Current Domestic Violence Fatality Chronicle
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I O W A A T T O R N E Y G E N E R A L ' S O F F I C E C R I M E V I C T I M A S S I S T A N C E D I V I S I O N DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FATALITY CHRONICLE J A N U A R Y 1 9 9 5 - M A R C H 2 0 2 1 THOMAS J. MILLER 321 E. 12th Street THOMAS J. MILLER Lucas Building Ground Floor ATTORNEY GENERAL DES MOINES, IA 50319 Main: 515-281-5044 Toll Free: 800-373-5044 JANELLE MELOHN www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov DIVISION DIRECTOR IOWA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE DIVISION From: Janelle Melohn, Director, Crime Victim Assistance Division, Iowa Attorney General’s Office Date: March 31, 2021 Re: Domestic Violence Fatality Chronicle January 1995 through March 2021 This document includes information about the murders of 348 men, women, and bystanders killed in domestic violence murders since January 1, 1995 in Iowa. Please look carefully at the cases from your service area in this document. If you see corrections, additions, or deletions, contact our office with that information at 1-800-373-5044 or email Elizabeth Martin at [email protected]. Distribute this list to your staff, outreach offices, and local collaborators. Make sure anyone who needs or wants the updated information receives this document. This information may be useful in your observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (April 18-24, 2021). The included three lists tell the final stories of people who have been killed or reported to have been killed in Iowa in domestic violence related murders from 1/1/1995 through 3/31/2021. Full stories of the people killed between 1995-2017 have been archived and can be found at www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov in the “Publications” folder on the Crime Victim Assistance Division’s page. Please treat this information with the dignity and respect deserved by each of the persons noted. Seven women and two men have been added to the list since it was last distributed in September 2020. There is a short summary of each murder and statistical summaries for each list. There is also a statistical list of the combined data of the three lists. The information in this document is public information and was gathered from the Crime Victim Compensation Program, designated Iowa domestic abuse programs, law enforcement reports, prosecutor reports, and media. Each of the three lists gives a short summary of each homicide case: 1. Women murdered by an intimate partner: A woman was killed by her spouse, former spouse, intimate partner she has lived with, dated, or had a child with. 2. Men murdered by an intimate partner: A man was killed by his spouse, former spouse, intimate partner he has lived with, dated, or has a child with. 3. Bystanders murdered in a domestic abuse related crime: A person killed at the scene of a domestic abuse murder or was related to domestic abuse committed against a family member, friend, or another. The statistical summaries include: 1. An OVERALL statistical summary and analysis combining data from the other three lists. 2. A statistical summary and analysis of the women killed by their current or former intimate partner; 3. A statistical summary and analysis of the men killed by their current or past intimate partner; and 4. A statistical summary and analysis of the bystanders killed in a domestic violence crime. The next update of this list will be distributed September 30, 2021, which may be useful in your observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October 2021. Thank you for the life saving work you do. And thank you for your commitment to Justice. IOWA ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE DIVISION IOWANS MURDERED: MURDER RELATED TO INTIMATE PARTNER DOMESTIC ABUSE Calendar Women Men Bystanders Total DV Year Murdered Murdered Murdered Murders 1995 9 2 2 13 1996 8 3 5 16 1997 8 0 1 9 1998 11 0 6 17 1999 6 1 2 9 2000 10 2 1 13 2001 7 2 7 16 2002 7 3 1 11 2003 8 0 4 12 2004 10 1 0 11 2005 11 0 4 15 2006 16 1 5 22 2007 4 5 1 10 2008 11 3 7 21 2009 9 1 0 10 2010 15 3 2 20 2011 8 1 0 9 2012 8 0 3 11 2013 5 2 0 7 2014 8 4 2 14 2015 10 0 1 11 2016 9 2 3 14 2017 6 2 0 8 2018 7 2 1 10 2019 11 0 4 15 2020 9 3 5 17 2021 5 2 0 7 Totals 236 45 67 348 ANALYSIS: WOMEN, MEN, & BYSTANDERS 348 Iowans have been 236 women killed by partners killed as a result of 45 men killed by partners domestic violence since 1995. 