Surge In King County Domestic Violence Killings Continued In 2021

Seattle WA

15 October, 2021

3:49 PM

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KING COUNTY, WA — Domestic violence killings have continued their pandemic-era rise in King County, leaving at least 15 victims dead so far this year. The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has been tracking a surge in homicides linked to domestic violence since the pandemic emerged, and 2020 saw 18 lives lost — the highest number since 2007. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the prosecutor's office hosted a briefing this week to share some of its recent findings. Though the surge has started to recede, and new felony domestic violence filings have returned to pre-pandemic levels, prosecutors said 2021 was likely to end up at or above the highs of last year. "Domestic violence is an underreported crime, which makes the numbers we are sharing today all the more concerning," said Dan Satterberg, King County Prosecuting Attorney. "As Domestic Violence month gets underway, we want the public to know that there are more tools available than ever – including online – to help protect survivors." Among the 15 people killed during acts of domestic violence in 2021, prosecutors said nine were victims of familial violence and six were killed by their intimate partners. Altogether, prosecutors attributed two dozen deaths to circumstances of domestic violence, including several suicides, two police shootings, and four "directly-related deaths." Half of the 24 deaths involved guns, prosecutors said. "Domestic violence is a bellwether for violent crime and violent death in our community," said David Martin, chair of the Domestic Violence Unit in the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. "The trauma of DV creates life-altering impacts on victims and their children. We must do more to prevent DV from escalating by investing in youth, making treatment available and effective, and reducing access to firearms." (King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office) Here are some stats from the prosecutor's office: In 2019, there were four domestic violence homicides in King County. That year also had three domestic violence suicides and one officer-involved shooting at a domestic violence incident.In 2020, King County saw 18 domestic violence homicides – the highest number since 2007. There also were five domestic violence suicides that year and five officer-involved shootings at domestic violence incidents.In 2021, the rate of DV homicide and violent death is on pace to meet or exceed 2020. There have been 15 domestic violence homicides cases from recent events (we also filed two additional murder cases: one involving a mother accused of killing her newborn boy in November 1997, and another with a defendant accused of killing two teenage girls in a 2018 Burien case).Of those 15 cases:Six were intimate partners Nine were familial Overall, there are 24 violent deaths attributed to DV. Three suicides during two attempted murders and one murder-suicide. Two police shootings, and four directly-related deaths: two killed while a defendant was in flight from a DV homicide and two others while attempting to intervene in DV. 12 of the 24 involved a firearm. According to the prosecutor's office, its protection order advocates have responded to more than 6,700 inquiries and crisis triage calls in 2021, and supported nearly 1,8000 survivors of partner violence. The Regional Domestic Violence Firearms Enforcement Unit also confiscated 431 guns and reviewed nearly 1,200 civil protection orders. The county has stood up or expanded several services and partnerships to assist victims of domestic violence, including a program to provide pro bono legal assistance and more early outreach efforts, along with launching a remote protection order filing program near the start of the pandemic. The prosecutor's office is also hosting its Domestic Violence Symposium through late October, with several virtual events scheduled via Zoom. Here are some ways to get help: If you know someone who needs a protection order, those can now be filed remotely in King County. The remote protection order program was launched by the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office last year at the start of the pandemic.Learn how to recognize signs of abuse: Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Friends and Family GuideNational Domestic Violence Hotline (available 24/7): 1-800-799-7233