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What caused 14-year-old Ohio girl Bresha Meadows to shoot her father? According to her attorney, the girl’s dad, Jonathan Meadows, abused his family, ABC 7 Chicago reports.

On July 28, the girl used her father’s gun to shoot him in the head while he slept, reports say. The police have charged her with murder.

“She is my hero,” Bresha’s mother, Brandi Meadows, stated to reporters after the arrest. She claimed that her husband physically abused her for years, and Bresha defended her.

Mr. Meadows’ grieving siblings are perplexed. They’ve stated that he loved his wife and children.

“This is cold and calculated. My brother was murdered…no signs of abuse in the house,” stated Lena Cooper, according to ABC.

But Bresha’s aunt, Martina Latessa, told People magazine that Meadows, 41, abused his wife (but not his children) for many years. She said her sister kept quiet about the ongoing abuse, and her niece finally reached a breaking point.

“She’s been with him for over 24 years. She’s the perfect victim – she’ll defend him, cover for him, lie for him,” Latessa, a detective with the Cleveland Police Department’s domestic violence unit, told People.

Latessa added that the abuse began when the couple started dating as teenagers. It was at first name-calling and then escalated to physical violence.

People confirmed that Brandi filed a police report in July 2011, in which she accused him of threatening her life.

Bresha’s attorney, Ian Friedman, told the magazine that he has witness statements and medical records to substantiate the abuse. He plans to submit that evidence to the prosecution, which welcomes new information as it decides whether to try her as an adult, according to People.

Meanwhile, Bresha is scheduled to appear in family court in about two weeks for a pre-trial hearing. She has entered a “not true” plea.

A GoFundMe campaign is trying to raise $100,000 money for her legal defense.

SOURCE: ABC 7 Chicago, People | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Twitter

SEE ALSO:

Estranged Husband Fatally Shoots Wife, Then Turns Gun On Himself

Bronx Man Who Wheeled Wife’s Corpse On Dolly Charged With Murder

Years Of Abuse Caused Girl, 14, To Fatally Shoot Father  was originally published on newsone.com