The Issue

In Texas, an adult convicted of domestic violence—someone who has legally and factually been proven to commit intimate partner battery, strangulation, or terroristic threats—is legally prohibited from owning a firearm. They can be barred from entering certain neighborhoods, ordered into batterer intervention programs, and placed under strict court supervision.

Yet, under current Texas law, that same convicted abuser retains a statutory shield inside the home: the legal right to use corporal punishment on children.

Under Texas Penal Code § 9.61, the use of physical force against a child is justified if the parent “reasonably believes the force is necessary to discipline the child or to safeguard or promote his welfare.” In practice, this statute creates a catastrophic legal loophole. It gives individuals with documented histories of rage, lack of impulse control, and violent subjugation a built-in legal defense to physically strike minors under the guise of “discipline.”

Sign the Petition!

We see this tragedy unfold across Texas family courts and criminal dockets every single day:

Violence rarely stays contained to the adult partner. Research and court records demonstrate that an abuser’s physical dominance inevitably crosses generations. When a partner escapes, the children become the next target for physical intimidation, battery, and control.

The “Discipline” Pretext Shields Abuse. When an abuser with a documented history of manual strangulation or domestic assault drags a child across a floor, strikes them hard enough to drop them, or leaves physical and psychological trauma, their first defense in court is almost always: “I was merely exercising parental discipline”.

The Legal System is Paralyzed. Because § 9.61 allows physical force as reasonable discipline, prosecutors, Child Protective Services (CPS), and family court judges often hesitate to intervene until a child suffers catastrophic or permanent physical injury.

A person who has proven to the State of Texas that they use physical violence to subjugate and harm family members should not have the state-sanctioned right to raise their hand against a defenseless child.

The Call to Action
We are calling on the Texas Legislature to amend Texas Penal Code § 9.61 and Chapter 153 of the Texas Family Code to enact mandatory statutory disqualification:

• Automatic Loss of Corporal Punishment Rights: Any individual convicted of a domestic violence offense (Texas Penal Code Chapter 22) or subject to a judicial Affirmative Finding of Family Violence (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42.013) shall be statutorily disqualified from asserting the parental discipline justification under Tex. Penal Code § 9.61.

• Clear Protection for Children: Any physical force used against a minor by an individual with a substantiated family violence conviction shall be classified and evaluated as assault, without the protection of statutory “parental discipline” defenses.

• Harmonized Family Court Standards: Mandate that Texas family courts incorporate an absolute prohibition against corporal punishment into any temporary or final custody order where a history of family violence has been established under Texas Family Code § 153.004.
  Our laws recognize that convicted domestic abusers cannot be trusted with lethal weapons. It is time our laws recognize that they cannot be trusted to physically “discipline” our children.

Sign and share this petition to urge Texas lawmakers to close the corporal punishment loophole and protect vulnerable children from convicted domestic abusers.

Sign the Petition!

Sign the Petition!

By Lacey Donahue (October 12, 2026)

Retired Police Sergeant Suspected of Killing Two Women Before Shooting Himself

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. — October 12, 2026

A retired San Francisco police sergeant is suspected of fatally shooting two women at a California home Sunday before turning the gun on himself, according to sources who spoke with KGO.

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a 911 call at approximately 5:03 p.m. reporting gunshots inside a home on Strawberry Circle in Marin County.

When deputies arrived, they made contact with the person who had placed the emergency call and had safely exited the residence.

Inside the home, deputies discovered three people dead.

Miguel Almaguer of the Marin County Sheriff’s Office stated that investigators were working to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the connections between those involved.

An internal San Francisco Police Department email obtained by KGO identified two of the deceased as retired police Sergeant Kevin Mannix and former Deputy Chief Ann Mannix.

Sources confirmed to ABC7 investigative reporter Dan Noyes that Kevin Mannix fatally shot Ann Mannix and a 25-year-old woman before shooting himself.

Authorities said the investigation remains in its early stages and there is no known threat to the surrounding community.

Original reporting: The National News Desk / ABC 33/40 — October 12, 2026

The Stranger Effect — Takeaway

Read the original article. Notice how the people involved are introduced.

The suspected murderer is identified by his professional title. The woman he allegedly murdered is introduced through her relationship to him.

And both are grouped together as people who were “killed,” blurring the distinction between the person suspected of committing the murders and the people he allegedly murdered.

One is suspected of taking two lives. The other had her life taken.

