincidence, Damien often got triggered during holidays or days of remembrance.

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2019-09-11: Damien returns to smash the house window. At this time, Ernie was still upstairs on the phone with 911. Betsy and Dante were not home, but at an eye appointment.

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2019-09-11: Afterwards, the police arrived. By then, Damien had fled the scene. They later found him in a nearby park where they took him into custody without incident. We did not press charges. They took him to Norristown Building 50, where he was processed and then released. The police drove him back home, only about 4 hours later. We were confronted with a choice: accept him back in after apology, or leave him to find his own shelter that night. We took him back in.

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Patrolling the yard

2023-09-25: Damien would routinely perform “sweeps” inside the house, and in our fenced-in backyard. He explained to Betsy he was making sure the perimeter was safe, and warning potential infiltrators. Here, he is patrolling with a pellet gun. He checks trash bins for anyone hiding in them.

2023-09-25: Damien patrolling with the same buck knife he used in his 2024 attack. (He bought weapons from Amazon or Walmart.)

2023-09-25: Here Damien is patrolling corners, standing there for long periods of time. Fast forward – not a lot of movement in this video.

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Premeditated warnings

2020-07-10: Conversation between Betsy and Damien. Damien warns of hurting Ernie and practicing on a door. He also warns that Betsy could be harmed:

Warning and Justification to Injure

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2019-04-26: Damien thinks he hears someone in an empty house. Fast forward – not much activity until 3:30 when he begins to talk to what he thinks is a potential intruder.

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Looking back, looking ahead

There are many other videos, and in some cases alternate angles or better audio. This is just a sampling of what it looked like to raise a young man whose body matured much faster than his emotions or reasoning. There were signs of danger and mental health, but we as parents could not successfully secure the necessary help we/he needed.

Our faith remains that there is a meaning, a purpose, a reason.

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We lovingly hope and pray he receives the help he needs.

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Note: this isn’t the only side of Damien. There’s a loving soul in there somewhere.