Sean Hunter (right) said he saw his sister Stacy being controlled by her husband, but struggled to know how to help her
Stacy Hunter's family saw clear signs that she was being manipulated, controlled and abused by her estranged husband Jim Mair long before he murdered her.
Mair "dictated" what was happening in Stacy's life, used her three children as leverage, threatened suicide, and took his violent temper out on objects in the house – without laying a hand on Stacy directly.
Her brother Sean wanted to intervene and help her, but he worried about being too "full on" and potentially causing more harm.
Her mother Ann wanted to be around to support her daughter and look after her grandchildren, but worried Mair would see her as trying to "interfere".
"He can take that away from you and make it harder to be in touch," Ann said.
Ann described her daughter as a strong, independent woman and a devoted mother
Stacy's family said that when the 35-year-old attempted to leave the marriage, Mair became more violent.
Last month, Mair murdered Stacy at her home near Houston. His body was found next to hers.
Three weeks before this, he had appeared in court accused of strangling her and was released on bail.
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Ann believes that the system "absolutely" failed Stacy – a "strong, independent woman" who would do anything for the people she loved.
The family wish there had been more measures in place to prevent Mair from contacting her, particularly when the signs of abuse were so apparent.
They feel intervention from authorities would have taken the pressure off Stacy to enforce a separation – and been helpful for the family, while they made difficult decisions about how best to support her.
