FULL VIDEO AT THE END OF THE POST
A Mother's Bail and a Bitter Dispute
Mr. Gukin appeared in court with his mother.
His mother was present because she posted his bail.
She paid $4,800 for his release.
Mr. Gukin was arrested due to a complaint filed by Ms. Ackerman.
Mr. Gukin's mother was not present during the altercation.
She had no first-hand knowledge of the events.
Judge Judy allowed her to sit down.
A Tumultuous Relationship
Mr. Gukin and Ms. Ackerman had a long history together.
They had two children.
Their son was eight years old.
Their daughter was six years old.
The couple had lived together for five years previously.
Then, they had a five-year break.
They lived together again for one year until the altercation.
The incident occurred on September 22nd or 23rd of the current year.
The Night Before: Suspicions and Escalation
Mr. Gukin stated the altercation started the night before.
He came home after being out.
He said he just needed to get out of the house.
He asked Ms. Ackerman to unlock her phone.
He claimed he had caught her cheating on him.
Judge Judy questioned his account of just driving around.
She noted that asking to unlock a phone at 1:30 AM suggested underlying conflict.
Mr. Gukin denied arguing when he left the house on the 22nd.
He said he had been working all week.
He had been taking care of the kids at night.
He was trying to keep up with the house.
He picked Ms. Ackerman up from work.
Ms. Ackerman stated she had a drink after work.
She said this was around 11:15 PM.
The children were already in bed.
Mr. Gukin returned home around 1:00 AM or 1:30 AM.
Ms. Ackerman was drinking on the couch.
Mr. Gukin grabbed Ms. Ackerman's phone.
Tire Slashing and a Sleepless Night
The argument escalated shortly after 1:30 AM.
Ms. Ackerman went to the bedroom to get away.
Mr. Gukin followed her into the bedroom.
He tossed her phone onto the bed.
Mr. Gukin then attempted to leave the house.
Ms. Ackerman slashed two tires on his vehicle.
She used scissors to do this.
She was trying to prevent him from leaving.
She might have believed he still had her phone.
Mr. Gukin slept on the couch that night.
Around 1:30 AM, he woke his children.
He intended to take them to his sister's house.
He wanted to de-escalate the situation.
Ms. Ackerman prevented him from leaving with the children.
She pulled on his shirt, ripping it.
He then put the children back to bed.
He returned to sleep on the couch.
Morning Confrontation and Document Dispute
The next morning, around 10:00 AM, Mr. Gukin woke up.
He bought cigarettes.
He returned home to do dishes.
The argument escalated again.
Mr. Gukin asked Ms. Ackerman to get out of his 1997 GMC Yukon.
He attempted to leave with the children.
He wanted to have a "nice day" at his sister's house.
Ms. Ackerman was "freaking out," yelling and screaming.
She believed Mr. Gukin would leave and not bring the children back.
Judge Judy found his attempt to have a "nice day" after a screaming match ridiculous.
She suggested he could have left by himself if he wanted to de-escalate.
Mr. Gukin claimed he did not want to leave his children with an "alcoholic mother."
Judge Judy pointed out Ms. Ackerman was not drinking that morning.
She was sober at 10 o'clock.
Ms. Ackerman tried to retrieve important documents from the Yukon.
These included birth certificates and a lease agreement.
She claimed they were in the car from school registration.