The Murder of Jeffrey Dryden: The Grim Truth Surrounding Male Domestic Abuse (17 page)

Thank-You

Sincerely,

Laura Veenstra

Jeff Dryden's cousin

CHAPTER 19:

JUNE 14, 2011

THE DEVIL IN BLUE
GARB

Almost a year had passed since that
warm summer night when Jeff Dryden arrived at his apartment, only
to be pronounced dead moments later, the victim of un-controlled
rage and anger. The victim of Male Domestic Abuse by the hands of
his lover, his abuser turned murderer when she took the next step
on the ladder of cruelty and stabbed him in the neck, killing the
man, the son, the brother, nephew, cousin and friend of so many in
cold blood.

From the instant of impact, the second,
the moment the razor-sharp blade slammed into her victim’s neck,
penetrating deeply through his flesh Chiquita was already
concocting a tale for her own defense. A story of lies, of
falsehoods she assumed only she could verify as truth, as
fact.

Even before his body was cold, before
breath had left his small frail frame, before his heart stopped
pounding. Before Jeff loss all ability to think, to defend, to
speak, she, his killer, his murderer, was conspiring her story of
lies. “He was drinking and attacked me with the knife,” she was
heard repeating to anyone that would listen, yet the truth would
not die so easily as the truth, like God has a way of showing us
the light and errors of our ways.

“
Let the record indicate
that I have read all the reports. I should also acknowledged a
number of letters from the defendant’s family and pastors, as well
as have some letters of the precedents family, which take a
somewhat different view of the proceedings and what actually
happened than the letters of the defendants.” Chief Judge Johnston
said as he sat on the bench looking down at the packed full room of
supporters for both the Defendant and the unified friends and
family of her victim, Jeffrey Scott Dryden.

“
At this point, I would
like to take a moment to hear any further observations, comments,
or any other information or letters to add and such to the
sentencing recommendation report that I may not have already so
they may be entered into the records.

“
Your honor,” the Defense
said as he walked up to the judge’s bench, “I have one more letter
that I don’t believe you have, from one of the Defendant’s pastors
I would like to add into record,” the older and unknown male
Defense attorney said as he handed the judge the folded piece of
paper. “So entered,” The judge replied, placing the letter upside
down in the file next to him, never once looking or reading the
words stated on it.

“
Well then, let’s hear any
victim impact statements and then we can proceed to the allocution
by the defense,” Johnston added as he looked towards the
Prosecution whom had already began to usher, Tony Leverich, Jeff’s
step father to the podium before the court.

“
Good morning sir, may I
have your name please for the record,” the judge asked politely.
“My name… my name is Anthony Leverich,” he paused for a moment, as
he held the scrap piece of paper tightly in his hands as if using
it to support himself, “the father of Jeffrey Dryden,” he stated.
Tears glistening down the sides of his face as he stood mere feet
from the object of his torment the monster that brought him to that
very moment.

“
Please tell me how this
incident has affected you and your family,” Johnston asked as Mr.
Leverich began to speak once more. “Your honor,” he spoke softly at
first as if collecting his thoughts, fighting through the hurt and
pain one could easily see upon his face. “I… I only had eight years
with Jeff, and in that eight years, we developed a very,” Leverich
paused. Tears now pouring down from the sides of his face as he
wiped them away with the back of his hand, “a very close…,” he
gasped, his voice becoming jagged and rough as he tried to read the
words on the scrap of paper. “A… a very close relationship,” he
sighed deeply. “I… I can’t get this letter out… I have been asked
to write because I… I just can’t finish it.” Leverich hissed,
taking a deep breath as he gazed deeply towards the judge, raising
his voice so that all in the courtroom could hear. “I… I Just hope
Ms. Fizer someday admits her GUILT for what she has done and
understand how many families she has torn apart by doing this, not
only ours but her own.” He took a breath, again rubbing the tears
away from the sides of his eyes.

