Domestic Violence Survivor Yvette Cade Shares Her Story of Being Set On Fire by Her Ex-Husband
Yvette Cade Shares Her Horrifying Story of Domestic Violence to Help Prevent Violent Crimes Against Women
October 21, 2010
If only police and law enforcement had taken Yvette Cade seriously when her ex-husband threatened to “fry her like Crisco grease” the tragic act of violence that was committed against her could have been prevented.
Yvette Cade narrowly escaped death at the hands on of her ex-husband when he showed up at her place of work on October 10, 2005, carrying a soda bottle full of liquid. “I turned and he says, ‘I love you’ and he began dumping liquid over my head — I had no idea it was gasoline,” Cade told HLN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell. He then chased her outside the store, where he threw a lit match onto her, she said. “I just felt the flame — whoosh. And it was like so hot. I felt the flesh dripping.”
Earlier that morning, Cade’s ex-husband called her 14 times. “He was leaving messages of how he wanted to have sex with me and he said in that phone call that he wanted to fry me like Crisco grease, and so I called the police and they came out that morning.”
But the police simply took a report, and did not detain or arrest the violent man. “I thought it was kind of odd that they weren’t going to issue a warrant for him to be arrested based upon what I had told them.”
Because of the crime, Cade suffered severe burns over 60 percent of her body, including severe scarring on her face. Perhaps the most tragic aspect of this story is that it could have been prevented — not once, but twice. Weeks before the attack, a judge had lifted a protective order requiring her ex-husband to stay away from her — without even notifying her. The judge retired shortly thereafter, claiming “it was a clerical error.”
Her ex-husband is now serving a life sentence, but will be eligible for parole in 15 years, she said. He is still wreaking havoc in Cade’s life, sending letters to her and to her doctor and invading her personal life.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. If you or someone you know is suffering domestic abuse, there is help. Read The Survivors Club guide to Domestic Abuse to learn more.
Are you a survivor with story to share? Click here to submit your story to TheSurvivorsClub.org.