RICHMOND, Va. -- Terrance Jones has heard the stories and seen them on television. He never imagined he would ever call himself a victim of domestic violence, until recently.
His story? He calls it one of constant harassment. “I feel like my life is in danger,” Jones told CBS 6 reporter Shelby Brown.
He detailed claims of alleged stalking and violent run-ins with the mother of his little girl.
Court documents obtained by CBS 6 highlight some of Jones’ claims against that woman, Judea Graham. They include an encounter back in June of 2015 when she was arrested for brandishing a gun.
“I had a friend come over from Virginia Beach. She said TJ who is this b**ch? She said I'll be right back and she walked into the alley and goes to her car. She came back with a gun and pointed and said I'll kill both of you Motherfers,” Jones said.
Court documents show that case would later be dismissed, but Jones said the threats and violence are getting worse. He said he’s not the only one being targeted.
Terrance Jones
“She showed up to my house that I have with my fiancée. She ran in and was fighting my fiancée,” Jones added.
CBS 6 obtained a criminal complaint that details that alleged assault. The next day, a emergency protective order was filed against Graham.
Jones said in a perfect world he would leave town, but he can’t. He shares custody of his daughter with the woman he accuses of abusing him. Jones said their daughter has even witnessed one of the alleged attacks.
It happened back on April 5, shortly after Jones arrived at a South Richmond shopping center to drop the girl off with her mother.
“When I met up with her some guys got out of the car. I handed her my daughter and when I turned around, I got hit in the face. They struck me and as I went down, then another guy came and was stomping me in front of my daughter. I could hear her screaming,” Jones explained.
Terrance Jones
Graham and two men have since been charged with assault according to the Richmond Police department.
Jones said he has not seen his daughter since that day.
He filed for emergency custody and is now leaning on the court system to help him sort things out. He hopes it will happen before the violence escalates, or even turns deadly.
Jones said to him, it’s a legitimate fear because he believes his alleged abuser was exposed to violence when she was growing up.
Terrance Jones
In an unusual twist, CBS 6 learned Judea Graham is the daughter of Stafford Shaw. He’s the Richmond man who made news last year when he killed his girlfriend and the daughter that they shared together.
He led police on a chase that ended on I-295 with a crash that killed two innocent people.
Stafford Shaw
Domestic violence experts said Jones’ story of abuse isn’t unusual. Sgt. Carol Adams points out that the cases are grossly under-reported and too few men seek protective orders.
Adams said a review of assault cases in Richmond two years ago showed just how prevalent it is to see women battering men. “We looked at those aggravated assaults from that time-frame, it was 50-50. Meaning that half of the time women were just as aggressive carrying out domestic abuse,” Sgt. Adams said.
Jessica Rubio is with the James House, a domestic violence resource organization in Prince George County. Rubio tells us what makes domestic violence against men even worse is oftentimes women use weapons to compensate for a lack of brute strength.
She encourages other men who may find themselves in similar situations to seek help and not become overwhelmed trying to deal with the violence on their own. That’s a struggle that Jones knows all too well.
“I'm just going to continue to pray. I'm not going to do anything to make take matters into my hands,” Jones explained. “I'm going to pray that it works out and that somehow God will make the truth come to light.”
CBS 6 reached out to Judea Graham repeatedly in the past few weeks. She returned our call on Monday of this week. We asked for a comment and her perspective for this domestic violence story. She said she wasn’t in a position to talk at that time but invited us to call her back the next day.
We did, but she never responded to our calls. Graham and Jones are due back in court twice this month for the custody and assault cases.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, there are local resources that can help. To contact the James House, call their confidential 24 hour crisis line at 804-458-2840.
You can also email them at helpline@thejameshouse.org.
