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80: Her Estranged Husband Murdered Their Two Children

Beyond the Monsters

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Hope Hooton’s estranged husband murdered their two young children in an act of filicide after being granted unsupervised custody, despite clear warning signs of instability, prior abuse, and escalating mental health concerns. Just before their deaths, he made suicidal and homicidal statements, was hospitalized, and still walked out of court with 50/50 custody. Hope’s story exposes the reality of how quickly systems can fail, how mental health is misunderstood in legal settings, and how lethal risk is often missed until it’s too late.

Hope shares what led up to that moment, including years of coercive control, psychological abuse, gaslighting, and physical violence that she kept hidden while trying to survive and protect her children. She breaks down the timeline of events, the court decisions, and the warning signs that were overlooked, while also speaking to the unimaginable reality of losing both of her children and what it means to live after that level of loss.

Hope’s Links:

Hope's Book:
There's Still Hope: A Journey of Adversity, Tragedy, and Unshakable Faith
https://a.co/d/05vO53Js

Fill out the link to pass The Alec and Lydia Act!
https://rallystarter.com/rally/2948/p...

Instagram: hope_in_the_pain
TikTok: hope.in.the.pain
Facebook: Hope-In-The-Pain
https://linktr.ee/hopeinthepain

Voices Against Filicide - Hope’s Podcast
https://tr.ee/4zExkNUIYi

Resources:
Crisis Text Line
741741

Beyond the Monsters Socials:
Instagram: beyondthemonsters
https://linktr.ee/BeyondtheMonsters

Disclaimer: This podcast shares personal experiences and educational discussion. It is not medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your own care.

Topic: filicide, family court failure, coercive control, domestic violence (DV), custody system failure, true crime

20 Comments

@BeyondtheMonsters Creator 5 months ago Pinned

Please fill out this link to help pass The Alec and Lydia Act in the state of Arizona!: https://rallystarter.com/rally/2948/please-pass-the-alec-and-lydia-act-in-the-arizona-senate

@gamuiceyt01 4 months ago

I hope the judge who gave him 50/50 custody is haunted by this everyday

@pynch 4 months ago

judges get away with ruining people's lives and NOTHING ever changes. i'm so sick of

@YIGlz 4 months ago

The judge deserves to be called out publicly and tossed in jail

@soulsGoSolo 5 months ago

he’s in a psych ward for extended stay and he is still considered for custody? wow. how they work together to destroy women and children is just amazing

@kendallschmidt2485 4 months ago

He killed those kids because he absolutely hates her.....then he took the easy way out. Disgusting I hope that judge gets fired

@sarahsue4065 4 months ago

What a woman .. losing both parents , in an abusive marriage , sole bread winner .. then losing her two babies , she’s incredible

@Myster-Man-Channel 5 months ago

When she described the pocket knife incident, she's still diminishing his role "it came open when he threw it"... No... He opened it, he threw it, he knew exactly what he was doing. My husband recently admitted that during a verbal argument where he said the most atrocious things that he planned on saying those things for months. These abusive men know EXACTLY what they're doing.

@faythannemarquezable 5 months ago

I hope that judge is unable to sleep another night for the rest of their life.

@topazdominique208 2 months ago (edited)

judges need to be held accountable for deaths caused by their incompetent decision making, allowing abusers to have custody of children.

@BarbaraGartland-w7x 4 months ago

I love this interviewer. She give space for the guest to tell their story. And she asks questions on occasion but no interruptions!

@SarahHanes-pu2xw 5 months ago

I went to school with this girl and know of her story and all the work she's done to really push for her children's remembrance and honoring her children and enforcing act in their names and she is just such a beautiful spirit and such a good human being and those beautiful babies were blessed to have a mother that's always going to make sure everyone remembers there story! ❤ Rest in peace to Lydia and Alec

@LisaAnderson-b9r 5 months ago

This poor mother. I don't even know how you carry on after something like this. So heartbreaking that the system failed her. Her ex should have never had custody. That judge failed them all.

@MysteryNinjaZ 4 months ago

I met her at Crimecon Denver. She told me her story and we cried and hugged. My heart goes out to her and her family. ❤

@GenuinelyGiGi 4 months ago

People can be so stupid. Why the hell would you tell someone, “oh you can get married and have more kids”… like the new kids will replace the children who are gone… I swear, I can’t stand people sometimes 😡

@nickychargreaves1111 3 months ago

If a father/mother is subjected to DV, their rights to their children should be taken.

@sundog_night 4 months ago

It’s so profound to me that her name is Hope ❤️

@KaileyB616 5 months ago

She's so much nicer than I am, I would've flushed his ashes down the toilet! I hope the decisions that the judge, police, and lawyers made in this case haunt them for the rest of their lives. Although I suspect when a judge makes terrible decisions like this, he probably has some skeletons in his own closet

@bobczz3919 4 months ago

How horrific. I feel so sorry for her and her children. Its absolutely ludicrous that they would give unsupervised visitation to someone who has suicide and homicide Ideations. She is absolutely right the whole system failed her and her children. God bless her.