An American husband and wife have been branded the most heartless
couple in the U.S. after taunting the family of a seven-year-old girl
who is dying from an incurable disease.Scott and Jennifer
Petkov's despicable behaviour has caused outrage across the country
after they posted a photo of terminally ill schoolgirl Kathleen Edwards
on Facebook above a set of crossed bones.Little Kathleen is in
the final stages of Huntington’s disease – the same wasting illness that
her mother, Laura, died from last year at the age of 24.
Astonishing cruelty: Kathleen Edwards, 7, who is
dying of Huntington's disease, smiles at her father Robert as he speaks
with reporters outside their Michigan home
The 'Devil of Detroit Street': Facebook groups have been set up blasting Jennifer Petrov for her taunts
In another incredibly cruel taunt, Mrs Petkov also put a picture of
the girl’s dead mother in the arms of the Grim Reaper online.After
Laura Edwards died last year, the Petkovs also allegedly drove their
truck – which bears the message ‘Death Machine’ and has a coffin
attached to it – down the street and honked the horn.The sick
attacks are the culmination of a long-running and increasingly bitter
feud between the Petkovs and a number of neighbours in Trenton, Michigan
that have raged over the past couple of years.Neighbours accused
the couple of laughing and poking fun at Laura Edwards and her daughter
because of their disease, a progressive neurological disorder that
causes involuntary writhing movements.A Facebook page was set up
identifying Jennifer Petkov as the ‘Devil of Detroit Street’ and an
online petition describing the couple as ‘disgusting human beings’ was
aiming to collect 100,000 names.The story has also gone viral -
causing people from around the world, including Britain and Germany, to
send messages of support to Kathleen's family.The dying girl’s
father Robert Edwards appealed to the Petkov family: ‘Just leave us
alone; that’s all we want. Don’t make any more comments about our
daughter.’Mr Edwards, 26, said it has been tough enough caring for his family.
‘You have to understand how angry we are,’ he told the Detroit News.
Horrifying: An image created by Petrov on Facebook of Kathleen 's face superimposed on to a skull and crossbones
Speechless: Another Facebook grab shows an image
created by Petrov of Kathleen's mother Laura - who died of the same
illness her daughter is suffering from - in the arms of the Grim Reaper.
The images have since been removed from Facebook‘The police told us they were shocked that we haven’t gone over there and beat the hell out of her.
'But there’s more important things to deal with, like our daughter.
She’s hanging in there. We have hospice at our home every week, and
that’s a lot to deal with on its own.’Kathleen’s stepmother, Gabrielle Edward, said the feud started two years ago.
‘Kathleen’s grandmother had a birthday party, and Jennifer sent a message asking if her kids could come over to play,' she said.
But the grandmother, Rebecca Rose, did not respond to the text quickly enough, she said. 'That's where it all started.'
Asked why she escalated the ugly feud, Jennifer Petkov said it was
for 'personal satisfaction' and 'because it burns Rebecca Rose's a**
raw.'
Feud: Jennifer's husband Scott Petrov,
left, apologises for his wife's 'brutal honesty'. Right, Kathleen's
grandmother Rebecca Rose, whose slight to Petrov is said to have sparked
the feudMrs Edwards, 19, said they have tried to shield Kathleen from the taunts.
‘She’s seen some of this stuff, but we’re doing our best to try and
keep her away from it. When the truck would pull up, we’d immediately
take her inside to play,’ she added.She said Kathleen, a third-grader, is having a tough time with her illness.
‘She’s having seizures. It’s hard enough to deal with without all
this other stuff. I’ll tell you what: I’m taking this a lot better than
my husband is.’Family friend Michelle Yerigian, 42, said: ‘I don’t understand how
people could spew such hatred. They would pull up in the truck with the
coffin attached, rev up the engine, and say to Kathleen, "I can’t wait
until you die."‘When I saw what she posted on Facebook, I almost threw up. I’m totally dumbfounded.’
The truck that the Petrovs used to tow a coffin before the Edwards' house
Kathleen’s family have been contacted by dozens of people after a video report of the story went viral on the internet.
‘They
have heard from people from the UK, Germany, Minnesota - it’s
incredible,’ said Mrs Yerigian, who has organized a rally in support of
Kathleen on October 23.‘This isn’t about trying to get revenge. We’re telling people not to do anything stupid,’ she said.
Mrs
Petkov, 33, tried to make amends by apologising yesterday. She said she
would walk right across the street and tell the Edwards family herself
if a restraining order hadn’t been issued against her by a local court.
Protected: Kathleen's father and step-mother are doing their best to shield the little girl from the taunts
‘What I did was ignorant and wrong,’ she admitted.
'I’m not proud of myself because this went from a neighbourhood dispute to a huge thing.'
Mrs Petkov’s husband, Scott, 30, told the Detroit News that his
wife’s ‘brutal honesty’ has caused his family to ‘not get along with a
lot of people.’He said the fallout of the Facebook posting resulted in his
suspension with pay from his job as a forklift repairman in nearby
Warren.He said his employer is considering firing him.
