Texts show how Adam would physically and verbally abuse his ex wife. Photo / Imgur
Texts show how Adam would physically and verbally abuse his ex wife. Photo / Imgur
This was one of NZH Lifestyle's top stories for 2017
A woman who was beaten, sexually assaulted and verbally abused by her ex husband has shared screen grabs of their text message exchanges after turning him into authorities.
On Monday, Imgur user KrissyKross uploaded six screenshots of text messages from her now ex-husband, Adam, that demonstrate his possessive and violent nature, reports Daily Mail.
She says that during their relationship, he was violent and verbally abused her before she got the courage to leave and he was sentenced to eight months in prison.
Now, three years later, she said sharing the messages is like a form of therapy and a way for her to finally receive closure.
KrissyKross said Adam's violent tendencies started to be displayed after she underwent a rapid weight loss transformation, dropping from 200 pounds to roughly 120 pounds.
He would wait outside of her workplace after her shifts ended, text her incessantly regarding her whereabouts, and ask that she send him photographic evidence she was staying with her mother.
KrissyKross's Imgur post on May 1 went viral after she uploaded six text messages that documented the domestic violence she suffered at the hands of her now ex-husband Adam. Photo / Imgur
Adam would constantly ask her to send updates on where she was and who she with, such as in this example when she was with her mother. Photo / Imgur
According to the UK's National Domestic Violence Hotline, many partners don't exhibit their abusive behaviour until the later stages of a relationship.
Habits such as extreme jealousy, controlling a partner's social life, and hurting their pets as are all indicative of intimate partner abuse and violence - and KrissyKross' ex-husband exhibited much of this abusive behavior.
KrissyKross said Adam had a violent nature and would occasionally hit her, punch her or bite her. Photo / Imgur
In this conversation, KrissyKross said she stayed the night with a female friend. Photo / Imgur
She recounted a story of how she wanted to go out with two female co workers to celebrate her 23rd birthday.
"I told him weeks in advance and when the time came he punched me in the face and slammed my head into the floor, only leaving me alone because he had duty that evening," she wrote.
"I tried to go to the police in the middle of the night, he tailgated me the whole way."
KrissyKross added that when she tried to talk to his parents about his behavior, his father, a pastor in Tennessee, said "it's normal in a young marriage and I should reassure him".
She said that she finally got the courage to leave after he started abusing her dog and kitten. She packed up her bags and pets and hid at a co worker's house and called Naval Criminal Investigative Service - a sign that her husband was likely in the US Navy.
In one series of texts, Adam accused her of sleeping with a coworker of hers named Tony. Photo / Imgur
After giving statements and taking photographs of her bruises, Adam was arrested and charged with a handful of misdemeanour's and two felonies.
KrissyKross said she accepted his guilty plea bargain for eight months in the military prison Miramar on the condition that the felony charges be dropped.
She also said that she shared the texts years later because the stigma that surrounds women who stay in abusive relationships had kept her silent.
"Even on my post, a small handful of people were asking, 'Well, why would you stay then?' she told HuffPost.
KrissyKross says that her husband required her to call him every time she visited her mother at midnight. Photo / Imgur
"I made very little money, I was financially dependent and I just really wanted my marriage to work. I didn't want to give up on it. But it's hard for people on the outside to really understand that, I suppose."
It's been three years since and although KrissyKross says she's still recovering from the trauma, she adds she's in a much better place.
"This isn't really a sob story," she wrote.
"I'm really proud of what I've done on my own. I just wanted to share for possibly some closure since I never really got that."
Where to get help:
If it is an emergency and you or someone you know is at risk, call 111. • Women's Refuge: 0800 733 843 • Victim Support: 0800 842 846 • Lifeline: (09) 522 2999 • Family Violence Info Line: 0800 456 450
