My ex-husband shot me three times in front of our children before taking his own life, that day will haunt me forever
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LYING in a pool of blood, Jade Butler looked up to see her husband towering above her, pointing a gun to her face. Having already suffered three gunshot wounds and a brutal beating, Jade, 29, was convinced that she was going to die in front of her two terrified young children.
![[Jade Butler was shot three times by her husband Joseph Panariello]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/jade-butler-ex-husband-joseph-959409835.png?strip=all&w=481)
But Joseph Panariello, 40, quietly left the room and took his own life instead. Thankfully, Jade’s children were unharmed, but she suffered life-threatening injuries. Miraculously, she survived and is now bravely sharing her story in a bid to help other vicitims of domestic violence.
![[The couple had two young children together and Jade had a son from a previous relationship]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/jade-butler-ex-husband-joseph-959409839.png?strip=all&w=480)
The mother-of-three from Arkansas in the US says: “I want others to recognise the warning signs of an abusive relationship and leave while you can. “I count my blessings every day that my children and I got out alive.”. Jade met Panariello at work in January 2017 and the following year, she fell pregnant with their daughter, Juliette, now five.
![[After shooting Jade, Panariello left the room and took his own life]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/jade-butler-ex-husband-joseph-959409884.png?strip=all&w=484)
In May 2019, when she was seven months pregnant, Jade and Panariello married. She says Panariello was the perfect dad, but the same couldn’t be said for the way he treated her. Jade remembers: “He was amazing with Juliette and my son, Jayden, from a previous relationship.
![[Jade is speaking out to encourage other domestic abuse victims to seek help]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/jade-butler-ex-husband-joseph-959409882.png?strip=all&w=359)
“But with me, he’d started to show a mean streak. He controlled how much I ate and which friends I could see.”. In December 2021, Jade fell pregnant again but Panariello was in and out of jobs and the family were struggling financially. Jade says: “I tried to be a supportive wife, but he constantly lashed out at me.
![[Jade was lucky to survive her injuries]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/HotSpot_Jade_Murder_Suicide_01.jpg?strip=all&w=539)
