Which domestic abusers will go on to commit murder? This one act offers a clue. (Snyder/WaPo)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Rachel Louise Snyder November 16

In 2012, while stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, Devin Patrick Kelley assaulted his wife and stepson. Kelley was subsequently convicted of domestic violence and released early from the Air Force.

One important detail of the attack: In addition to fracturing the child’s skull and hitting and kicking his wife, Kelley strangled her. If the particular severity of his violence had been better understood and recognized in New Mexico, 26 people, including a 17-month-old baby named Noah, might not have been killed in Sutherland Springs, Tex., this month.

Strangulation inhabits a category all its own in domestic violence as a marker of lethality. A kick, a punch, a slap, a bite — none of these, though terrible, portend homicide like strangulation does. And while the link between mass shooters and domestic violence is increasingly recognized in the public arena, articles and op-eds, strangulation as a specific sign of lethality in the context of domestic violence remains largely unknown.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission recognized strangulation as a marker of dangerousness in a 2014 report and recommended increased prison time — up to 10 years — for those convicted of it. Indeed, 45 states now recognize strangulation as a felony. New Mexico, where Kelley was convicted, is not one of them.
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Gael Strack, chief executive of the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention in San Diego, says the mere presence of strangulation in a situation of domestic abuse increases the chances of homicide sevenfold. It is a clear trajectory from escalating violence to homicide, of which strangulation is the penultimate act. “Statistically, we know that once the hands are on the neck, the very next step is homicide,” Strack said. “They don’t go backwards.”
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more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/which-domestic-abusers-will-go-on-to-commit-murder-this-one-act-offers-a-clue/2017/11/16/80881ebc-c978-11e7-aa96-54417592cf72_story.html




Ummmm ... this looks important. Definitely deserves more attention. Kudos to Ms. Snyder for writing this.

[Ilsa]

1. This murderer was flashing red, sirens on, flares bursting

for ages before his rampage. Why didn't someone require a psych exam? Or if they did, how did he pass it? Who can be held accountable for his ability to get weapons? Or for the fact that he wasn't locked up or reporting to a P.O.?

[BigmanPigman]

2. That makes perfect sense and is very accurate.

Good post!

[marble falls]

3. Never heard of this before. Scary stuff.

[Control-Z]

4. Interesting.

I saw my father strangling my mother when I was 5 years old. He beat all of us (mother, sister, me) but she was his main punching bag. My time frame is a bit fuzzy but she took my sister and me and left him sometime after that. (I know it was before I turned six.) We went to my grandparent's (her parent's) house on the other side of the country.

My mom died shortly after my 7th birthday so my sister and I were sent back to him. I took my mother's place as his main target. He never strangled me but once while he was beating the crap out of me he had what I guess was a moment of clarity and told my sister to stop him before he killed me. He never really stopped other than for that day.

It was years later that I was placed in foster care. And I always, always felt guilty. To this very day I've wondered if I had over reacted. That it really wasn't that bad and I probably would have been fine. This article gives me a lot to think about.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

5. I'm sad for you, Control-Z. That's a harrowing story.

I don't know what else to say, except it WAS that bad, and you don't deserve to feel guilty.

❤️

[Control-Z]

6. Thank you, BlancheSplanchnik.

I really appreciate your kind words and compassion. People like you are the reason I kept coming back to DU when I first found it.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

7. I always want to reach out when someone tells of a traumatic past.

I also have a lot of traumatic experiences so I know it matters to find people who care and aren't scared off.

We're members of The Club. 🤝🖖🏾