In the Lakeview neighborhood in New Orleans, a dispute over child custody between two men. One was the father and the other was the grandfather of the child. Members of the community, including Dr. Howard Osofsky, head of the Department of Psychiatry at LSU, believed that child custody mediation could have prevented the situation from escalating to murder.

How A Child Custody Dispute Could Turn to Murder

Antonio Miller, the victim of this crime, was in a long-running disagreement with Farrell Sampier over the care of his child, who was Sampier's granddaughter. The two men worked at the same restaurant, Mondo in Lakeview. Over time, this dispute became more and more heated, until Sampier, according to eyewitnesses, met Mr. Miller at shift change and shot him repeatedly in front of the restaurant. Farrell Sampier has a history of illegal possession and illegal use of firearms. New Orleans Police, on the strength of the eyewitness accounts, were able to obtain a warrant for his arrest within hours. Sampier soon turned himself in. Meanwhile, the facade of the Mondo Restaurant has become a living memorial honoring Mr. Miller.

How Mediation Services Could Have Prevented Tragedy

On some level, it could be argued that Sampier would have killed Miller whether or not mediation was taking place. In every news sample regarding this event, there is a statement about him having an illegal history involving firearms. However, this does not necessarily mean that he is a violent person—his employer, Susan Spicer, said that he and Miller both were “nice people.” Another possibility is that maybe neither Miller nor Sampier were even aware that child custody mediation was an option. The commentary from Lakeview residents and witnesses suggests that mediated discussion could have prevented the event from escalating to violence. Instead, there is a child without a father, and with a grandfather behind bars.