The eldest of the Petkovs’ four children was also sent home from
school after getting into an argument with a classmate who confronted
him about the Internet photos, said the couple.‘My husband is a good person and I hope he doesn’t lose his job. I
hope our family doesn’t lose his job. I’m the bad person,’ said Mrs
Petkov.‘I feel horrible for what I’ve said and done. That little girl
shouldn’t have had to lose her mum like that and she shouldn’t have to
lose her life either. I just hope she didn’t see those pictures.’Mrs Petkov’s Facebook posting has now been removed.
But there could still be serious repercussions for the couple.
Maria
Miller, spokeswoman for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, said, ‘We
have contacted the Trenton Police Department to look into the
allegations.’Trenton Deputy Police Chief James Nardone said the
problems between the two families have been ongoing. ‘We’re aware of the
situation and are looking into it,’ he said.
D:
News clips on Youtube. (Here and here.)
D:
Yes, it's a horrible thing. But it sounds like the proper authorities are getting involved, and the problem is being dealt with. That's my tl;dr response.
There are two ways of looking at things like this, and I'll analogize by using the example of hearing an ambulance wailing. On the one hand, an ambulance's siren can cause fear and concern; after all, it means that someone just got hurt. But the other way of looking at it is, the ambulance is on its way, and that person is going to be helped.
That's what I see here. Sure, we can get all up in arms about man's inhumanity to man, but really, don't we see tragic stuff like this every day in the news, or even in our lives? Maybe I'm desensitized, or maybe I'm just not sure what the point of this is in the first place. At least something has been done about the situation.
And what is declaring the Petkovs as the "most horrible human beings ever" going to do? Nothing good at all. The Petkovs have apologized, even if it is only because of all the intense pressure being brought onto them; and with the legal authorities involved, any compensation for their actions will be requited. I'm more worried about the knee-jerk reaction of Facebook being used to create several groups dedicated to hating other human beings. Not to mention potential legal repercussions of bullying online that social groups like Facebook allow to happen.
that woman is such an ugly person, its just so horrible doing that to the image of a child. i hope she suffers every pain the little girl faces. that horrible woman wont be half as tough as that girl, she's weak and disgusting.
i can forgive a lot of things but obvious haterd towards a child is unforgivable. no matter how many apologizes she makes, i think she should be sued and forced to pay the medical expenses for the little girl. that's the fair thing to do.
i mean what's more ugly than hurting the feelings of a pure innocents about to leave this world?
i do know of people who are as wicked as that woman, but even they wont go that low this is just too horrible.
"And what is declaring the Petkovs as the "most horrible human beings ever" going to do? Nothing good at all. The Petkovs have apologized"
Damn it! what's wrong with you?! what's an apology worth to someone who's dying?! the little girl saw the ugly pics made of her, do you want to leave this earth knowing someone hates you so much picturing you so ugly?! the little girl doesnt need or want anything but kindness, she shouldnt know about wicked people at her age, its just so horrible >_<
if people dont see what's wrong than they need to think really hard and go soul search, cause anyone who agrees to this or dont mind it are missing an important part of being human.
Laughter is the best medicine.
...Well, it's a good thing I've stopped caring about what the human race does - otherwise I'd be more bothered by this.
Right now, as a race, we suck - sad, but so very true.
TURTLE!!!!
that is NOT FUNNY!
how is she gonna laugh at that? dont you know how little girls are? they want to know they're pretty, loved and feel safe. that woman stole time from that girl's life by depressing her. its heartless and cruel. you dont hurt someone when they're down. and you dont talk about death infront of someone going to face it.
we will all die but not knowing when is a blessing, to know when, to live in fear every second and have to deal with more stress would drive a person insane. she doesnt want to be a joke she wants to hear nice things to know that leaving this earth people will remember her as a brave lovely girl.
i'm soooooooooooooooo pissed at this topic, someone get me a baseball bat and let me go rapid on that horrible woman!
A baseball bat could count as medicine.
Mada, think about it. You're reacting entirely with your emotions right now. Yes, I agree that it is a horrible thing - you seem to have missed that in your righteous fury. But as the article itself says, the police are getting involved and there may be legal repercussions. And I'm fine with that, I believe that punishment should be meted to the guilty - but perhaps
even more strongly, the punishment should match the crime. And I don't
believe that hating anyone accomplishes any good.
What would beating her up with a baseball bat do? Make you liable for assault and battery, maybe put you in jail. And what good would that do you? None, unless you consider jail time an excellent time to reflect on your mistakes and become a better person. What good would that do her? Might kill her, and then how can she recompense for what she did wrong? Or put her in the hospital with bills to pay, and then that gives her a valid excuse to declare bankruptcy so she can't pay any money back for the wrong she's done, if the law requires her to pay for her actions in currency.
SLaughter is the best medicine.
Anyone get the reference? Someone probably will, everyone's seen the movie...
Anyway, that lady is eeeeevvviiiilllll. But I don't think it's actually affecting Kat significantly since her parents have apparently been sheltering and hiding her young, innocent eyes from all the trolling Mrs. Petrov's trying to unleash upon her. I mean, look at the shots of her on video. Does she seem emotionally distressed? She's just enjoying the company of her friends in her last days...
