Warning: This article contains details some readers may find upsetting
It’s a horrific scenario for any parent: the sound of their children in danger and being powerless to intervene.
Such a nightmare came true for one mother in 2001 when her estranged husband forced her to hear her daughters over the phone moments before he killed them.
John Battaglia and Mary Jean Pearle had been divorced for over a year, and they were parents to two daughters: Faith, aged 9, and Liberty, aged 6.
On May 2, 2001, Mary Jean received a life-shattering call from her ex-husband John.
That day, she had left her daughters with their father, who had agreed to take them to dinner at the mall. Instead, Battaglia brought the girls to his apartment in Adam Hats Lofts, Deep Ellum, Dallas, Texas, and called Mary Jean, forcing her to listen to her daughters’ fear.
Earlier, he had discovered there was a warrant for his arrest due to harassment of his ex-wife, prompting him to make little Faith ask her mother: “Why do you want Daddy to go to jail?”.
The child’s screams, “No, Daddy! Please don’t! Don’t do it!” echoed through the phone.
Mary Jean pleaded with her daughters to escape, but she was forced to listen as Battaglia shot them multiple times.
He then cruelly told Mary Jean, “Merry f**king Christmas,” referencing a past incident during Christmas in 1999 when he had assaulted her, leading to their separation.
A distraught Mary Jean hung up and immediately contacted emergency services.
Battaglia later left a voicemail, stating: “Hi, girls. I just want to tell you how very, very brave you were, and I hope you are resting in a better place now. I wish that you had nothing to do with your mother. She’s evil and vicious and stupid!”
“Goodnight, my little babies,” he continued. “You were very brave girls.”
After committing the murders, Battaglia visited a bar with his girlfriend and then went to a tattoo shop to have two roses inked in memory of his daughters.
A jury took only 20 minutes to convict him, and he received a death sentence in 2002.
Despite multiple delays from his legal team, who questioned his mental state, Battaglia was executed in 2018. His attorneys filed a last-minute appeal on the day of his execution, arguing recent execution errors in the state.
The appeal was denied, with the U.S. Supreme Court issuing a final rejection around 9 p.m.
Throughout, Battaglia showed no remorse and continued to blame Mary Jean, even using his final moments to taunt her.
When asked for any last words, Battaglia initially declined, but then said: “Well, hi Mary Jean,” who was present behind the glass during the execution.
“See y’all later. Go ahead please,” he concluded.
He was administered a lethal injection of pentobarbital at 9:18 p.m. and was declared dead twenty-two minutes later.