07/26/2023
Utah Domestic Violence homicide grew 63% in 2023 through June 30th,
In nearly all the killings, a direct family member or a boyfriend specifically was accused of committing the crime. And in all but two of the cases, the deaths were caused by gun violence.
There’s an idea of, ‘Oh, I’m not being hit. I’m not being strangled. It’s not that bad.
What we know is verbal abuse, psychological abuse, economic abuse– they’re dangerous,” she said. “And they need to be treated with the exact same seriousness that we treat physical abuse.”
In domestic violence homicides, White said nearly half, just under 50%, involved no physical violence before the homicide itself.
The warning signs may be much less obvious and hard to detect by friends and family.
“Things like avoiding family functions, not seeing anyone, becoming isolated, flinching easily, startling easily, apologizing excessively,” White said, listing off the more subtle signs.
Positive behavior by a potential abuser is not an indication that there isn’t a domestic violence issue.
“There’s this idea of, ‘Oh, he’s so nice,’ or ‘She’s so gentle. Surely, she or he or they couldn’t be that person,'”
