Domestic Violence Headlines for the Week of May 5

There's a trace of good news in this week's headlines—but the presence of entitled abusers persists.

‘Take it Down’ Act Criminalizing Deepfakes, Revenge Porn Approved by Congress

Creators and publishers of nonconsensual AI-created images, known as “deepfakes,” will likely face stricter penalties going forward now that Congress has approved bipartisan legislation called the Take It Down Act. The bill not only covers AI images, but also nonconsensual intimate or sexual photos or videos, often referred to as “revenge porn.” The measure, the first of its kind on a federal level, is now headed to President Trump’s desk for his signature.

The bill was introduced by republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Sen. Cruz says the measure was inspired by a young girl and her mother who visited his office asking for his help after fighting for over a year with Snapchat to remove an AI-generated pornographic deepfake of the then-14-year-old. 

Critics of the bill say that the legislation’s wording is too broad and could erroneously censor legitimate images, such as a journalist’s photographs of a topless protest on a public street or photos of a subway flasher distributed by law enforcement to locate the perpetrator, according to The Associated Press. 

Abusive partners threaten to distribute sexual images as a tactic to exert control over their partners and ex-partners. In most states, these threats are considered a crime, even if the images were not actually distributed. The addition of AI makes revenge porn even easier to facilitate. Using easily accessible technology, victims’ faces can be superimposed onto a nude body that is not their own. It can appear they took explicit images or video, even if they never did. 

Though women are most often the targets of revenge porn by male partners or ex-partners, new research says that teenage boys are the highest risk of sextortion. In many cases, boys may find themselves talking to a stranger online, sometimes through a video game or in a chat room, who is posing as another teen. The boy shares an explicit image of himself and the stranger then threatens to release it unless a sizable financial payment is sent, or another condition is met.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported they received more than 12,000 tips of financial sextortion of minors, mainly boys, between the start of 2022 and July 2023. To learn more about how to protect your kids from online predators, read “Is Social Media Bad for Kids?”

Source: AP News

Tyreek Hill In Trouble Again for Terrorizing His Ex-Partner

Late last week, Tyreek Hill, accused spouse and child abuser who also plays professional football, will be back in court. His ex-wife Keeta Hill, whom he married in November 2023, claims he used their five-month-old daughter to intimidate her after their separation.

According to court filings, Tyreek was acting erratically when he arrived at Keeta’s Miami home on May 1 to pick up his daughter. He told his ex-wife he was going to fly their child to Los Angeles, an abrupt change in plan that Keeta saw as a manipulative tactic to unsettle her. Keeta has requested the court grant her primary custody and limited travel privileges for Tyreek, as well as supervised visitation.

Tyreek has a history of domestic violence allegations as recently as last month when Keeta’s mother, Alesia Vaccaro, called police to report the couple was fighting in their Florida home and that she was scared for her daughter’s safety. She told 911 dispatchers that Hill is “very aggressive and impulsive” and has “anger issues.” She also said he was walking toward a balcony with their young child in his arms. 

When police got to the home, they saw Keeta had a bruise on her chest, which she says Tyreek caused when he grabbed their baby from her arms. No arrests were made, but the next day, Keeta filed for divorce. Tyreek’s current team, the Miami Dolphins, said they had spoken with Tyreek after the incident and had “no further comment on this matter.”

In December 2014, Tyreek was charged with felony domestic assault and battery strangulation after his girlfriend, Chrystal Espinal, says he strangled her during a fight. He also punched the then-8-weeks-pregnant victim in her stomach and face. Tyreek pled guilty and received three years probation, despite strangulation being the highest predictor of a future homicide. Two years later, Tyreek was drafted to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

In March of 2019, Tyreek was investigated again by police after he and then-fiancee Espinal’s 3-year-old son suffered a broken arm. Espinal says the young boy told her “daddy did it.” In a publicly released recording of the couple discussing the incident, Espinal tells Tyreek, “He’s terrified of you,” to which Tyreek responded, “You need to be terrified of me too, b***h.” While Tyreek’s then-team, the Kansas City Chiefs, suspended Tyreek initially, prosecutors closed the investigation and Tyreek’s suspension was lifted. Studies show that 30 to 60 percent of children living in households where domestic violence is prevalent are victims of direct child abuse themselves. 

Tyreek was investigated again in 2023 for slapping a man who was the captain of a boat he had chartered and was sued in 2024 by a woman who claimed Tyreek shoved her and broke her leg.

Abusers in positions of power, such as celebrities or the wealthy, often have inequitable influence over the systems built to protect survivors, such as law enforcement and judges. And often, abusers know this and use it to their advantage, considering themselves untouchable regardless of the crimes they commit. 

It’s rare that abusive partners stop being abusive, even after repeated arrests or promises of change. It’s more likely that abusers’ tactics will escalate over time. And yet, survivors often give them more than one chance to change, even after serious or violent incidents. There are many reasons survivors don’t leave including a hope for a better future for their family, the belief that they can change the abuser, a dependence on the abuser for basic needs or a fear of what will happen to them and their children if they leave. 

For further reading, consider, “Ask Amanda: Is It Ever Safe to Go Back?”

Sources: yahoonews.com, sportingnews.com

Georgia Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Raping, Abusing Wife

In what some would say is a surprising example of holding a perpetrator truly responsible for his crime, a Cherokee County, Ga. man will spend the rest of his life behind bars due to  years of repeatedly abusing and raping of his wife. 

Judge Shannon Wallace sentenced 45-year-old Nicholas Mittenmeyer to life plus 20 years last Friday. Mittenmeyer’s ex-wife reported her husband had raped her six months after the assault occurred, saying that she wasn’t aware that rape by one’s spouse was a crime. The survivor then confronted her husband and recorded his response. According to Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ashe, in the recording, Mittenmeyer didn’t deny that he had raped his wife. Instead, he justified his actions. 

Marital rape is illegal in all 50 states, even though it wasn’t until 1978 that the first perpetrator was convicted of raping his spouse. Before then, there was a common law presumption that forced sex was a “wifely duty.” In 2019, Minnesota became the final state to overturn a marital rape legal loophole that protected rapists who had an ongoing sexual relationship with their victim. 

To learn more, read “Can He Rape Me If We’re Married?”

“The process of disclosure was extremely brave,” Ashe told Fox 5 Atlanta. “The process of testifying was extremely brave…her bravery even now is astounding…I'm extremely proud of her for standing up for herself, standing up for others and also wanting to send a message that marital rape is rape.”

In a statement released to Fox 5, the survivor said, in part, “This is the beginning of my ability to finally breathe and rebuild my life for me and my daughter. I hope that this shows women that married or not, rape is rape, it is a crime and there are people who will believe you." 

Source: Fox 5 Atlanta