Though you have to wonder why Jen is doing all this. I think maybe the person she texted more than forgot to respond to it. Not that it justifies what she's doing but I just wonder if they did something else to her and The Media edited it out so everyone would side with The Edwards? 'Cause if that really is the reason she's either extremely petty (well, I geuss she'd be petty anyway since nothing they could have done justifies this) or she hated them for some irrational reason and wanted to "rub their asses raw" anyway and that was just a good excuse to start the abuse. (Rhyme unintended)
Though I guess it's not impossible for that to be the whole reason. Maybe she just really loves her kids?
Anyway, yeah. Kat's going to be just fine since her family's keeping her away from all the trolling Mrs. Petrov's trying to do and more people are probably going to support her in her last days because of this news story...
‘My husband is a good person and I hope he doesn’t lose his job. I hope our family doesn’t lose his job. I’m the bad person,’ said Mrs Petkov.
What category of the official grounds for divorce would that come under?
DW
What category of the official grounds for divorce would that come under?
... I don't know much about how the legal approach to divorce works, but I do think the idea of not letting children be brought up by that kind of person ought to be considered good enough reason for divorce. Really, the system needs fixing if it would allow someone like her to have custody of children.
I love how people doing this kinda thing only get branded as "evil" if they are doing to what appears to be a cute little white girl.
To me? Nothing new. People do this crap all the time.
As to saying they should divorce and she should lose her kids? I've got a situation right now where a kid I know is being forced to live in a SCHOOLBUS with no real facilities other than a public restroom and shower at a RV park. If they let THAT go then I don't thing being raised by a hateful, over reactive, drama queen is even in the ballpark. Besides if being publicly hateful of people different than you is grounds for divorce then wouldn't half the Tea Party be single by now? *rimshot*
~Tobe
At least Canada was smart enough to fight against allowing Fox News on their public cable.
I love how people doing this kinda thing only get branded as "evil" if they are doing to what appears to be a cute little white girl.
I think the relevant factor is that said "cute little white girl" was a CHILD. I doubt people would be condoning mocking the suffering of an ugly child, or a male child, or a non-white child either.
No, people wouldn't condone it, Matt. No one in their right mind would. But Toby's point is that they wouldn't see minorities getting this same treatment by the media, so you'd probably never hear about it unless it was a celebrity minority who was going through this. It's a matter of representation in the media. Ugly as it is, we still have a media that likes to pick favorites even as they're looking for victims to exploit with their newscasting.
And advocating divorce when you have only this article as information about their marriage? I think her husband is quite brave to stand with her even during this time of heavy public criticism. And her children need a stable family more than ever, since - as pointed out by how the eldest Petkov child was sent home because of arguments regarding the situation - her kids are getting flak for what's going on, whether they deserve it or not. If anything, the Petkovs need more compassion from others to help them through this difficult time as much as Kathleen's family. How else are those kids ever going to grow past this bad time in their family?
Divorce is so utterly ridiculous as a solution in this situation that it's not even funny.
Matt, you need to think Shades of Grey with something like this...because there's never just one constant solution - and there's always other variables which render what OUR judgment of them is a moot point purely because we do not understand the full story, having only been told half of it.
Matt: while what Mrs. Petkov has done is despicable and cruel, that doesn't mean that she is necessarily a bad parent. You're judging her entire character based on a one-sided representation of her in the media. You're effectively saying she cannot be forgiven for what she's done - and that just isn't fair at all to her, to her kids or her husband. Divorce isn't a reset button for families. That'd ruin the lives of those kids far more than this public controversy would by itself. In fact, divorce is such an inappropriate response to this situation that it's like suggesting kicking a dog when the problem it has is a broken leg. It's not a solution to this public controversy or to the more personal issues that Mrs. Petkov may be working through.
The only logical reason to inspire so many unpleasant feelings is to harness the power of that in black magic. So this woman probably can't die anyway. Unless someone pure makes a wish or something.
Matt: while what Mrs. Petkov has done is despicable and cruel, that doesn't mean that she is necessarily a bad parent. You're judging her entire character based on a one-sided representation of her in the media.
... my point is, it reflects poorly on her character that it is even within her to do something that despicable and cruel in the first place. I find it hard to believe someone like her could be a good parent.
And my point is that, while it does reflect poorly on her, it shouldn't be the only factor that anyone should use to consider whether she's a good parent or not. Humans are inconsistent creatures, Matt - you can't consider just one aspect of them and think that you know all about them. As Mobius said, it isn't a matter of absolutes at work here.
I'll just leave this last reiteration of my point at that; I've already repeated myself more than I probably should.
And my point is that, while it does reflect poorly on her, it shouldn't be the only factor that anyone should use to consider whether she's a good parent or not. Humans are inconsistent creatures, Matt - you can't consider just one aspect of them and think that you know all about them.
I didn't claim to know all about them. My point was more along the lines of: regardless of whatever else may be the case about her, that such evil is within her has implications all its own.
