DENVER — At least 43 people in 2018 died from domestic violence incidents in Colorado, according to a new report from the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board.
The victims were:
- 26 primary victims
- 2 children
- 4 other adults
- 11 primary perpetrators
Of the 43 people who died in 2018, the youngest was 3 years old, and the oldest was 64.
The report showed an increase in deaths and primary victim deaths from 2017, when 39 people died due to domestic violence incidents, the report said.
“The findings in this report can and should be integrated into our state’s policies around domestic violence response and prevention," said Attorney General Phil Weiser, who chairs the board. "We owe it to the victims and survivors to find effective methods to prevent these tragedies in Colorado."
The Colorado General Assembly in 2017 created the review board to analyze data on domestic violence fatalities, figure out ways to prevent them and make policy recommendations to the legislature.
The board also includes experts who work with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. The report's findings will be implemented in training for professionals to improve practices and determine what policies are needed to help prevent future domestic violence incidents.
The 2018 report includes a few higher-profile cases, like the Watts family murders and the Kelsey Berreth murder.
"We're looking at what were the circumstances surrounding these deaths, what were the red flags present, what interventions occurred, what interventions could have occurred. And that’s where it really informs policy and law," said Jenn Doe, the executive director of the Denver Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. She was part of the team that put the report together.
"The goal here is to take these tragedies, these deaths that have occurred, and try to make some meaning," she explained. "Try to honor the memories of those who were lost in those incidents and find a way to use the information we can gather to prevent future deaths from occurring."
But there are many other names that are unfamiliar to the public.
The authors of the report started their publication with a list of the victims.
"As a way to pay tribute to those people," Doe said.
The data is also useful for organizations like the Rose Andom Center in Denver, which connects domestic violence victims to various resources.
"There are many things about the Rose Andom Center that are built on the learnings from the fatality review process," said the center's executive directorm Margaret Abrams.
"Part of that is further identifying what are those high-risk factors that victims may experience, she said. "And making sure that every person who is working with that victim ... are aware of what those risk factors are and can help keep that in mind when we're piecing together intervention as well as helping victims understand the risk they might be facing."
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