Family Protection Division
The Family Protection Division prosecutes murder, domestic violence, stalking, crimes against children and elder abuse cases. The division strongly supports victims of crime and works closely with criminal justice agencies and community partners. The division is led by Chief Patrick McGrath.
In 2011, there were 764 domestic violence felonies filed in San Diego County and 1,658 domestic violence misdemeanors filed. A total of 237 child abuse cases and 21 Internet crimes against children cases were prosecuted in the Family Protection Division. Some 210 elder abuse cases were filed by our office.
Domestic Violence
Today’s misdemeanor can be tomorrow’s homicide. The DA’s Office has specially-trained deputy DAs across the county handling only misdemeanor domestic violence. They range from the earliest stage (issuing) to trial. Vertically handling the caseload ensures better courtroom efficiency, better perpetrator accountability and better victim safety.
In 2011, The District Attorney’s Office partnered with local police agencies and non-governmental agencies to establish a domestic violence “High Risk Team,” designed to improve community response and victim support in the most dangerous situations. The team meets regularly to have “multi-disciplinary” meetings where best practices are used in order to better unite the many systems involved in domestic violence prosecution and victim support.
Elder Abuse
In a true community-partnering effort, our office spearheads a grant called The HOPE Team. Our office, along with Adult Protective Services, the San Diego Police Department and The Center for Community Solutions, brings together all agencies with the goal of protecting our seniors. The team meets weekly and discusses individual cases in order to best serve our senior victims. The team makes home visits, assists in legal advice and even brings care packages to seniors who need them most. Specially trained prosecutors and victim advocates have proven that rapport and relationships with our elder victims endure well beyond prosecuting the case.
Child Abduction Unit
The Child Abduction Unit was busy with 703 contacts that led to 150 cases being opened and 74 children recovered. Our highly trained investigators and Deputy District Attorneys not only recover children within the United States, but assist internationally as well. During 2011, 27 of our cases involved children being abducted from or taken to other countries including Argentina, Columbia, Dominica, Germany, Iceland and Mexico.
The Visitation Violation Reporting system allows parents to report violations of visitation orders online. The reporting party can print out the violation report and use it as documentation for future court hearings. This online reporting system was implemented in August 2010. During the last four months of 2010, there were 271 visitation violations reported. During 2011, the number increased to 2,096. District Attorney offices around the state have contacted us to assist them in developing a similar system.
Internet Crimes Against Children
The Internet Crimes against Children Task Force (ICAC) is comprised of law enforcement officers and prosecutors from the local, state and national levels who work together to reduce the online sexual exploitation of children. The unit has Deputy District Attorneys trained in prosecuting the exploitation of children on the Internet. Efforts include a full-time online investigation of Internet predators, aggressive prosecution of offenders and community outreach to schools and parents.
Cases of note in the Family Protection Division during 2011 include:
People v. Simon Cruz
The defendant was the stepfather to the three young girls he sexually abused. All three victims never knew about each other and never told anyone about it. The victims demonstrated much courage and strength in testifying about the crimes. The defendant was sentenced to 390 years-to-life plus an additional 18 years.
People v. Diriki Hill
The defendant had spent 14 years in prison for his involvement in the tragic drive-by slaying of local Lincoln High School scholar athlete and hero Willie Jones, Jr. Since getting out of prison, the defendant was involved in domestic violence incidents with multiple females and ultimately assaulted a male victim who was coming to the aid of one of his domestic violence victims. The defendant was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and for personally using a knife during the incident. Because of his prior record and our most recent prosecution, 37-year-old Diriki Hill is now serving 25 years-to-life in state prison.
People v. Ditto
The defendant called 911 to report his wife Karina had fallen down the stairs in their home. The paramedics quickly became suspicious of the defendant’s story because the scene and his story did not match Karina’s medical state. The paramedics noted scratches on the defendant’s face, which he claimed were caused by Karina as he was attempting CPR. Karina was pronounced dead a few days later. The autopsy revealed she was covered in bruises from head to toe, including a patterned bruise on her thigh that resembled a boot print and that the cause of death was strangulation after an assault. The jury returned a first-degree murder verdict after only one day of deliberation.
People v. Hayes & Reed
Defendants Hayes and Reed conspired to burglarize and rob Hayes’ 73-year-old grandmother, Eunice, who had recently obtained a restraining order against Hayes. Reed tricked Eunice into opening her front door, allowing Hayes to jump her. Hayes strangled Eunice to death on her kitchen floor while Reed began collecting Eunice’s money and jewelry. The defendants fled in Eunice’s car and then spent the next several days partying in Tijuana until again running out of money. They were apprehended crossing back in to the United States. The defendants were convicted following a joint, dual jury trial. Both were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
