I am age 86 and the survivor of a 43-year abusive marriage to a college professor. 

I write for victims of domestic abuse who are still in abusive relationships, and as a member of Finding Our Voices (findingourvoices.net), to express my anger at the plea deal given to Phillip Spiller upon his conviction of domestic violence, as well as at the coverage of this case in your newspaper (“Former Westbrook mayoral candidate agrees to plea deal for domestic violence assault,” April 10).

The Press Herald’s articles detailing his arrest and plea deal focused on Spiller’s stellar roles as a commander of the local American Legion, a pilot and a “stint” as president of the Rotary. The photos used in both articles showed him as an upstanding member of the community.

Where is the outrage, from all the organizations listed in your reporting, over the fact that a member “assaulted, knocked the victim unconscious, and [she] suffered bruising, scratches and a lacerated tongue.” What if it were a family member or a friend of theirs who experienced this?

Spiller “agreed” to a plea deal where both counts of domestic violence aggravated assault were dropped. He was given credit for the two months he spent in jail and the remainder of his 364-day sentence was suspended.

Spiller will walk out the door with scandalously little consequence for his abuse and go on with his life. Meanwhile, the survivor is left standing alone, with no justice for the physical and mental abuse she has endured. Where is the justice for victims of domestic violence in Maine?

Mary Louise Liucci-Smith
Scarborough