A Connecticut mother, whose family has been victim to unspeakable violence three times, is on a campaign to prevent similar tragedies from happening to others.
Corinna Martin is lobbying for the creation of the National Offenders Registry after two of her daughters and grandchild died in domestic violence incidents.
On Thursday, Martin held a public forum to discuss the need for the registry.
Martin believes the existence of such a registry, that includes charge and other information about people charged with violent crimes and breach of peace, could have saved the lives of her daughters and other victims of domestic violence.
"This is a tremendous way to keep their legacies alive," Martin said.
In 2013, Martin’s daughter Alyssiah Wiley was murdered and dismembered by her boyfriend. Her body was found in Trumbull following an extensive search.
In 2017, another one of Martin’s daughters, Chaquinequea Brodie and her 9-year-old daughter were shot to death. Police said it was Brodie’s boyfriend who was responsible for those two killings.
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Both men had documented violence in their backgrounds that Martin wishes were more readily available before their deaths.
Martin believes a database, similar to what already exists for sex offenders, could help potential victims protect themselves. Victim’s advocates at Monday’s forum told NBC Connecticut they support the premise of the database.
"It’s very difficult and if you’re this person who wants to put into Google someone’s name, you’re not always going to get the information that you’re looking for," Julie Johnson, a former New Haven Police captain and current project coordinator at Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence, said.
Martin has already secured support from local and national elected officials, but she knows the road to seeing her idea realized could be long.
"This is what we need to protect ourselves," Martin said.
Martin said the event on Thursday will be the first of many community conversations and education sessions about this registry idea.
She is hosting another public conversation about her idea on Saturday, March 17 at 10:30 a.m. at the Wilson Library in New Haven.
