I Just Killed My Dad

[Door County Cherry]

Quote

Anthony Templet shot his father and never denied it. But why he did it is a complex question with profound implications. Explore Anthony's psyche prior to the events of June 3, 2019 and the journey of his mental and emotional aftermath.

3 part documentary series on Netflix from the producers of Abducted In Plain Sight.

[gesundheit]

Well, that was unnerving!

[libgirl2]

3 hours ago, gesundheit said:

Well, that was unnerving!

That is an understatement. IT reminded me of The Girl in the Picture. I don't understand how his bio mother just took off after the abuse but left him behind! Did she think he would be safe? And then, I get she was looking for him but with all that information she had, she didn't do a great job at it. I get a feeling she had her own battles she was dealing with. 

[AnnMarie17]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

That is an understatement. IT reminded me of The Girl in the Picture. I don't understand how his bio mother just took off after the abuse but left him behind! Did she think he would be safe? And then, I get she was looking for him but with all that information she had, she didn't do a great job at it. I get a feeling she had her own battles she was dealing with. 

I absolutely agree.  He was living with his dad, under their own names, in the state she knew they would be in...and...she...couldn't...find...him?  I was gobsmacked she left her kid in that situation.  I think her own demons and a serious lack of resources was also at play but, damn.  That was heartbreaking.

I'm grateful he has been given a chance to transform his life.  Did they say what kind of treatment/education/services he will receive going forward?  If they did, I missed it.

Edited August 18, 2022 by AnnMarie17
Nothing to see here...talk amongst yourselves.

[Maisiesmom]

This was very disturbing. That poor kid-why didn't his mom try harder to get him back? And the step-mom and her son should have taken him with them when they got out. The dad was a complete nutjob-I wonder how the young man will move forward, with no education or any kind of skills. At least he didn't go to prison. That would have been the end of him.

[libgirl2]

4 hours ago, AnnMarie17 said:

I absolutely agree.  He was living with his dad, under their own names, in the state she knew they would be in...and...she...couldn't...find...him?  I was gobsmacked she left her kid in that situation.  I think her own demons and a serious lack of resources was also at play but, damn.  That was heartbreaking.

I'm grateful he has been given a chance to transform his life.  Did they say what kind of treatment/education/services he will receive going forward?  If they did, I missed it.

They didn't mention. I'm sure he is getting help. 

3 hours ago, Maisiesmom said:

This was very disturbing. That poor kid-why didn't his mom try harder to get him back? And the step-mom and her son should have taken him with them when they got out. The dad was a complete nutjob-I wonder how the young man will move forward, with no education or any kind of skills. At least he didn't go to prison. That would have been the end of him.

Legally, the stepmother couldn't but I'm glad he is with her now. I could see how much she loves him. 

[sadie]

Not sure how I feel about this one. I don’t want to get blasted but I just felt like they didn’t do a good job here. The abuse Anthony suffered just seemed under represented in terms of the reality of his day to day life. 

First let me state unequivocally Bert was a MONSTER.  A very sick and dangerous man. That said, I have real issues with the other adults in this kids universe. Bio Mom and step mom both got out, but then sobbed and cried about how they felt leaving this poor kid to fend for himself. And then once he actually kills the bastard they are all out of the wood work about how much love and support he has. Huh? I’m sorry but I felt like they could have done way more to help him before he had to kill his father. I disliked them all immensely. 

I was bothered that Anthony kept saying he was “innocent”, well not exactly kid, you may have been justified in what you did, or thought you had to do it, but “innocent” just rang wrong for me. I get his dead affect was due to years of abuse but I think he needs a lot a lot of therapy because I’m not convinced he is really stable now. 

And the whole reconciliation thing at the end where bio mom and grandma are tying yellow ribbons and ringing their hands was just a WTF for me. They did not fight at all in my opinion to get this kid out and make him safe but they’re gonna make a big production of their reunion like they’ve spent years fighting for his safety. Nope. 

I liked the attorney, but that’s about it.

What a shit show of incompetence, abuse and neglect. 

