MEETING her baby sister’s new boyfriend, Angelica Gintner was full of nothing but praise.
Well-mannered and gentlemanly Justin Wendling was laid-back, good looking and great with Angelica’s kids.
7
7
7
He was also a midwife to boot and seemed to be the perfect match for Gina Bryant.
“He was a doctor, he delivered babies, who wouldn’t trust a man like that?” Angelica, who lives in Michigan, US, says.
Little did they know that the smiling midwife who brought life into the world would be the person to snuff out Gina’s.
Just 11 months into their relationship Angelica discovered that Wendling had been abusive towards Gina when she bravely ended the relationship.
But just two weeks later, in an act of revenge Wendling kidnapped Gina before fatally shooting her as she tried to escape.
“I was devastated,” Angelica says.
“All I could think of was my kind, caring, baby sister, sitting in his car, terrified, knowing her monster ex was going to kill her.
“She’d been just one semester away from becoming a nurse.”
Gina was the youngest of Angelica’s four siblings and she says she was like a ‘second mum’ to her.
“Gina was 15 when I had a son with my partner and a bridesmaid when I married him two years later,” Angelica says.
“Though she’d battled acne, she was strikingly beautiful, slim with long blonde hair and blue eyes.
“But more importantly, Gina was beautiful on the inside.”
Gina volunteered for a charity helping autistic kids and later worked directly for a family with an autistic son, Josh.
“They raved about how amazing she was with him,” Angelica says.
“I’d been a nurse aid and Gina was interested in medicine too.
“She was academically gifted and could have done anything.”
Undecided, she did a degree in allied health sciences and after graduating she began an accelerated nursing degree to become a nurse practitioner.
“I was so proud of her and gave her with my pink stethoscope which she’d always loved,” Angelica says.
7
7
7
While Gina was career driven, family was what really took centre stage.
“She was the fun aunt to my son and his sister, who’d been born two years after him,” Angelica says.
“She was close to our brother Danny, who was in the Navy.
“If she needed advice, they’d speak, even if he was in the middle of the ocean somewhere.
“Often though, Gina was the one giving advice to her friends. She was a great listener, she was calm and refused to gossip.”
Around November 2022 Gina, then 24, brought over her new boyfriend.
Justin Wendling was a doctor, studying obstetrics.
“Gina was smitten,” Angelica says.
“I was happy for her when they moved in together.”
Sadly, Angelica’s relationship with her husband ended not long afterwards.
“I needed to focus on my children so I asked Gina and Justin to look after our dog for a while,” she says.
“Gina was so supportive but Justin didn’t offer a word of comfort, maybe it was because he thought he didn’t know me well enough.”
By October 2023 Gina and Wendling had been together 11 months when Angelica received a call from her mum Cathy.
“She told me that Gina had left Justin because he had been abusing her,” Angelica says.
In the pit of my stomach, I knew then the coward had killed my sister
Angelica Gintner
“I was stunned.
“Justin had been physically and verbally abusive and even locked Gina in her bedroom. I was enraged.
“Gina was a smart and accomplished young woman, but still my baby sister.
“I went straight to her and she showed me photos of bruises and marks Justin had inflicted.
“I asked her why she hadn’t told me but she said she was too embarrassed to.”
Gina claimed that she and Wendling would argue, he would be abusive and then would apologise in a repeat pattern.
She’d left her stuff at their flat but told Angelica she was scared to go back.
“Me, mum, Gina and a friend went there the next day,” Angelica says.
“I arranged for the police to be there too while we got Gina’s stuff.
“She couldn’t face Justin and stayed in the car, sobbing as I pounded on the front door.
“When he answered I told him I knew what he’d done to my sister but he just stayed silent.
“My mum told him how disappointed we were and told him to get help.”
With the police watching, the family gathered Gina’s things and left.
Back at Cathy’s house Gina agreed to remove Wendling and his family and friends from her social media.
But just two weeks later the family was dealt a further blow when Cathy called to explain that Gina was missing.
“My sister had popped out for lunch from the dermatology practice where she worked and hadn’t come back,” Angelica recalls.
“She’d never had a sick day in her life, it was so unusual; her boss called the police.
“I just knew Justin was involved.”
At her mum’s house Angelica discovered that Gina’s phone and location was switched off.
“Gina wasn’t responding and Justin wasn’t at home or work either,” Angelica says.
“The police weren’t too concerned, even when I showed them pictures of Gina’s bruises.
“I thought the police were blinded by his job status.
“All we could was sit by our phones.”
In the middle of the night Angelica received a text from Wendling.
It read: “This is your fault. You caused this, just remember that.”
“In the pit of my stomach, I knew then the coward had killed my sister,” Angelica says.
“I immediately called the police who told me they’d get back to me.
“Then, the TV news reported a man cornered by police had shot himself, it was Justin.
“There were no reports on Gina.
“Somehow, I convinced myself she was still alive, maybe wounded.”
But at 8am a police car pulled up outside Angelica’s home with two officers explaining that Gina was deceased.
Wendling had abducted her during her lunch break then driven hundreds of miles away.
Needing fuel, he pulled into a petrol station, locked Gina in the car and filled up.
Domestic abuse – how to get help
DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone – including men – and does not always involve physical violence.
Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship:
- Emotional abuse – Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse – gaslighting – being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to
- Threats and intimidation – Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you
- Physical abuse – This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten.
- Sexual abuse – Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent.
If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers:
Remember, you are not alone.
1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime.
Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse.
When he went to pay, she bravely escaped and ran but Wendling shot her in the head by the fuel pumps.
He’d then texted Angelica before calling his mum to confess. He then drove away and shot himself as police closed in.
A detective revealed to Angelica that Wendling had Googled “how do I get away with murder?” before killing Gina.
Gina’s university department shut for the day so her fellow students could grieve.
“We had a viewing before Gina’s funeral where I put the pink stethoscope I’d given Gina her around her neck and told her I loved her,” Angelica says.
“I’d wanted to read EE Cummings poem I Carry Your Heart With Me during the service but was too upset.
“We hadn’t seen this coming, nobody in our family had experienced domestic violence.
“There were no red flags anyway.”
Angelica has since channelled her grief into helping others in her sister’s memory.
“Since her death I’ve set up Journey 4 Gina, a foundation to help women suffering from domestic violence,” she says.
“We raise awareness and do things like clothing drives.
“Ending a relationship with an abuser is the most dangerous time for a woman.
“But what women don’t realise is the weeks afterwards are equally dangerous.
“That’s when, just like Justin, the abuser realises, he doesn’t have control any longer and plots revenge.”
Angelica wants to encourage survivors to go straight to a women’s shelter to protect themselves.
Unfortunately, these men aren’t easy to spot, sometimes, like Justin, they seem perfect
Angelica Gintner
“I warn them to avoid immediate family or friends, their abusers know who they are,” she says.
“Survivors need a dashcam for their car, a doorbell camera and security cameras with time stamps.
“Then, if they’re stalked, they have evidence.
“Unfortunately, these men aren’t easy to spot, sometimes, like Justin, they seem perfect.
“All you can do if you’re with a violent man is leave the first time he raises a hand or is verbally abusive.
“It won’t get better. He won’t change if you love him more.
“And it will get worse.
“You can be smart, beautiful and caring, like Gina.
“He can have a great job but any woman can be the victim of domestic violence.
“My sister is tragic proof.”
7
