West Haven Mom Wants Registry for Violent Offenders

Corrinna Martin lost two daughters and a granddaughter in apparent separate acts of domestic violence.

Now she hopes to spare other families from similar suffering by turning her grief into action.

Martin still holds on to memories of her daughters Alyssiah Wiley and Chaquinequea Brodie.

“As long as I’m breathing their lives, their spirits still live on in me,” Martin said.

In this world of Google and Facebook, Martin wants to make it easier to discover someone’s criminal past.

About a week and a half ago, Jermaine Richards was convicted after a third trial of killing and dismembering Wiley, who had been his girlfriend in 2013.

At the time, she was a 20-year-old Eastern Connecticut State University student.

Then in August, police said Anthony Rutherford killed Brodie, who he was dating and her nine-year-old daughter at their home in Waterbury.

“Rather than seek my own vengeance again I’m keeping their spirit alive by turning that anger into a passion so that other families, people in my community, and friends don’t have to experience this gut-wrenching, heart-breaking grief,” Martin said.

Recently, Martin launched an online petition to create a National Violent Offenders Registry.

She envisions an online database bringing together local and state criminal histories from across the country; making it easier for the justice system and community members to find out about previous arrests and convictions.

For this mother, she hopes it allows people to keep better track of offenders, making it more difficult for them to move from state to state, and victim to victim.

“I won’t say it’s too late for our family because it’s never too late, it’s never too late to make change,” Martin said.

Martin hopes to collect enough signatures to persuade Congress to act.

She’s already started a domestic violence awareness organization.

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