[Irlandesa]

On 8/18/2022 at 12:12 PM, libgirl2 said:

That is an understatement. IT reminded me of The Girl in the Picture. I don't understand how his bio mother just took off after the abuse but left him behind! Did she think he would be safe? And then, I get she was looking for him but with all that information she had, she didn't do a great job at it. I get a feeling she had her own battles she was dealing with. 

She might have felt he'd be safe until she could come back for him.  She got him again but her ex had more money and she didn't think she could fight.  She definitely had issues but I think this highlighted a failure of the justice/family court systems as well.  He was able to go into court and get custody in a new state without hearing from the mother or even checking if this was a potential abusive situation which would have been obvious by doing a background check on him.

[cmfran]

Finished this one last night, and wow, what a mess from top to bottom. Burt was a POS that deserved what he got. He was definitely on a path to killing or seriously hurting someone, and it's amazing that after numerous arrests and police visits, he was still walking around free. 

Considering that there were cameras mounted all over the inside of the house, it's interesting that there was no footage of the shooting. I don't recall them showing anything from inside the house except the reenactments.

[Ijustwantsomechips]

Here’s a little follow up on Anthony in case anyone is interested.  This occurred not too far from where I live.  Mom seemed to have her own issues, stepmom seemed to like the comfortable lifestyle, and out child welfare system is in disarray so nothing about the case surprises me.  The DA came into office with guns blazing. Once he started locking parents up for their truant kids I knew things were going to get interesting very quickly. 

[Bastet]

On 8/18/2022 at 10:12 AM, libgirl2 said:

I don't understand how his bio mother just took off after the abuse but left him behind!

She explained that; she believed if she took him, Burt would kill her and her family. 

She came back, went through the court system, got Anthony back, and then Burt went through another court system, was granted temporary custody in another state, and wore her down with court appearances she had to travel to until she ran out of money to keep fighting.

On 8/18/2022 at 12:45 PM, Maisiesmom said:

And the step-mom and her son should have taken him with them when they got out.

Even if that didn't get her killed, it would have gotten her arrested; she had no authority to take him.

It is tragic that it took Anthony killing his dad to get people invested in what had been happening to him, but I'm a lot more concerned with the actions of the man who abused everyone in his family and the system that failed his victims than with analyzing how his victims could have acted better.

This did a pretty decent job showcasing the failures of the system, the cycle of violence (his mom's family is a chillingly common tale - Grandma grew up with an abusive father, then married an abusive man so Mom grew up the same way, then married an abusive man), and how our response to domestic violence is to ask victims why they didn't leave rather than to ask abusers why they thought they had the right to torment someone they claim to love.

At times the DA reminded me why I hate prosecutors only slightly less than I hate cops, but then she'd have these lovely moments of reasonableness and empathy.  In the end, the DA's office did the right thing (lucky for Anthony he's white; a Black or Latin/Hispanic kid would never have caught a break, even if they'd somehow managed to attract a top-notch attorney wanting to handle their case pro bono).  It's terrible he had to spend six months (I think?) as a kid in adult jail in the interim, though.

She said he's been given plenty of resources to make it through his probation period and lead a productive life, but I wonder if that's true, and how well he can adapt to society even with help after being isolated from the time he can remember.  The poor kid was pretty much doomed from the day he was born, so he has a long, tough road ahead of him.  He broke my heart when he, in talking about how his dad never educated him, said, "It's a lot easier to control a stupid person than a smart one, right?"

[bilgistic]

All of what @Bastet said. My father was abusive in a lot of the same ways Bert was. He was a career police officer—eventually lieutenant—and was able to abuse the system for years to avoid being culpable for his abuse and paying child support.

My mother had to fight for years to get child support for us, her three daughters. She was eventually able to have my father's wages garnished. She was a low-paid legal secretary when we were growing up. She barely made ends meet.

I wept for Anthony. I really hope his lawyer set him up with adult education and counseling. I hope his stepmom and her son took him in.

[overtherainbow]

Glad this documentary is brining attention to the evils of the injustice system. Anthony shouldn't have been charged with anything. He seems to be doing well today, though, considering everything.