Kasandra Perkins: What the Headlines Tell Us (About Ourselves)

These are the actual headlines:

• NFL player Jovan Belcher kills girlfriend and self (BBC)
• Chiefs Player Shoots Himself Near Football Stadium (Bloomberg)
• SNAPPED: NFL's Players Suicide After Killing Lover (NY Post)
• Jovan Belcher of Kansas City Chiefs, girlfriend had 'normal' issues (ABC)

The same event can be described from multiple perspectives. The story in the left column below is a composite of actual media coverage, and the story in the right column below is probably one you won't see in any major newsfeed; perhaps that says something.

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KC Chiefs Rocked By Suicide of Committed Athlete NFL star Jovan Belcher had argued with his girlfriend after she came home late from an R&B concert the night before.Daily Mail. After thanking his coaches for all they'd done for him, the revered NFL player took his own life at the team's training facility. [Coaches] Pioli and Crennel told police that they were never threatened by Belcher and were never in fear during their discussion before he killed himself.Gothamist Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said that Belcher was "a player who had not had a long concussion history," even though he was a three-time all-America wrestler and a star on the football team at his West Babylon, N.Y., high school. ABC Belcher was a 25-year-old native of West Babylon, N.Y, played college ball at Maine, and had four seasons in the NFL.Daily Mail He had played all four of his NFL seasons for the Chiefs and played in every game each year, including the 11 so far this season. His 2012 salary was $1,927,000, four times what he had earned for the previous year.Daily Mail “He was a good person, a family man, a guy you would want to keep,” said former [youth] football coach Ruben Marshall. “And I’m sorry his life was taken away, but God has a plan for him.Gothamist Belcher's niece, Quaresha Boston, said the football player "embraced life and excelled at all he put his energy behind" and that God alone could "mend our hearts."ABC The Chiefs are scheduled to host the Carolina Panthers tomorrow at noon. Kansas City fans are known for their elaborate pre-game tailgating parties, but many expect the mood to be subdued on Sunday. A moment of silence for all victims of domestic violence will be held before the game.Chicago Tribune The Kansas City Chiefs have given the ball away with a league-high 32 turnovers so far this season and have lost their last eight games straight. The Chiefs have suffered the loss of several key players; this week the defense lost starting cornerback Brandon Flowers and linebacker Derrick Johnson to hamstring injuries.

Kasandra Michelle Perkins, 22, Murdered By Baby Daddy Kasandra Michelle Perkins (facebook) was murdered by the father of her three-month old child while his family members waited in an adjacent room. "Our hearts are truly broken for Kasi was a beloved daughter, granddaughter, sister, mother, cousin and friend," the family said in an emailed statement. The family also asked that the media "respect our privacy during this difficult time." After graduation, Kassandra Perkins took a job at Turner-Roberts Recreation Center, spending most of her time with kids, according to a spokeswoman. Originally from Long Island, Perkins had moved to Kansas City four years ago. Statistically, the United States has 600 murder-suicides per year, and students of domestic violence say that almost exclusively the murderer is a man. "You just never see a woman kill a man and then take her own life", said Sarah Goldsmith, an epidemiologist at the CDC in Atlanta. "That would be extraordinary." Goldsmith went on to say, "Since 2001, we've had more American women killed by boyfriends and husbands than the American lives lost in 9/11, Iraq, and Afghanistan". "Each year thousands of black women are shot, stabbed, stalked, and brutalized in crimes that never make it on the national radar. Black women experience intimate partner violence at a rate of 35% higher than do white women," writes Sikivu Hutchinson. "Intimate partner violence is a leading cause of death for black women, yet they are seldom viewed as proper victims and are rarely cast as total innocents." After leaving the now-motherless infant child with his family and fleeing the scene, the perpetrator drove to his workplace. He later killed himself with a single shot to the head when police arrived. Police said that the murderer was legally licensed to own and carry the weapon used to kill Kasandra Perkins, as well as several other weapons found at his residence.

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(via H.W.)