Police Defend Themselves After Teen Kills Girlfriend, Self
Posted: 4:53 pm EST February 18, 2008Updated: 5:43 pm EST February 18, 2008
DELAND, Fla. -- Police are defending themselves against accusations they could have done more to prevent a teen's murder. The victim's family claims police did not do enough to protect her, but Eyewitness News found there's another side to it.Natasha Hall, 17, was shot to death Friday night in DeLand. Police say her boyfriend, 19-year-old Daniel Kufner, killed her before he took his own life.Natasha Hall's mother told Eyewitness News neither cops or courts were doing anything to stop the harassment. It sounded outrageous, so Monday Eyewitness News reviewed three months of police calls, records police say show they were doing whatever they could.High school student Natasha Hall was shot on her own front porch, a deadly ending to months of documented problems with her ex-boyfriend. In the wake of the killing, family members said they were angry that police knew Kufner was dangerous."The only reason I even know of this allegation is it's come from news media. The mother has not come in, sat down with myself or Chief Overman, which we would be willing to do that. So I don't even know what the accusation actually is," said Chief Deputy Randel Henderson, DeLand Police Department.Records show police were at the home nine times in the last three months. They show Kufner hit the girl and posted nude pictures of her on the Internet, but the family also refused to press charges against the boy in some cases and Channel 9 learned they never got an injunction or restraining order against him."Basically we have a very young couple who are experiencing, at least up until last Friday evening, just very normal relationship problems," Henderson said.Police said, even without the direct complaint from the family, they reviewed all their reports and records Monday morning and found no problems."I can say that I found nothing in those reports to show the officers were either careless or did anything that was inappropriate," Henderson said.The girl's mother also told Eyewitness News on Monday that she continued to talk to Kufner in recent days, even bought him food, as she tried to help him with his anger issues.
Previous Stories:
- February 18, 2008: Friends Say Murder-Suicide Victim Had Been Stalked By Ex-Boyfriend
- February 16, 2008: Two Teens Dead In Murder/Suicide
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