Realtor Venus Morris Griffin reveals heartbreaking truth behind abusive husband Tripp after he was jailed

A DEVOTED mum has shared the heartbreaking revelations she made about her abusive former husband before he was sent to jail.

Venus Morris Griffin, from Augusta, Georgia, has opened up about her turbulent 20-year marriage to John 'Tripp' Morris for photoblog Humans of New York.



Tripp was convicted of child molestation and is currently an inmate at Baldwin State Prison in Milledgeville, Georgia, Georgia Department of Corrections records show.

In the 13-part series, she revealed the disturbing details which signaled the end of their time together after being in the dark about a second life he was living.

She said: "That’s why it’s still so hard. You’d think I hate him, but I can’t. Because I loved him."

Fans of the social media project became captivated after the first installment which was updated hourly as Venus told her powerful story.

Venus told of how she fell in love with Tripp who was widely adored by many for his positive, goofy, and energetic personality after meeting at the University of South Carolina.

People would tell her that she had chosen "the greatest man", and as a PTA president, football coach, and bible study teacher during their time together, Tripp exuded an image that he was invincible, strong, kind-hearted, and generous.

But behind closed doors throughout their relationship, there were warning signs that Venus did everything she could to ignore.

One of the earliest Venus recalls is the day before their wedding when she mentioned it was all too much money.

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She said: "My cousin was in the car with us. And Tripp just cussed me out in front of her. He called me a 'bitch', and told me to 'shut the F up'.

"I remember thinking: 'I shouldn’t marry this man'. But everyone was going to be there the next day. It was too late to back out."

Venus said if there was anything her rough and unsettled childhood had taught her, it was "pretending that everything’s OK".

As their time together, went on, innocent questions or discussions could turn nasty.

She said: "[After college] Tripp got a job working for his parents, and I noticed he kept billing our renovations to the company. It didn’t seem right to me. But if I challenged him on it, it would lead to huge fights.

"He’d tell me to mind my own business. He’d call me ‘Little Ms. Christian.’ But an hour later it would be like nothing ever happened."

It was Venus' unpredictable upbringing as a child with an unmerciful mom that influenced her decision to stay when her marriage became explosive and emotionally testing.

When the couple started a family, they had to use a sperm donor who looked like Tripp because he couldn't have children.

Venus gave birth to four children over five years, and had two more and felt in a strong sense to give them a start on life which she wasn't offered.

I said: ‘Tripp, tell me. What have you done? What?’ But he wouldn’t answer. He got up and walked back inside.

She said: "It had always been my dream in life to have this great family. And now it was coming true. I thought: What else is there in life?

"These kids don’t care what I’ve been through. They don’t care about my childhood.

"They love me no matter what. I remember thinking: if I just put in the work, they’re gonna grow up. And they’ll be around. I’m gonna have unconditional love. I’m finally going to have a family.”

'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?'

But as she tried her best to be there for her kids, there were instances with Tripp which scared her.

She said: "Over the years his mood swings got worse and worse. There was one night, about ten years into our marriage when he lost his temper and pushed me into the bathtub. I thought I broke my back.

"I was screaming that I couldn’t get up. Tripp ran outside on the porch and I heard a gunshot. It took me a couple minutes to crawl outside, and when I got there I found him lying face down in the yard.

"The gun was in the grass next to him. He said: ‘When everything comes out about what I’ve done, I’m going to kill myself.’

"I said: ‘Tripp, tell me. What have you done? What?’ But he wouldn’t answer. He got up and walked back inside.”

As their time together became tainted, one day Tripp challenged her about not having a job, despite reassuring her often she didn't need one.

She decided to go for a career in real estate but after getting her licence to sell homes, her life with Tripp was turned on its head.

Venus said: "One night I was dozing off, nursing the baby. Tripp was out of town on business. The kids were asleep. It was late, much too late for phone calls. And the phone rang.

"There was a woman’s voice on the other end. She said: ‘Venus, you don’t know me. But I’m calling to tell you what an awful man your husband is.’”

Venus went and met with the woman – a prostitute, who told the mum-of-six about Tripp paying sex workers and having a number of affairs.

The woman appeared to be in love with Tripp and was no longer accepting money from him when they were intimate.

'INSIDE THE HOME'

Tripp never returned back to the family home after that night.

She said: "He admitted to the prostitution, but he blamed it on a sex addiction.

"He checked himself into a rehab facility in Mississippi. It was during this time that the full truth came out.

"One of my daughters came to me and told me a story about her father. It was the worst thing it could possibly be. It wasn’t just prostitutes. It was inside the home."

Determined not to give up, Venus explained to her kids that they didn't have Tripp's genes – which they took with relief.

She said there was nothing that was going to split their family up and went on to do everything she could to regain stability.

Venus said: "Since I began ten years ago, I’ve had nearly $500 million in sales. Four of the past five years, I’ve been the number one real estate agent in Augusta.

"I finally paid off our house, and since then I’ve bought eight more houses. I’ve put all my kids through private school. I’ve paid for all their sports, all their activities.

"All I do is work and spend time with my kids. But sometimes it feels like it doesn’t matter what I do anymore.

"It doesn’t matter what I buy. I failed my children. Because I should have left. I failed at the most important thing.”

Overnight, the successful real estate agent's story captivated millions of people.

The in-depth insight she offered up saw her gain respect and sympathy for the hard times she faced.

But as well as the determination she showed from being able to recover from the pain and destruction Tripp had caused, Venus' posts were praised for her commitment to getting her family's life back on track.

She's since been humbled by the overwhelming positivity she has received since sharing her story.

Venus is now divorced from Tripp and married to another man named Hank Griffin – a CEO and company president from Augusta, Georgia.

When she's not selecting students for scholarships and selling houses, Venus is focused on plans revolving around the publication of her first book.

Her ex-husband Tripp is serving a 45-year jail sentence.


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