Aug 31, 2016 7 min read

Editor’s note: This story has been modified from a previous version to correct a statistic.

Richard Kopko said Tuesday night after his daughter died of a gunshot wound allegedly inflicted by her husband who had abducted her that he “knew it was going to happen” and alluded to a history of abuse.

“She was a good kid,” Kopko said. “She was scared to death of him, he threatened her all the time, he beat her several times, I tried to get her away, but I don’t know what the deal was because, well, it’s over now.”

Tierne Ewing’s alleged abduction and other events that led to her death occurred despite measures put in place by the Washington County Court system that were intended to protect her while her husband was free on bond on charges stemming from allegations he’d held her captive and tortured her less than two months earlier.

Both Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone and Court Administrator Patrick Grimm said officials plan to review facts related to her abduction and death to determine what, if any, changes should be made to procedures.

Conditions on Kevin Ewing’s bond included GPS tracking and electronic monitoring devices that were supposed to alert authorities if they were tampered with.

State police said in an affidavit outlining charges against Ewing he “cut the ankle monitor off his leg and handed it to (his mother).”

Grimm declined to confirm on Wednesday afternoon whether the devices Ewing was required to wear as a condition of his bond had been put in place and whether authorities got notification they were supposed to receive if they were removed.

He did say the devices alert the adult probation office, which was tasked with supervising Ewing’s compliance, if someone removes or tampers with them.

At night, at least one member of that office is on call, and would receive notification over the laptop they’re required to have.

Grimm declined to name the officer who was on call on the night in question.

Requirements that Ewing wear the devices were among the conditions added to Ewing’s bond after Assistant District Attorney Kristin Clingerman asked a judge to increase bond for Ewing after he posted the initial $100,000 bond set by a district judge and was released from jail.

In a motion filed July 15, four days after Ewing’s release, Clingerman cited the “gravity and severity” of the case. She also pointed to Ewing’s criminal history, which includes previous instances of domestic abuse, and described him as posing a danger to his wife and others.

“This had all the indications that this was a case that could be lethal,” Clingerman said Wednesday, pointing to the injuries he had allegedly inflicted on his wife “combined with his interest in guns and firearms and his access to them despite the fact that he was a person who under the law was not supposed to have access to them.”

A transcript of a hearing held July 19 on Clingerman’s request quotes Judge Gary Gilman as saying the bond amount was reasonable but “based on the allegations, I can understand why an alleged victim would find that she is in substantial fear.”

He did add the GPS tracking device and electronic home monitoring – along with barring Ewing from having firearms in his possession or at his home – as Clingerman had requested to ensure his wife’s safety.

In addition, Tierne Ewing had a protection from abuse order against her husband prohibiting him from contacting her. She later attempted to withdraw it but Judge Damon Faldowski left the order in place after hearing testimony Aug. 9 from a county detective about the pending July kidnapping case.

After Tierne Ewing’s body was found, Kopko expressed frustration to reporters that his daughter’s alleged abuser was free while he awaited the outcome of that case.

“He’s sick and the damn judges let him go,” Kopko said. “Big deal, they put a bracelet on him, and she’s six miles away. Come on, give me a break, there’s something wrong with the judging system in this country.”

Despite his prohibition on possessing firearms, Ewing used a gun in the July alleged kidnapping and to kill his wife and shoot himself.

According to the state police affidavit of probable cause filed along with a new spate of charges against Kevin Ewing on Tuesday, Tierne Ewing “had been contacting (her husband) and coming to stay with” (him) at his mother’s home. For several days, the victim had been staying at a downstairs apartment at her mother-in-law’s residence on Block House Road, West Finley Township.

Lisa Hannum, director of operations for Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania, could not address specific circumstances pertaining to the Kevin and Tierne Ewing case, but said people should not be asking, “How could she go back to him?” but rather, “Societally, we need to make a shift in our thinking. We need to start asking, ‘Why does he abuse?’

“It is not her fault that she is the victim. It is equally as important to start educating the public to prevent the problem, to keep the problem from occurring in the first place. We can start changing how we think, so when young kids turn into adults, they’re not in a situation where they even need our services.”

Domestic Violence Services, which operates two shelters serving Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, maintains a 24-hour hotline at 724-223-9190 and a website, www.peacefromdv.org, that links to its Facebook page. Hannum said her organization will talk with any group, from preschool on up, to try to stop domestic violence.

She revealed a chilling statistic: Women who leave their batterers are at a 75 percent greater risk of being killed by the batterer than those who stay, according to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Because the question lingers about why victims remain in an abusive situation, Hannum said it boils down to fear.

“Domestic violence is about power and control. When someone leaves the situation, it escalates the abuse.

“There may be many reasons,” she said. “They don’t know of other resources or options. They might be fearful if they stay with family or friends that would endanger their family or friends. They may have burned bridges with family or friends. They may not know of the availability of a shelter. They may need combined income. They might have kids and don’t want to take kids away from their father. They may adhere to religious or cultural beliefs. A victim may be facing a specific threat, and will stay in a situation in hope of keeping the threat from being carried out. If you have a couple of kids, the abuser might be saying, ‘I’m going to kill you and the kids.'”

She said of Tierne Ewing’s death, “This has certainly generated a lot of conversation. To bring it to the forefront again, we have to start talking about this issue. If we turn a blind eye, we’ll never start a conversation about this.”

Larry Maggi, chairman of the Washington County board of commissioners and a former state trooper and sheriff, said he was part of the state police force in the late 1980s and early 1990s when electronic home monitoring made its debut in the area.

“I had occasions where people removed these bracelets that were archaic compared with what they have today,” Maggi said. “We were contacted. Usually the investigating officer would be contacted and advised that it happened.”

Maggi referred to the events surrounding Tierne Ewing’s death as “tragic,” and said in social media and conversations he’s had in person, people are wondering how the county could let this happen.

“People are concerned, and it is very concerning,” he said. “Unfortunately, there are three branches of government, judicial, legislative and executive. The county commissioners, other than paying the bills, we have no say in the judicial system.”