Published March 2, 2006 in issue 0509 of the HooK.

Your cover story about the masked would-be murderer [February 16: "Horror in the hallway: Masked assailant faces sentencing"] is terrifying, both in the reality of what took place and in the realization that what caused Mr. Kroboth to lose his mind could happen to almost anyone who is faced with supporting a family after divorce.

How reasonable is it for a court to order a man to pay "more than 100 percent of his after-tax, take-home pay"? How many men (or women) would not be "extremely upset to the point of being obsessed with the court's determination," as the Commonwealth's Attorney puts it?

How could anyone expect this man to deal reasonably with such a ridiculous court order-- in essence, an order that he could not possibly fulfill?

It is well known that extreme stress can send anyone over the edge-- and yes, even to the point of murder. The court system is just as guilty, if not more so, for the trauma to Mrs. Kroboth, because it exerted such extreme and uncalled-for stress upon her husband by the issuance of such a ludicrous order. It is unjust and downright inhumane to put someone into this type of situation.

I do not know Mr. Kroboth, but I do know a lot of spouses who have tragically suffered due to dated divorce laws that create situations of extreme emotional distress. Our divorce laws need to be overhauled and made to work for both parties in a divorce. Perhaps this case will finally push legislators to do something about our marriage/divorce laws.

Marlene A. Condon
Crozet

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