Mary Faith Battaglia, a 9-year-old girl of Italian-American ethnicity from Dallas, Texas, tragically lost her life on May 2, 2001. She and her younger sister, Liberty Mae Battaglia, aged 6, were killed by their estranged father, John David Battaglia Jr., in an act of revenge against their mother, Mary Jean Pearle. The incident occurred in Deep Ellum, Dallas, Texas.
John Battaglia, who was 46 years old at the time, had a history of domestic violence and had been separated from his wife
for about two years. On the day of the murders, Battaglia learned that a warrant had been issued for his arrest for violating a protective order. He called his ex-wife, Mary Jean Pearle, and put their daughter, Mary Faith, on the phone, asking her why her mother wanted him to go to jail. Mary Faith responded, "No, daddy, please don't, don't do it," before gunshots were heard.
Police later found the bodies of Mary Faith and Liberty Mae in their father's apartment, each with multiple gunshot wounds. John Battaglia was arrested later that night at a tattoo parlor, where he had gotten new tattoos representing his daughters. He was charged with capital murder and sentenced to death.
The case drew significant media attention and led to a lengthy legal battle over Battaglia's mental competency for execution. Despite numerous appeals, Battaglia was executed by lethal injection on February 1, 2018, at the age of 62. The tragic loss of Mary Faith and Liberty Mae Battaglia remains a somber reminder of the devastating impact of domestic violence and the importance of protective measures for victims.
