Brooke Spencer’s mother teaches tragic lesson

By Karen Francis
Staff writer

Lean Eskeets wipes tears from here eyes Saturday as she talks about her experience losing her daughter, Brooke Spencer, after her boyfriend stabbed her on June 5, 2006. Eskeets said that when they arrived at the hospital in Phoenix, "If I had known that was the last time I would talk to her I would have told her I loved her." Approximately 50 people participated in Saturday morning's Domestic Violence Awareness march and Rally at Ford Canyon Park in Gallup. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

GALLUP — The story of Brooke Spencer is a well-known one around Gallup. A basketball star preparing to enter college and planning for a nursing career and seven children one day — Brooke’s life was cut short when her former boyfriend stabbed her at her home on June 5, 2006.

It’s been more than a year and four months since that tragic day, and Brooke’s mother, LeAnn Eskeets, is ready to begin speaking out about her daughter and the abusive relationship that ended her life in hopes that someone else’s daughter will be saved.

LeAnn spoke at the Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Walk — only the second time that she has spoken publicly about the incident.

“I wish there were more people here, especially younger people, young boys,” LeAnn said quietly as she looked out to the audience of about 75 people.

“It’s really hard to talk because I never thought I’d be standing here talking about domestic violence, especially about my daughter. I always talked to her. I had a really good relationship with my daughter,” LeAnn said.

She said she never took the relationship between Brooke and Philip Notah, the one who would end up killing her, seriously.

“I never thought they were close for him do something like that,” she said.

LeAnn said that to this day friends and family members of her daughter continue to tell her details of the abusive relationship.

“I never saw,” she said.

The lesson, LeAnn said, is to listen to your children.

“I just want people to know: take your children’s relationship’s seriously. When you hear them arguing, find out what’s going on,” she said.

That night, LeAnn said the two were standing outside and she had checked on them several times. She was getting ready to lie down to sleep when she heard her daughter screaming, “Mom, Philip stabbed me.’

Frantically, LeAnn drove her to the hospital and Brooke walked into the emergency room, which was the last time LeAnn would see her daughter conscious. After she was flown to Phoenix, Brooke survived surgery but her brain had swollen and she was brain-dead.

When the family had to take her off life support, LeAnn said she kept thinking “How could he do this to her? How could he stab her and drive away like nothing happened? He said he cared about her. He said he loved her.”

LeAnn said she still dreams about her daughter, and she wonders now who will take care of her in her old age.

Brooke’s grandfather Louis Eskeets had the same message for the audience that day: “Domestic violence starts at home and we need to be aware of our kids.

Parents, you are the center of their life pattern.”

Eskeets said that he was so close to his only granddaughter that he and his wife followed her basketball games all over the state “just to be with her, just to see her smile.”

However, even he did not know how bad her relationship was.

“This was a concealed relationship. They were unable to tell us what happened,” Louis said.

“If other people told us, it would’ve been different,” he said.

He finished his speech by saying, “I’m hoping this information will help and prevent domestic violence.”