(WXYZ) — October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. A woman is killed in this country every 30 seconds at the hands of an abuser, but 7 Action News' Carolyn Clifford spoke to a woman whose ex-husband, who she calls a monster, killed her four children. Two of the murders she was forced to watch.
Tonight she will be sharing her story at the annual gala for First Step, a domestic violence non profit that helped lift her out of the darkness after these murders in 2016.
"I still have days where I talk about it and I cry and sometimes. I don't want to cry, because sometimes you get to a point, like I don't want to cry anymore," said Faith Brown.
It was August 2016 when Faith lost her four precious children. Her ex-husband Gregory Green, who is serving life in prison, killed them all.
"With Gregory, some days it was good, some days it was bad," she said.
Faith says he was often quiet and moody.
"He never hit me. It was always verbal and mental torment," she said.
She says he resented her son and daughter from her first marriage.
She says the first time he went ballistic was when their youngest child was only a few months old. She went to police for a personal protection order, but it was denied for lack of evidence. She left him, but returned when money problems began to mount.
By August of 2016, she filed for divorce a second time. She says he went silent and then came that fateful day. With gun in hand, she says he told her son to zip tie his mom and then he zip tied her son and daughter, duck taped their mouths and led them to the basement.
"I still didn't think he was going to kill us. I thought he was going to leave us there and take the girls," she said.
Faith would learn in the hospital after the attack that her ex-husband had killed his first wife when she was 7 months pregnant.
"Oh my god. I was just so sick to my stomach," she said.
This time he was sentenced to life in prison for the murders, and Faith's life spiraled into darkness: alcohol and Xanax to dull the pain. Then four years ago in 2019, she says she made a decision to live.
She got help from the non-profit domestic violence organization, and she wrote a book: "The Monster Who Killed His Family Twice" to help other women.
"I definitely see myself as a champion for women. I want to be an advocate, I want to be able to help anyway possible," she said.
Tonight Faith will share her story to a sold out audience at the annual First Step Gala.
If you want to learn more about their mission or donate to be a part of the solution to end domestic violence go to their website at first step-mi.org.
If you are in need of help there is a 24-Hour Helpline: 734-722-6800.
