posted October 5, 2001
An estranged husband who attacked his wife with a claw hammer in her classroom at Brown Middle School was angry because she would not attend his baptism, according to testimony Friday morning.
James Harold Lusk said his father, James Lusk Jr., was mad at both him and his mother over their not going to his baptism at a camp of the Community of Christ Church.
General Sessions Court Judge Richard Holcomb kept James Lusk Jr. on the same $1,000,020 bond after hearing testimony in the case.
The judge said, "I'm in my 20th year and I've never heard a more cruel case - to do this in front of a classroom of children and to show no remorse."
Judge Holcomb noted that Lusk was still cussing the wife and son when he was giving a statement to police hours after the Sept. 26 incident at Brown Middle School. The judge said, "He was making statements about doing further harm to her when he did not know if she was dead or alive."
It was testified that the seventh grade teacher, Donna Michelle Lusk, has been moved from the intensive care unit of Erlanger Medical Center to the Siskin Rehabilitation Center.
County Det. Chris Chambers said she suffered numerous blows to the head, shoulder and arm as well as severe damage to a thumb that will require major surgery later.
He said one blow with the hammer to the teacher's head caused bleeding into the front part of her brain.
Det. Chambers, who saw the teacher the night of the incident, said her left eye was swollen shut. He said she had one large gash of about two inches on one part of her head and a larger gash on another part. He said both wounds had been stapled up.
The 20-year-old son said he and his mother had left their home in East Lake on Saturday afternoon prior to the Wednesday morning incident. He said after that the father "kept calling us and telling us he was going to get us - that he would make sure he would get us both."
He said the father "said he would slit my throat and beat my brains out if I went in the house while he was not there and messed with his stuff."
The son said the father also said that he "had something in the car" for Mrs. Lusk, and he told the son he would "torch my car and truck."
James Harold Lusk said he and his mother went to Circuit Court on Monday morning to get orders of protection. But he said he never expected his father would actually come after them. He said in the past he had "gotten mad and slammed doors and thrown things," but had never made threats or hit them.
The son said, "He says a lot of things he doesn't mean when he gets mad."
The couple had been married 24 years. They were originally from Sacramento, Calif., and came here 11 years ago.
Det. Chambers said Lusk turned himself in to the east sector squad room around 11:30 a.m. that Wednesday, and he started giving a statement at 12:05.
He said Lusk "was very upset" and was calling the wife and son vile names. "He was cussing both of them and was real agitated. He finally calmed down."
Det. Chambers said after the attack at Brown Middle School, Lusk had driven his truck to the home of a man he goes to church with on Champion Road. He said he had parked the truck at a grocery store and had driven around with the man. He said he later told the man his truck must have been stolen and had him drive him to the squad room.
Det. Chambers said Lusk stated that he had gone out that morning looking for the son "to beat his brains out." He said he found the son's truck at his job, but he had gone out to another work site.
He said Lusk stated that he then started home, then decided to go after the wife at the school. He said he drove to Brown Middle School and got in through a gym door. He said he asked students for directions to his wife's class.
Lusk said he had the hammer hidden behind him under his shirt.
Lusk stated that he asked a female student that he knew to point out the room and she did. He said when he found the door was locked, he asked the student to knock on the door. She did, and he followed her in.
Lusk told the detective that his wife was seated at her desk. She told her students to "run, run" and get the principal and she tried to run away herself, but she fell. He said he then began striking her with the hammer as she lay on the floor.
Det. Chambers said the hammer with a wooden handle and round head was found with blood and hair on it.
He said the man who had taken Lusk to the squad room turned over Lusk's billfold, and it contained a note that said: "She deserted (daughter) and me. She has to pay. Bad girl, Donna."
Det. Chambers said the only blemish on Lusk's record previously was a city sticker violation in 1976.
He said police confiscated taped calls from Lusk to his son, in which he called him a number of names and said, "You'd better watch your back. You're going to pay."
He said he was advised that on the night prior to the attack that Lusk had been feeling ill when "something came over him" and he went to the hospital and got some medication.
Det. Chambers said the son took him to the family home at 2609 E. 38th St. and showed him where the father had cut up wedding pictures and pictures of the father and son, had destroyed the son's trophies, cut up the son's San Francisco 49 jacket, and had put paint on the son's stereo and tackle box.
Prosecutor Barry Steelman had asked that the high bond remain, saying Lusk was a continuing danger to the family.
Judge Holcomb said he agreed that Lusk was a threat "to attack this woman as she lays in her hospital bed."
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