The father and sister of Erica Peters, the woman who was murdered along with her two children in her apartment on March 21, are planning to sue the District for her wrongful death. The plaintiffs are contending that the 911 dispatcher and police may have botched their handling of an emergency call that was made on the afternoon that Peters, along with her sons, Eric, 11, and Dakota, 10, were killed.
Peters reportedly was stabbed more than 20 times. Her two sons were also stabbed. Joseph Mays, Peters’ live-in boyfriend, has been charged with all three murders.
Her family also believes that he isn’t the only one that should be held liable for the triple slaying. They think that the 911 dispatcher that answered the call made from inside Peters’ apartment may have told a cop that the screams heard over the phone could have been “child’s play.” Her family also thinks that police waited anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half after no one answered the door before breaking into the home.
That is when they found the bodies. Mays, who was also in the apartment, sustained superficial chest wounds. The couple’s 2-year-old girl was also there and alive.
Wrongful Death for Murder
If someone you love was murdered, you may have grounds for filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the person that actually committed the crime. There also may be other parties that can be held liable for your loved one’s wrongful death—even if he or she didn’t commit the actual crime. For example, a wrongful death claim can be brought against a premise owner for the inadequate security that allowed for a crime to occur on a property, or police or a city can be sued for wrongful death if negligence on their part allowed for a murder to occur.
Family Suing Over D.C. Triple Murder, MyFoxDC, June 8, 2009
Charges Are Filed In Triple Stabbing, The Washington Post, March 23, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Wrongful Death Overview, Justia
The best way to determine whether you have grounds to file a wrongful death case is to contact our Washington DC personal injury law firm today.