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John Battaglia shot and killed his two two daughters while they were on the phone with their mother back in 2001. Now, he's set to be executed. USA TODAY
John Battaglia with his daughters Liberty and Faith.(Photo: Submitted)
DALLAS — Liberty wanted to be a ballerina.
Faith was smart<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and made people laugh.
On May 2, 2001, the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>little girls — ages 6 and 9 — were visiting their father, John Battaglia, in his apartment near downtown Dallas when the unthinkable happened.
"He tried to kill the children!"
Those are the chilling words from a 911 recording on the night that Liberty and Faith were murdered.
The little girls were on the phone talking to Mary Jean Pearle, their mother, when Battaglia shot<span style="color: Red;">*</span>them.
Pearle described the horror when Battaglia went on trial for murder one year later.
"And then I hear Faith go, 'No, daddy! Please don't do it!' And I heard [gunfire], and I hear him yell: 'Merry F---ing Christmas!'"
Evidence showed that Battagalia, an accountant, shot each of his daughters six times.
Pearle rushed to the apartment and paced while police entered. They told her the little girls were dead.
In court, Mary Jean Pearle recounted the horror of hearing her daughters being shot and killed by her estranged husband.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth)
In an interview with ABC News, Pearle talked about that moment. "It's the most empty feeling you could ever have in your life. They are everything. All your hopes and dreams ... everything is gone," she said.
Battaglia was arrested hours later outside a tattoo parlor where he had just had two roses — one for each girl — inked on his arm.
Before his arrest, Battaglia left this chilling message on his daughters' answering machine:
"Goodnight, my little babies. I hope you're resting in a different place."
There had been a long history of domestic violence between Battaglia and Pearle, but no one thought he would kill the children, so he was allowed to have unsupervised visits.
The murders sent shock<span style="color: Red;">*</span>waves through the community. Lawmakers were outraged, and a law was changed. It is now mandatory for judges to ask about a history of violence during divorce proceedings.
"In a lot of cases, it was not brought up that there had been domestic violence in that relationship that was dissolving ... or there had been some danger to the child," explained Paige Flink, director of The Family Place, which offers assistance to abused spouses.
Battaglia, 60, is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 6 p.m. CT Wednesday in Huntsville. But a brighter lasting image will remain.
After the little girls were slain, The Family Place opened<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Faith and Liberty’s Place, where parental visits are supervised by armed off-duty police officers.
Liberty and Faith Battaglia were shot and killed by their father on May 2, 2001.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Submitted)
It’s also a place where estranged parents can exchange children safely.
"I am certain Faith and Liberty's Place has helped prevent children from being kidnapped, children being harmed," Flink said.
Tiffany Ratcliff and her abusive ex-husband were ordered to go to Faith and Liberty's Place by a judge to exchange their son.
"I was scared. I didn't know what to expect," she said. "I didn't know if I was going to live or if I was going to die."
After eight years of supervised exchanges and visits, Ratcliff said she and her ex built an amicable relationship and things changed.
This center helps more than 100 families every month. Ratcliff has a message for Faith and Liberty's mother.
Faith and Liberty's Place provides a safe setting for parents to exchange children.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth)
"I'm sorry for your loss, but I am grateful —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and I don't mean to be selfish. I don't because I had another chance at life, and I am so sorry for your loss," she said.
John Battaglia will finally pay for his crimes Wednesday. Faith and Liberty's spirit will live on between the walls at The Family Place, where children are safe.
Follow Rebecca Lopez on Twitter: @rlopezwfaa
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