Ohio Domestic Violence Network says 131 people died in domestic violence situations last year

More than 130 people died in cases connected to domestic violence in Ohio over the past year, the Ohio Domestic Violence Network says that's a 62% increase in deaths over the last two years.

The report from ODVN says those 131 fatalities come from 90 cases between July 2020 and June 2021. The fatalities include 85 victims of domestic violence and 46 perpetrators of that violence.

The group compiled the data from media reports of "intimate-partner relationship fatalities identified by staff and member programs."

Micaela Deming, ODVN policy director and staff attorney, says there are two notable statistics that stuck out in the report. The first was the number of victims below the age of 18; there were 15 young victims who were killed during a domestic violence incident. The second statistic was the number of people who already had contact with law enforcement but were still killed by the person they reported.

Deming says bills pending in the Statehouse could help prevent these deaths.

"To use those as a vehicle to improve safety for victims and improve the options that the courts have and law enforcement have to keep that victim safe while we're waiting for the criminal justice system to go through its process," says Deming.

One example is Aisha's Law, HB3, which requires police to do a lethality assessment on a domestic violence call. It didn’t pass last session, but was re-introduced in February.

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