“
I hope that she takes a
chance to try to redeem herself. I… I honestly, myself, believe
that, once she does her time, she will just do the same thing to
another family. I feel terrible for her family BUT anyone from her
family can go see her at any time, yet the only time, THE ONLY
TIME, I will ever see… my son, is… is the day I die, and that’s all
I have to say.”

Mr. Leverich said as he pushed himself
away from the podium, his eyes gazing at the monster, the fiend
that took his beloved son from him as she stood against the far
wall, her eyes fixed on her IPod, scrolling through it as if she
hadn’t a care in the world. Taking his seat in the front row of
benches he felt the soft, warm hand of his daughter Lynn caressing
his shoulder, as she pressed her face up against him, comforting
him in his grief as tears rolled down her face.

“
Good Afternoon Sir and
your name is?” Johnston asked as a young, tall man walked up to the
podium, his eyes locked onto Fizer as she continued to gaze down at
her IPod, “My… my name is Jason Dryden, the identical twin of
Jeffrey Dryden,” he stated loudly before the court as if trying to
get Fizer to look up and acknowledge him.

“
Alright Mr. Dryden what
would you like to say?” Johnston asked as he cleared his throat for
a moment looking over towards the Defendant as she kept her sight
upon the electronic pad in her hand. “Alright, Chiquita,” Jason
said boldly, almost harshly as he dug the tips of his fingers into
the wood top of the podium, hiding his anger, his rage as he said
what he needed to say.

“
You swinging that knife
was with the understanding that you were taking the future from my
twin brother Jeff. I believe that you should not have dreams of
having a family in the future, as Jeff does not dream at all. I
urge the judge to (level) the law and sentence you to the maximum
sentence that the guidelines allow and that you get to come to
terms with the crime that you, AND ONLY YOU, are responsible.
That’s it, your honor,” Jason said as he pushed away from the
podium and sat back into the seat next to his beloved family his
hands tangling into the fingers of his beloved fiancée, “thank you
Mr. Dryden,” Johnston added.

“
Now then, if there are no
more victim statements to be made at this time I would like to ask
the defense if they wish to make any allocutions?” Johnston asked
the Defense. “Yes your Honor, at this time the Defendant would like
to make a statement to the family of the deceased and to the
court,” the defense stated as Fizer walked up to the podium on the
defense side, facing the judge as she looked down at her IPod.
“Very well, Mrs. Fizer, please make your allocution to the court
and the family of the Victim,” he stated.

“
I would like to say that
I---am---so—sorry--- from the bottom---of my heart.” Fizer stated,
as she stretched out her words. “I know that you are ANGRY---I know
that you’re MAD, and it PAINS me to see that YOU are HURTING… I
lost a part of me that night too…,” she said, the words capitalized
above stated loudly and clearly, stressing them out with elongated
emphasis as she continued to read from the scripted words in front
of her.

“
I take RESPONSIBILITY for
MY PART EVERY NIGHT—I sleep with a picture of him in my BIBLE, I
know that you curse my name that I don’t live too long. Yet, I’m
not MAD—I’m not ANGRY, MY HURT GOES OUT TO YOU, every day I am put
to SHAME,” Fizer stated. Her words like venom from a viper’s
tongue. Lashing over us with her lies, her ignorance to the truth,
to what she truly became that night as she continued to make
herself sound like the victim.

“
I MISS him TERRIBLY—I MISS
HIM TERRIBLY, and when I leave here, I won’t BLAME you, I will PRAY
for You---that you BEGIN TO LOVE—I LOVE YOU—And God LOVES you—and
you will always—be – in – my – heart—and you –will too.” Fizer said
as the anger in my friends and family grew with each vindictive
word that fell from her lips. Why would we want the love or the
prayers of someone full of so much sin, someone that can’t even
bring herself to admit her actions, her own guilt, and now the
moment when she has the chance to try and make everything right
again, she spits on us with her words. “That night was an
ACCIDENT—That night WAS AN ACCIDENT,” Fizer stated, stressing the
words over and over again, as if trying to convince the world that
she too was a victim, that she did no wrong when she abused Jeff
only to eventually kill him in cold blood.

