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After domestic violence death, changes needed

May 1, 2010 1:00 PM By ELLIS HENICAN ellis@henican.com

Quick ReadThe crimes that Leonardo Valdez-Cruz has now been convicted of are as evil as anything our justice system is ever forced to contend with.

Sharon Dorsett, mother of Jo'Anna Bird, reacts to

Photo credit: Howard Schnapp | Sharon Dorsett, mother of Jo'Anna Bird, reacts to photos shown during closing arguments in Leonardo Valdez-Cruz's murder trial at the Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola. (April 29, 2010)

Ellis Henican

Newsday columnist Ellis Henican Ellis Henican

Henican is a columnist for Newsday. He also is

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Jo'Anna Bird, a 24-year-old mother of two, was Jo'Anna Bird murder case

Evil is a word to use sparingly.

But the crimes that Leonardo Valdez-Cruz has now been convicted of - torturing and murdering 24-year-old Jo'Anna Bird after her repeated pleas to police were poorly answered - is as evil as anything our justice system is ever forced to contend with.

Tormenting his former girlfriend, the mother of his own 4-year-old son. Terrorizing her for months on end,...

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