Wife in abuse case happy with new life

PROVO — In a week, Mindy Graham will relive the events of Jan. 31, when her now ex-husband, Matthew, threatened her and their children with a gun, then entered into a standoff with a SWAT team for nearly four hours.

But she's not focusing on her future testimony in court. She's concentrating on healing, nurturing her children and rebuilding her life without what she says was an abusive spouse.

"I'm better than I've ever been," she told the Deseret News. "I haven't felt this good since before I got married."

She attended Matthew Graham's competency review Monday afternoon in 4th District Court and afterward said she wasn't surprised that doctors' reports showed he was "capable of understanding and appreciating the nature of the process against him."

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next Monday. Matthew Graham, who is in the Utah County Jail, is charged with three felonies, including aggravated assault, threat against life and property and domestic violence in the presence of a child.

Although their marriage had been rocky, the abuse became more severe during the last four years, Mindy Graham said. In a court document requesting a protective order, Mindy Graham described that January day as one that began with an argument in the bedroom and escalated to name-calling and insults.

When Matthew Graham left the room to get his guns, she sent text messages to friends and an LDS bishop for help.

Police arrived soon after and tried to persuade Matthew Graham to surrender. He wouldn't, but did allow Mindy Graham and the children to leave.

Police said he made threatening statements during the hours-long stand-off, and told police he considered as "threats" the officers who were in tactical positions outside his house. He also boasted about his military sniper training in the Marines.

After he agreed to surrender, police found several guns in the house, including a .223 AR-15, shotguns, rifles and handguns.

Graham had served 16 months in Iraq with the 1457 Combat Battalion, according to the Utah National Guard, and developed post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, PTSD plus two suicide attempts at the Utah County Jail did not mean he was mentally incompetent to proceed, according to the doctor's reports.

During the hearing Monday, there was quite a bit of discussion regarding the contact between the couple.