Displaced Homemaker & Family Assistance

from arizona:

i am trying to get some information for a friend of mine. her husband is physically abusive to her and has threatened that he is going to kill her repeatedly. she has a bench warrant currently so she cant call the police for protection because she doesnt want to be arrested. they have four children, three of which are minors. one has a mental defect. they have been married for over 16 years and she has never held a job during that time.her husband is the sole provider for the household. she has been a homemaker and stay at home mom, and has few if any skills for outside employment. she can get restraining orders against him- but when she does- he withholds all monies from her and the children. he wont give her not a single cent for food, housing, utilities, etc. can he legally withhold all means of financial support for her and the children just because a restraining order is issued? please help, if she doesnt get assistance soon, i fear that he will kill her.

1. She needs to take care of the warrant situation. Plain and simple. No. It's not pleasant, but she needs to suck it up and realize that she's not going to be able to resolve the marital situation without resolving the situation that caused the warrant to be issued.

2. She needs to file for divorce.

I have some other words of advice here, but they're not tips on the legal issues, so I'll bite my tongue.