Why does the identity of the person who killed her become part of how we define the woman who died?

The Stranger Effect asks us to recognize the violence first, without allowing familiarity or relationship labels to change how we see it.

When violent behavior enters a courtroom—or the court of public opinion—should the relationship between the two people alter the consequence?

If a total stranger assaults or strangles someone on the street, how quickly does society demand intervention and legal consequences?

Now imagine that exact same physical act occurs—but the two people are married, dating, or related. Does our expectation of justice stay the same, or does the relationship label change how we evaluate the danger? Do we measure harm differently depending on who caused it?

To examine how we process harm, accountability, and the “familiarity factor,” I’ve put together a brief, 7-question thought experiment survey.

• Responses are 100% anonymous.

• It takes less than two minutes to complete.

Share Your Perspective, take the survey!

Take the Survey!

Why Your Answers Matter

This survey explores the core premise of The Stranger Effect: what happens when we temporarily strip away the relationship label to see behavior and lethal risk for what it truly is?

I will use your responses to analyze and publish an in-depth breakdown of the findings alongside legal realities, behavioral conditioning, and what the data reveals about how our systems evaluate danger.

Thank you for contributing your voice to this research.

Share The Stranger Effect

Tags: Domestic Violence, Coercive Control, Advocacy, Bystander Intervention, Risk Assessment

Subscribe now

Beginnings are hard. Especially when the blank page in front of you represents a deeply personal reality. I did not start The Stranger Effect as a theoretical exercise; I built it because I have navigated the complexities of domestic violence firsthand. I have lived through the confusion of experiencing behaviors that society minimizes simply because of a relationship label, and I have seen the dangerous gap between the reality of abuse and how our systems respond to it.

This project was born from that lived experience. I realized that whether you are a victim trying to survive, an advocate stepping into someone’s life, a legal professional handling a case, or a stranger witnessing red flags in public, the greatest barrier to safety is the way we are conditioned to view familiar abuse. I had to learn how to mentally step back and assess the risk objectively to find clarity. Now, I am turning that personal survival mechanism into a practical tool for others. That is why this space exists, and that is why we are starting today.

Why this, why now

Imagine a stranger on the street screaming at you, monitoring your phone, isolating you from your friends, or physically blocking a doorway. We would immediately recognize this behavior as a severe threat. We would call for help. We would have zero tolerance for it.

Yet, the moment we attach an intimate or familial “relationship label” to the two people involved, society suddenly places that exact same behavior on a broad spectrum of “acceptable” or “understandable” conduct. We excuse it as a “bad argument,” “passion,” or a “private family matter.”

This societal conditioning is dangerous. It clouds judgment, delays intervention, and keeps victims trapped.

That is why I am launching The Stranger Effect. We urgently need a practical tool to bypass this conditioning. The premise is a simple but radical thought exercise in risk assessment: mentally strip away the relationship label. If a stranger did this, how would you react? By removing the familiar label, we can objectively evaluate the behavior for what it truly is.

What kind of community are you looking to build here

Domestic violence does not happen in a vacuum—it impacts an entire ecosystem. Because of that, this publication is not just a blog; it is an advocacy hub built for four distinct groups:

• Victims & Survivors: A space for validation, recognizing non-physical abuse, and actionable safety planning.

• Legal Professionals: Insights that bridge the critical gap between clinical trauma and court procedures, protective orders, and evidence dynamics.

• Victim Advocates: Resources for managing frontline fatigue, sharing best practices, and navigating community resources.

• Bystanders & Strangers: Practical guides on how everyday people can spot the red flags of coercive control and safely intervene without escalating a dangerous situation.

What to expect.

To make this information as accessible and actionable as possible, here is what you can expect when you subscribe:

• Weekly Insights: Every week, I will publish a new article breaking down a specific aspect of abuse, intervention, or legal reality.

• Categorized Content: Every post will be clearly tagged for its intended audience (Victims, Advocates, Legal, or Strangers) so you can immediately find the resources that apply to your situation.

• Always Free: Safety and risk assessment should never be paywalled. All core articles, tools, and visual resources will remain 100% free for everyone. (Optional: If you wish to support the ongoing creation of these resources, a paid subscription tier is available, but never required).

The First Step.

Awareness starts with shifting our perspective. If you are ready to look through a clearer lens and stop excusing the inexcusable, join the community below.

Please share this with your colleagues, friends, and anyone who might need a new way to assess the risk in front of them.