commentary by Patrick H. Moore
The old saying “Ladies Love Outlaws” is perhaps a bit shopworn at this late date but it still rings true in some cases. For example, there are a certain number of seemingly “normal” women who become involved in jailhouse romances with jailbirds. I suspect that this typically horrifies those near and dear to them, but hey, who truly has the right to judge matters of the heart? And I’m quite sure that in some cases, these women not only become enamored with “the jailhouse rockers”, but also sincerely want to help them salvage their ravaged lives.
A romance of this nature, however, will very likely become a “bad romance” if the woman on the outside happens to be “married with children”. This was hammered home with startling ferocity on Thursday in Drexel Hills, PA, a suburb of the City of Brotherly Love.
It all began when one of Christina Belajonas’s small sons went digging through his mother’s purse and came upon not pocket change or Tylenol or a tube of lipstick; rather, the young boy fished out a box of condoms and showed the evidence to his dad, Keith Belajonas.
Dan Kelley and Larry McShane of the New York Daily News write:
A boy’s innocent search through his mom’s purse sparked the jealous rage behind the murder-suicide of his parents.
One of Christina Belajonas’ small sons discovered a box of condoms in her bag, with her husband then digging out a local inmate’s salacious letter asking her for nude photos, a top police official said Friday.
Supt. Michael Chitwood of the Upper Darby, PA police department stated that Ms. Belajonas’s husband Keith became furious and precipitated a fatal altercation when Christina, 28, arrived at the family’s apartment around 1:30 am Thursday. Keith grabbed her by the hair with one hand, shot her in the head (presumably with a handgun) and then stabbed her repeatedly as their two sons, Robert, 5, and Christopher, 4, watched in horror. (As Doc Rivers says, “Nothing good ever happens after midnight.”)
Now I certainly don’t fault Keith for being pissed but really, dude, was it really worth it? If she doesn’t love ya, she doesn’t love ya. It really doesn’t matter who she loves if it’s not you – could be a stockbroker, could be a jailbird. Who cares?
Keith, however, cared just a little too much, and although he only had a few more hours to live, after bolting the murder scene with his two boys, like any self-respecting, modern macho man, he reportedly took time out from trying to evade the police dragnet that quickly swooped into action to post a few macho remarks on Facebook.
“Had an argument. She was cheating on me. I won.”
Well not really. You killed her and now you’re dead and your two little boys are scarred for life. Good job, Keith… (This is the Jim Rome voice.)
Neighbors apparently reported the slaying and within an hour, the police found Christina’s lifeless body in the family’s second-floor residence. Meanwhile, Keith and the traumatized boys were driving toward Staten Island which is where the family had lived before moving to Drexel Hill.
The incident set off a three-state manhunt with the NYPD eventually tracking him down after a 911 call from someone who recognized the SUV from an Amber Alert.
Once they were on the road, Keith appears to have made some, shall we say, “final” decisions. He dropped his sons off at a local CVS where his brother worked, and then stole a case of beer, cigarettes and cash before heading off to meet his maker.
Death came calling on a dead-end Staten Island street about five hours after Christina’s death when Keith shot himself in the head.
Although the inmate yearning for the nude photos of Christina was not identified by the authorities, he is believed to be an inmate in a Pennsylvania jail.
* * * * *
Christina’s grand-aunt defended her on Friday as the victim’s family took custody of the two little boys.
“She was doing her best, working two jobs,” said Kathy Corrigan. “She wasn’t perfect, but nobody was.”
The boys were released to their slain mother’s relatives hours after her tragic deaths and driven to Folcroft, Pa.
Both boys were out playing with their great-grandfather in a nearby park Friday morning as relatives hoped the siblings could emerge somewhat intact from the terrifying ordeal.
“For the most part, the kids are doing good,” said Corrigan, who traveled to Staten Island to retrieve the boys.
“They aren’t going to get through this without any scars.
She added that the family has come to the conclusion that the best policy will be not to demonize Keith despite his bloody rampage.
Corrigan said she “doesn’t want the boys growing up thinking he was a horrible monster. He was not horrible to them. He was not horrible to her until (Thursday).”
* * * * *
Matters of the heart and loins are delicate indeed, and people are often not emotionally equipped to deal with a spouse’s infidelity, especially when it’s sprung on them in dramatic fashion as was the case with Keith. But his insane decision to butcher his wife right in front of the kids was far from an appropriate response. These days, human emotional evolution seems, in many respects, to be going backwards, and Keith’s grand finale is yet another example of our inability to deal with anger and frustration in a positive manner.
Keith does deserve credit for one thing, though. At least he didn’t take his two boys with him.