Yvette Cade has gone from the burn ward to speaking with Oprah Winfrey on national television.
Her ex-husband, Richard B. Hargrave, was convicted April 28 of first-degree attempted murder, second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault against Cade.
And Prince George?s County District Court Judge Richard Palumbo awaits public hearings on misconduct charges alleging he made inappropriate remarks to Cade when he lifted her restraining order against Hargrave in September.
Almost seven months have passed since Hargrave walked into the Clinton T-Mobile store where Cade worked, doused her with gasoline and threw a lit match on her. Hargrave awaits sentencing and Cade continues to heal slowly and painfully. But Palumbo?s fate remains undecided, and the legacy of the attack in a county in the midst of restructuring how it deals with domestic violence has yet to be determined. The attack left Cade in critical condition with third-degree burns and horrified the community. Then, court transcripts revealed that Palumbo compared Cade?s spoken desire to be divorced from Hargrave to Palumbo?s desire to be taller.
Cade?s appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” last week was the first time the 32-year-old woman had told her story outside the courtroom. Photos from the program?s Web site showed extensive tissue damage to Cade?s face, arms and upper body. Cade told Winfrey she has to wear a face mask most of the day to prevent scar tissue from forming.
Cade, 32, does not speak to the news media and a family spokesman was unavailable for comment Friday.
Palumbo?s attorney, William C. Brennan, did not return calls from The Examiner regarding charges brought against his client in late April by the Maryland Judiciary Commission on Judicial Disabilities.
Checks and balances are now present in the court system, according the manager of the Domestic Violence/Community Service Unit of the Prince George?s County Sheriff?s Office. Norma J. Harley said domestic violence advocates now working at the courthouse would have followed Cade through the process.
Cade?s ordeal has been a terrible lesson, Harley said, but one that the community should learn from, especially those trapped in abusive situations.
“What we would hope is that people would look at YvetteCade and see the damage to this young woman,” Harley said. “It?s going to be a life of great pain and difficulty ahead for her.”
