Varsos Family
Newlyweds Marie Sisco and Sean Varsos were the living embodiment of ‘opposites attract’. Their yin-yang bond was unlike any other. Marie brought out a softer side out of the tightly-wound Shaun whose stresses were due to meeting demanding work deadlines as a video game developer and keeping up with the ever-changing world of technology. Shaun in turn brought levity to her life by translating the magic of video games to Marie’s typically type-A real-world existence.The ever-practical Marie who was not only was a Pharmacist, but managed the entire pharmacy, was always focused on the care of others. She inherited this quality from her mother Debbie Sisco, who dedicated her life to advocacy work as a leader in the Local 3808 communications technicians union.
Shaun’s tight knit virtual circle of gaming friends became more like family in the bustling city of Nashville, Tennessee. Shaun was like a brother. My kids would call him uncle Shaun, he gave them presents on their birthday, and treated my family like gold. Marie fit seamlessly into the circle of friends that Shaun had created, and everyone agreed that she and Shaun were the perfect match. Shaun was never hesitant to declare: “Marie is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
A different story played out behind closed doors of Marie and Shaun’s Nashville home. Family and friends only heard bits and pieces as the private couple never revealed too much other than “things are rocky, we both made mistakes”. On one such occasion, Shaun tells his best friend in an uncharacteristically frenetic manner that it wasn’t marital squabble, it was his mother-in-law Debbie causing an issue. “Things are bad, Marie and Debbie, they’re both ganging up on me. They won’t stop.” With limited information those near to the couple lent their support as best they could, and hoped things would simmer. Marie moved back into Debbie’s home with the hopes that some time apart would help squash the problem at hand. Marie returned to the house she shared with Shaun to retrieve a few belongings and the unthinkable ensued. Shaun became violent, knocked Marie unconscious, and held her hostage. He eventually sets her free, and Marie immediately made a police report with the help of her older brother, Alex, there to support her. To everyone, Alex included, this seemed so out of left field.
Marie put every measure into place to ensure that Shaun would not hurt her again, but in April of 2021, Shaun snapped. He broke the order of protection and drove to Debbie’s house to confront his wife Marie. The confrontation turns deadly; Shaun kills Marie along with his mother-in-law Debbie before turning the gun on himself. While grieving the loss of both his mother and his sister, Alex clamored for answers. Sure, the one instance of domestic violence was enough to make his blood boil, but how could his brother-in-law ever do something this maniacal?
The technology whiz of the family cracked into Marie’s computer, desperate to find anything that would make this tragedy make sense. Alex couldn’t believe his eyes. Marie had meticulously notated every instance of domestic violence, actions she took to protect herself, and the response from local law-enforcement. Things were worse than anyone could have imagined. The egregious lack of follow through on the part of law enforcement hit Alex like a ton of bricks. How could they have let this happen? Two women are dead. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be here today. Alex turned his anger into advocacy and is currently lobbying for four bills to be entered in Tennessee’s congressional schedule with the hopes that the pain caused by his brother-in-law is never felt by any Tennessean in the future.