Domestic violence deaths increased in Colorado last year, with at least 43 victims in 2018 compared with 39 people in 2017, according to an annual report.
The 54-page report by the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board was released Thursday by the state attorney general’s office.
Of the 43 who died in 2018 in domestic violence incidents, 26 were primary victims, two were children, four were other adults and 11 were primary perpetrators, according to the news release.
In 2017, 39 people died in domestic violence incidents, 18 of them were primary victims.
“The work of the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board is critical to our state’s overall strategy to understand domestic violence and prevent fatalities and near-death incidents,” said Attorney General Phil Weiser, who leads the board. “The findings in this report can and should be integrated into our state’s policies around domestic violence response and prevention. We owe it to the victims and survivors to find effective methods to prevent these tragedies in Colorado.”
The General Assembly established the review board in 2017, the release said, to examine data on domestic violence fatalities, identify ways to prevent these tragedies and make policy recommendations to the legislature.
Findings from the report include:
- Of those killed in 2018, the youngest was 3 and the oldest 64.
- 47% of the victims were women killed by a current or former male partner.
- Gunshot wounds — 63 percent — were the most common cause of death.
- Denver had the highest number, eight, of fatal incidents related to domestic violence, followed by six in Adams County and five in Jefferson County.
- In 72.7% of the cases, the perpetrator had a history of domestic violence.
- More than 80% of perpetrators had a history of drug or alcohol abuse.
- More than 80% of perpetrators exhibited possessiveness of the victim.
- More than 90% of perpetrators had a significant loss of perceived control.
- More than 90% of perpetrators were experiencing feelings of abandonment or betrayal.
The review board includes experts from fields that interact with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, the release said. The goal of the review process is to better understand the dynamics of domestic violence and prevent incidents.