“
It—it will be—with me—for
the rest—the rest of my LIFE—the REST OF MY LIFE… and IM SORRY—IM
SORRY…” she said repeatedly before walking away from the podium and
sitting back down at the defense table with her lawyer. “The rest
of her life, THE REST OF HER LIFE,” I found myself repeating
coldly, the anger inside me boiling to the surface. How was her
repeating “the rest of her life,” supposed to make any of us feel
anything but spite for her, I had to wonder. At least she had a
life to live still, be it in prison or not, she still had the
ability to breathe, the ability to love, to cry… the ability to
live… she had so much more going for her as she stood at that
podium than that of her victim… so, so, much more than she
realized.

“
Well thank you Miss
Fizer,” Judge Johnston said, “I can appreciate how difficult this
may be for you, but more importantly, I can appreciate how
difficult and painful this is for the family of the… of the
deceased victim in this case, ah… Mr. Jeffrey Dryden.” Johnston
said as he thumbed through the pages in front of him.

“
This incident occurred
back on July 18 of last year, in which you and Mr. Dryden got into
a heated domestic argument at the residence you shared at the Cross
Roads Apartment Complex in Wyoming.” Johnston stated as he read the
case brief.

“
When a knife somehow was
interjected into the dispute, in the ensuing struggle you stabbed
(remember this is being said by the judge in this case, thus giving
a final judgment that Chiquita stabbed Jeff in the neck and not the
presumed believe that it was a freak accident and the knife just
oddly slipped) Mr. Dryden in the neck.” He stated as Fizer gave a
slight yelp, before being handed some tissues by the defense as if
she was remembering a traumatic event being forced upon her, an
event I hoped would replay in her mind every time she took a
breath. “Mr. Dryden,” Johnston continued, “then staggered outside
where he collapses and dies,” The judge added.

“
You don’t have much of a
record but I do see a conviction from earlier in 2010 for a
domestic violence against him for which you were placed on
probation and that this transpired somewhat prior to the incident
that brings us here this day. Obviously, in retrospect it is clear
you did not willfully premeditate the death of Mr. Dryden but
rather that you knowingly and intentionally utilized a lethal
weapon to stab him in a very vulnerable spot. This brought about
his demise, and resorts to violence frequently that has a tragic
conclusion to it, even if it is not exactly the conclusion that was
intended by the perpetrators as the front end.” Johnston
added.

“
Your Guidelines in this
case, call for a sentence of between 162 (13.5 years) and a 270
(22.5 years) months.” He stated, as slight whimpers and gasps from
her family could echoed throughout the room.

“
However, the prosecuting
attorney has recommended that your minimum sentence (the minimum
amount of time she must serve) not exceed 15 years, and that is the
agreement upon which your plea was taken, and should be the
agreement that will be honored here today.

In light of the guideline, range
however, and in light of the sentencing agreement, and in
consistent with the magnitude of this offense. I believe that an
appropriate sentence involves a lengthy commitment to the Michigan
Department of Corrections, but fortunately, for you, you are a
young woman, and you will still have a fair amount of life still
once your sentence is fully served.” Johnston stated as a slight
rumble of emotions from Fizer’s support group could be heard
building through the room.

“
Of course as the family
members of the deceased have pointed out, is more than what can be
said for Mr. Dryden. The Court will direct as its sentence then,
that the Sheriff of this county transport you to Berrien County
Women’s Corrections Facility, with the directive that, that
department can send you to a corrections facility of its choosing
for NOT LESS than a term of 14 and ½ to 45 years with credit for
341 days previously served. This will constitute a final judgment
in your case…,” Johnston stated only to find himself being
interrupted by the aunt that was there the day the plea was
taken.

“
No... No. OH GOD. OH NO…
YOU DIDN’T DO THAT… THIS IS NOT FAIR… IT WAS AN ACCIDENT…,” she
cried out before falling down on the ground, her eyes gazing at us,
burning with the same hatred, the same rage of contempt that we as
a family had been feeling from the very moment her niece murdered
our beloved.