NOT BY CHOICE
May 28, 2020
4 minutes
It was 1979, and Dona Mae Bayerl, 38, was living in Muskego, Wisconsin, with her husband John and their two children – Jodie, then seven, and Jackie, four.
Dona had always worked before becoming John’s second wife, but once they married, she’d stayed home to be a mum.
The only downside to the role was that it made Dona more dependent on John.
He controlled their money – something that reflected his behaviour in his first marriage, according to his ex.
His first wife would later testify that John had been physically abusive, and it seemed he hadn’t changed.
Dona would write letters to a friend in Michigan and admitshe was afraid of John.
She said John
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