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Two months before Lisa Mederos and three others were fatally shotby her boyfriend J.T. Ready, police told the Gilbert woman how shecould have him removed from the home, but for unknown reasons, shedeclined to pursue that option. Mederos had gone to Gilbert police headquarters on Feb. 28 andreported that Ready had choked her twice in seven months and wasrefusing to leave the home, which she owned, according to a policereport obtained by The Arizona Republic . Funeral for victims Victim vigil Photos from shooting When the Mederos family gathered on May 2 to ask Ready to leave thehome, police said he killed four people before turning the gun onhimself. The dead included Lisa Mederos, 47; her daughter Amber Mederos, 23;Amber's 15-month-old daughter, Lilly; Amber's fiance Jim Hiott, 24;and Ready, 39. Since the alleged assaults occurred several months prior, policesaid they did not have probable cause to make an arrest and advisedMederos to seek an order of protection, a type of restrainingorder, on Feb. 28. An order of protection is the "quickest way to get somebody out whoposes a threat to other residents of the home," Mesa real-estateattorney Bert Millett said. "Anyone who experiences threats or actsof domestic violence can walk into any justice court or superiorcourt, appear before a judge the same day, and if granted, servethe order of protection on the defendant." But victims are sometimes afraid to exercise those legal rights, hesaid. Ready had moved in with Mederos in early 2011, about one year afterthe two began dating. A police report said signs of domesticviolence emerged a few months after they began living together. In July 2011, the couple were lying in bed and discussing theirrelationship when Mederos made a comment about Ready's mother,upsetting him. Mederos said Ready reached over and put his handover her mouth and nose for "a good minute or two," according tothe report. Recalling another incident that appears to have occurred in thefall, Mederos told police she had poked Ready when he was unwillingto talk about their relationship, and the next thing she rememberedshe was facedown on the floor with Ready on top of her, his lefthand on her throat. Ready ordered her to apologize and released heronce she did. Mederos told police in February she wanted to end the relationship,but an officer said she could not simply kick Ready out because he"had standing in the home," the report shows. Gilbert police Sgt. Bill Balafas said police consider many factorsin determining whether someone has "standing," or a right to livein a home. Considerations include length of time living there,frequency of stay, possession of house keys and ownership ofproperty in the home, Balafas said. Millett said there are two primary legal options to remove anunwanted tenant once the home has become their personal residence:"An order of protection will result in immediate removal from thehome, while an eviction proceeding can take weeks." When a police officer on Feb. 28 told Mederos how to seek an orderof protection, she became tearful and said she did not plan ondoing so, according to the report. The officer said it was herdecision. A week later, police followed up with a visit to Mederos' home inorder to speak with Ready about the reported abuse. Ready wasuncooperative and told the officer he had nothing to say, accordingto the police report. The case went inactive due to a lack ofevidence. Retaliation may have been the reason Mederos declined to pursue theorder of protection, said Merri Tiseth, legal advocacy hotlinemanager for Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence. "She was probably afraid of the consequences," Tiseth said. "He wasa scary person, and he had firearms. When a person has firearms thelethality rate goes through the roof." In domestic-violence cases, the time of separation is the mostlethal time, Tiseth said. Indicators of a potentially lethalsituation include access to firearms, unemployment, substanceabuse, depression and escalating abuse, she said. Police found two handguns, a shotgun and three rifles after thekillings, according to a separate document released Tuesday byGilbert police on evidence found after the shooting. Ready recently had been fired from his job at AutoZone, accordingto police records. If a domestic-violence victim were to call the coalition's hotlinewith a similar situation, Tiseth said she would talk to them aboutan order of protection. If domestic violence has occurred or mayoccur, a person likely has grounds for an order, Tiseth said. "The level of proof is not high to get an order of protection,"Tiseth said. Those suffering from or threatened by domestic violence can reachthe coalition at 1-800-782-6400, or they can call the NationalDomestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Piston Pump Parts , Hydraulic Gear Pump Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Hydraulic Piston Pump.
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