A quarter of homicides linked to domestic violence

A quarter of homicides linked to domestic violence

Example: Marshall’s boyfriend was arrested and charged with murder in connection with her death. Earlier in 2017, a restraining order was filed against him for domestic violence, court documents show. “Maybe she would have called if she knew there was an advocate that could have helped,” said Lt. Col. Mike John, Police assistant chief.

Every day in the United States, three women are killed by a current or former intimate partner on average, according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

 Nearly half of female homicide victims are murdered by an intimate partner. For males, that number is just below 5 percent. A  quarter of all 2016 homicides involved an offender who was either directly engaged in a domestic assault at the time of the offense or who had a history of domestic or sexual assault, according to the records.

Some other troubling statistics:

❚ According to numbers from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, intimate partner violence makes up 15 percent of violent crime in the United States.

❚ On top of the homicides that were the direct result of a domestic violence offense, another nine homicides were committed by an offender with a history of domestic, sexual or child abuse, John said.

Victim advocates and police felt the pressure to address what Kristin Smith-Shrimplin, president and CEO of Women Helping Women, called a “public health epidemic.” The Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team, or DVERT, will launch in January, to provide more support for victims.

Think about it. If domestic violence came into the national conversation as much as we are seeing “sexual abuse”, a significant impact could be made on women’s deaths by homicide.