On the sixth anniversary of her daughter’s death, Manhasset’s mother is fighting to change the way New York courts handle child custody cases.
Jacqueline Franchetti says the family court system has allowed her daughter Kyra to overlook.
“Our family court system is set up to protect perpetrators, not children, and it must end,” Franchetti says.
When Keira was just two years old, she was shot by her father and committed suicide by setting her house on fire.
It happened during a court-sanctioned meeting with his father.
Franchetti says the judge ignored her repeated warnings in the custody battle.
“Kira’s murder was 100% preventable,” says Franchetti.
Franchetti says his daughter isn’t the only victim. Kira is one of 20 children killed by their parents in New York City since 2016 in the process of custody litigation, separation or divorce.
Franchetti is now seeking passage of Kira’s law, which requires courts to consider child safety when making decisions regarding child custody and visitation. Participation of judges in training to handle is also compulsory.
Kira’s murder also inspired seven subsidiary bills. A bill was passed in his June to mandate training for forensic child custody assessors. The rest he will be voted on in early 2023.
“This is bipartisan support. This doesn’t affect Democrat families or Republican families. This affects all New Yorkers,” said state Senator Anna Kaplan.
Franchetti says he won’t stop fighting until a bill named in his daughter’s honor is passed.
News 12 has reached out to the New York State Court of Appeals for comment on proposed reforms to the family court system, but as of 5 p.m. it has not responded.