67 bystanders killed 25 20 15 10 5 0 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 9 9 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 9 9 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 *This data is limited to current public information from the Crime Victim Compensation Program, domestic abuse programs, law enforcement, prosecutors' offices, and the media. 3/2021 IOWA ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE CRIME VICTIM ASSISTANCE DIVISION IOWANS MURDERED: RELATED TO INTIMATE PARTNER DOMESTIC ABUSE General Analysis of Cases* Women, Men, and Bystanders 348 IOWANS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN DOMESTIC ABUSE MURDERS SINCE 1/1/1995: 236 women have been killed by their partners; 45 men have been killed by their partners; 67 bystanders have been killed in domestic violence murders. Perpetrators who killed in domestic abuse murders: 301 persons were killed by men; 47 persons were killed by women (1 female collaborated with her son to kill her daughter-in-law) Primary relationship of the victim to the offender: 316 Adults were killed in domestic abuse murders 130 adults were killed by their spouse or former spouse 96 adults were killed by people they had dated 54 adults were killed by partners they lived with or had lived with 10 adults were killed by their intimate partner’s former partner/spouse 8 adults were killed by their children’s current or former intimate partner/spouse 6 adults were killed by their friend’s current/former dating partner 4 adults had no relationship to their killer 4 adults were killed by their sibling’s or cousin’s current/former dating partner 1 adult was killed by her son 1 adult was killed by her brother 1 adult was killed by a hitman hired by her husband 1 adult was killed by his stepfather 32 Children were killed in domestic abuse murders 19 children were killed by their fathers 5 in-uteri fetuses were killed 1 child was killed by their stepfather 6 children were killed by a man that lived with them and their mother 1 child was killed by a man who had dated her mother Method of homicide: 190 women, children, and men were shot to death 80 women, children, and men were strangled, beaten, or suffocated 62 women and men were stabbed to death 3 persons were given an overdose of medication 3 persons were burned to death/killed by smoke inhalation 3 persons were killed in deliberate car crashes 6 persons were killed by an unknown method 1 person was poisoned to death Perpetrator outcomes: 176 men and women were found guilty of or pled guilty to homicide or related crimes 92 perpetrators committed suicide after the murder 3 were not charged 3 were acquitted of charges 4 died (non-suicides) prior to facing charges 3 were convicted of non-homicide charges 22 have pending charges Child survivors of the women and men killed by their partners: 429 daughters and sons survive these women and men 253 of the surviving children were minors 99 children were present at the scene of the murder ANALYSIS: WOMEN, MEN, & BYSTANDERS 1995 - MARCH 2021 Bystanders IOWANS 19.3% KILLED Men 348 Iowans have been killed in 12.9% domestic abuse murders since 1995: 236 women killed by partners Women 45 men killed by partners 67.8% 67 bystanders killed Other HOMICIDE 4.6% Stabbed METHOD 17.8% Most Iowans killed as a result of domestic violence have been shot to death. Shot 54.6% 190 Iowans shot 80 Iowans strangled, beaten, Strangled/Beaten suffocated, or drowned 23% 62 Iowans stabbed 10 Iowans poisoned, given an overdose of medication, burned, or killed deliberately in car crashes 6 Iowans were killed by an unknown method 55% of victims since 1995 were killed with a gun *This data is limited to current public information from the Crime Victim Compensation Program, domestic abuse programs, law enforcement, prosecutors' offices, and the media. ANALYSIS: WOMEN & MEN KILLED BY PARTNERS 1995 - MARCH 2021 Cohabitator 19.3% RELATIONSHIP TO OFFENDER Spouse 46.4% Of the 281 women (236) and men (45) who were killed by a partner, most were killed by their spouse/former spouse.