Liberty Mae Battaglia, a 6-year-old girl from Dallas, Texas, was tragically murdered on May 2, 2001. Liberty, along with her 9-year-old sister Mary Faith, was killed by their father, John David Battaglia Jr., in an act of revenge against his estranged ex-wife, Mary Jean Pearle. The murders took place at Battaglia's apartment in Deep Ellum, Dallas, during a scheduled visit with his daughters.
Battaglia, who was of Italian descent, had a history of domestic violence and had been separated from Pearle since January 1999 due to verbal abuse.
On the day of the murders, Battaglia learned that there was a warrant out for his arrest after he had harassed Pearle. He called Pearle and had Mary Faith ask her why she wanted him to go to jail. Pearle, who was on the phone, heard her daughter's last words, "No, daddy, please don't, don't do it," followed by gunshots. Police discovered the bodies of Mary Faith and Liberty in Battaglia's apartment, both with multiple gunshot wounds. Battaglia was later found at a tattoo parlor with freshly-inked tattoos representing his daughters.
Battaglia was arrested and charged with capital murder. He was convicted and sentenced to death in April 2002. His lawyers argued that he was mentally incompetent for execution, leading to multiple appeals and stays of execution. Despite these efforts, Battaglia was executed by lethal injection on February 1, 2018, at the age of 62. During his execution, he smiled and addressed his ex-wife, Mary Jean Pearle, who was present as a witness. His final words were, "Well, hi Mary Jean. I'll see y'all later. Go ahead please."
The case of Liberty and Mary Faith Battaglia's murders garnered significant media attention and highlighted issues related to domestic violence and the legal system's handling of such cases. The tragic deaths of these two young girls serve as a somber reminder of the devastating impact of domestic violence on families.
