In re B.W. CA2/5

I. BACKGROUND

Mother and G.W. (Father) are the parents of B.W., who was born in 2007. Mother and Father ended their nine year relationship in January 2014, and Mother later began a relationship with a man named Dejohn, who she referred to as her fiancé (because it sounded better than calling him a “boyfriend”). Dejohn and Mother lived together in a home where several of Mother’s extended family members also resided.

A. Domestic Violence between Dejohn and Mother Dejohn physically assaulted Mother in June 2015, about a year and a half after Mother and Dejohn started dating and while Mother was thirteen weeks pregnant with Dejohn’s child. Specifically, on June 18, 2015, Mother and Dejohn argued because he wanted a key to Mother’s residence and Mother refused. As the argument escalated, Mother told Dejohn she was scared and was going to call the police. When she picked up the phone, Dejohn ripped the phone from the wall and told Mother that “if [she] call[ed]

1 Statutory references that follow are to the Welfare and Institutions Code.

2 the police, everyone here will be dead before they get here.” Mother then tried to grab her cell phone, but Dejohn grabbed her by her hair…