Here are photos of Oksana Grigorieva going into her lawyer’s office on Wednesday afternoon. She looks tired. Poor woman. Not only did she have to put up with Mel’s horrendous abuse, she’s getting so much bad press in the wake of these tapes. I for one would like to thank her – as we see more of Mel the Terrorist, I have more respect for how ballsy Oksana is. It takes some brass ones to go up against Mel Gibson and his money and his lawyers and his publicists, it really does. According to TMZ, when Oksana was entering the building, photographers were asking her questions and she told them that she would be telling “the whole story” at next week’s custody hearing.

The custody dispute (which started this whole thing) is only one piece of the puzzle. The criminal investigation into domestic abuse is picking up a head of steam. TMZ reports that Oksana’s 12-year-old son Alexander (his father is Timothy Dalton) will be a “crucial witness” for the prosecution, if Mel is ever charged with domestic abuse. Sheriff’s investigators want to interview him because he might have witnesses many of the incidents where Mel was verbally or physically abusing his mom, including “much” of the January 6 incident, when Mel allegedly hit Oksana in the face and knocked out two of her teeth/veneers.

Speaking of her teeth, Oksana’s dentist, Dr. Ross Sheldon, has already spoken to investigators (and I think he’s leaking to the media too). Dr. Sheldon has been Oksana’s dentist for 12 years, and he’s already detailed the information about Oksana’s “blunt force trauma” to the face. Also – Dr. Sheldon says that one veneer was knocked completely out, and the other was broken in half. According to TMZ, Dr. Sheldon will testify that Oksana told him that Mel had hit her, and that Dr. Sheldon was “so concerned” for Oksana’s safety that he offered to let her stay with him, at his home. He also told investigators that Oksana did not want photographs of her injuries taken, and had “expressly said she wanted to protect Mel. But Dr. Shelden persisted and got the photos, although he says Oksana was so reluctant she would not look into the camera.”

As the evidence mounts in the criminal investigation, you’d think the Sheriff’s Department would be well on their way to making an arrest, right? Not so much. Once again, TMZ’s sources in the DA’s office say that they’re not looking to become “part of the howling mob” and that nothing is being rushed. It will probably be another week or two before we see movement, according to these sources, although one unnamed person said: “Mel isn’t going anywhere. He’s like Tiger Woods. There’s no where he can hide in the world. And she (Oksana) isn’t in any danger. We’re in no rush to make a decision. We’re going to do it right.” Why is this not filling me with relief?

Oh, right. Because Mel Gibson loves guns. Radar reports that after Mel’s violent episode on January 6, he pulled a gun on Oksana when she tried to escape the house. He put the gun in her face and said to her: “I will show you how to get out of here fast.” According to “a source familiar with the law enforcement investigation” Oksana claims: “When Mel disappeared, Oksana said she ran back inside to find her car keys so she could leave the house. That’s when Mel reemerged holding the gun and began waving it in front of Oksana’s face, she has told investigators. Oksana said she was panicked and while searching for the keys, Mel came up to her and said, ‘I will show you how to get out of here fast,’ which she interpreted to be a death threat.”

Does anyone get the feeling that Mel Gibson would have killed her at some point? If she hadn’t gotten out, if she hadn’t compiled all of this evidence against him. I think he was totally capable of it.

Oksana on July 14, 2010. Archival images of Mel, Oksana and Alexander in 2008-09. Credit: Fame.