Domestic Violence

A man under the influence of drugs and alcohol slashed his three children with a box cutter early Tuesday after chasing their mother from a hotel room, police said. Esteban Saracho, 29, nearly severed one of his children's fingers in the attack and left them with "several lacerations to their face, head or neck and their hands," according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The incident occurred at 1:40 a.m. at the Red Roof Inn on Mariposa Road. Saracho had chased his girlfriend out of their hotel room and threatened her when she hid behind another couple.

A freshman state senator sworn into office despite allegations that he slashed his girlfriend's face with broken glass in a jealous rage has been indicted on domestic assault charges, prosecutors said. A grand jury in Queens indicted Hiram Monserrate, 41, on three counts of second-degree felony assault and three counts of third-degree misdemeanor assault. He faces seven years in prison if convicted on the most serious charges. He denied guilt.

A longtime advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault was named to a new post as a White House advisor on violence against women. In announcing the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal, Vice President Joe Biden said that creating the job allows the White House to revive a focus on domestic violence issues -- which Biden said were not at the forefront during the Bush administration.

Rihanna says dealing with the media attention after being assaulted in February by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown was humiliating. But she now hopes to speak for young women who are afraid to talk openly about domestic violence. The 21-year-old pop star told Glamour magazine in an interview posted online Tuesday that she didn't realize how much her decisions affected people she didn't know, like her many fans. She feels stronger, wiser and more aware now, she added. "Domestic violence is a big secret," Rihanna said.

Joe Torre, baseball may be what you are remembered for, but the bravery it took to talk openly about your childhood pain [T.J. Simers' column, Nov. 6] is what well may matter most as your legacy. My hope is that the thousands of youngsters who turn to sports for solace from the domestic violence in their own homes will take some of that courage and run with it. They may be in for a rough ride, but, as a child, I survived domestic violence, physical abuse, incest, and abandonment at the hands of a schizophrenic mother and an alcoholic father.

A sheriff's deputy remained in critical condition Monday in a Lynwood hospital after a weekend attack that left his neighbor dead, authorities said. Deputy Gilbert Madrigal, 45, and Monica Lujan, 26, allegedly were bludgeoned by Lujan's estranged husband as they talked in front of the deputy's Norwalk home early Sunday morning. Lujan died at the scene while Madrigal suffered major head trauma and was hospitalized at St. Francis Medical Center.

A man fatally shot his wife at point-blank range and then turned the gun on himself, days after she said he had abused her and had obtained a restraining order against him, sheriff's deputies said Friday. David William Schenk, 39, and Heather Jan Fredette Schenk, 46, had a volatile and strife-torn marriage, according to neighbors, who said they often heard the couple arguing at the home in the 21400 block of Wahoo Trail.

A Norwalk man, previously arrested on suspicion of threatening his estranged wife, allegedly bludgeoned her to death early Sunday and critically injured her neighbor, an off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy. Monica Lujan, 26, and sheriff's Deputy Gilbert Madrigal, 45, were beaten outside Madrigal's Elmcroft Avenue home in Norwalk about 2:45 a.m. Sunday, authorities said. Responding to a neighbor's 911 call, deputies found the victims in a pool of blood on the sidewalk.

Two sisters, one of them the mother of a boy and girl who were allegedly beaten and killed by their father, should stand trial for accessory to murder, a Municipal Court judge ruled Wednesday. Judge Lloyd Nash said prosecutors presented enough evidence against Petra and Maria Ricardo, who are accused of child endangerment and being accessories to the slayings, for their cases to proceed to trial.

Los Angeles police said Friday they will seek charges against a South African consul who allegedly fought with his wife, then claimed diplomatic immunity when questioned by officers. Detectives expect to present a case to the district attorney's office Monday to determine whether to charge Mpendulo Kumalo, a member of Los Angeles' large but little-known diplomatic community, with felony spousal assault, police said.