Increased Risk: Identifying Lethality Factors in DV Cases

According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Statistics, cases involving intimate partners accounted for 8.4% of all murders in 2023; as of September of 2024, these cases account for 12%.

When a DV fatality takes place within a community, you will often hear people express frustration wondering if anything could have been done to prevent such a tragedy. While there are no 100% guaranteed methods of preventing violence, there are certain lethality factors that can identify an increased risk of homicide in intimate relationships. These factors have been assessed and verified through multiple sources, including criminal investigations, scientific and legal studies, and through multidisciplinary teams, such as the Colorado DV Fatality Review Board (CDVFRB). Being familiar with these lethality factors can not only help determine the potential level of risk a survivor may face, but can also help to build a safety plan for moving forward. Below are some of the factors to be aware of, including some of the more severe ones.

1.) Possession of Firearms or Other Weapons
Per the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, 17.9% of firearm related deaths in Colorado between 2016-2020 involved intimate partners. When an abusive partner has access to a gun, a domestic violence victim or survivor is five times more likely to be murdered by that partner. If a victim or survivor is threatened by their abuser with that gun, the risk of homicide is twenty times greater.

2.) Involvement of Substances and/or Alcohol
It is important to recognize that drugs or alcohol do not cause abusive behavior; abuse is caused by power and control. However, the presence of substances or alcohol can often contribute to increases in the frequency and/or severity of abuse. According to the CDVFRB’s 2023 Report, in 13 of the 16 cases reviewed that year, the DV perpetrator abused either drugs or alcohol.

3.) A History of Violence
In January 2024, the Colorado Domestic Violence Offender Management Board (DVOMB) released a study of 787 individuals conducted between 2018 and 2021 and found that “two-thirds of the study group had a history of prior domestic violence incidents and a non-domestic violence criminal history.” Even in circumstances where there isn’t a criminal record, an abuser having a history of violence, whether against a previous intimate partner or otherwise, can be an indicator of abuse continuing and becoming more severe.

4.) Strangulation
Strangulation (often referred to as “choking’) is a severe form of physical abuse that can bring abuse victims to “the edge of homicide”. It is also known to be the biggest predictor of homicide later on in a relationship. When strangulation occurs, the survivor faces a 750% increase to their risk of dying by homicide at the hands of their abuser.

5.) Stalking
Per the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC), stalking increases the risk of intimate partner homicide by 300%. Further, “abusive partners who stalk are more likely to verbally degrade, threaten, use a weapon to attack, sexually assault, and/or physically injure their victims”.

6.) Severe Jealousy or Possessiveness
When an abusive partner repeatedly demonstrates having an attitude of ownership toward the victim or makes statements like, “If I can’t have you, no one can”, there is a significant issue with jealousy in the relationship. This pattern can also lead to the victim becoming isolated, which puts them at even greater risk of fatality. In a national study shared by the Georgia Fatality Review (GFR), 79% of those who killed their intimate partners showed a history of violent jealousy.

7.) Threats of/Fantasizing About Homicide
Victims and survivors whose abuser threatened to kill them are 15 times more likely to die by homicide. It is also important to examine how often threats of this nature are being made or if the abuser appears to fantasize about committing such acts; this can increase the risk further.

8.) Depression, Suicidal Ideation, or Other Mental Health Concerns
According to the Colorado DVOMB’s assessment processes, a DV abuser having mental health issues qualifies as a significant risk factor; having any serious suicidal ideation within the past 12 months poses a critical risk factor. Per the national study shared by the GFR, 39% of abusers who killed their intimate partner had threatened or attempted suicide prior to the homicide.

9.) Recent Separation from the Abusive Partner
Leaving an abusive relationship doesn’t guarantee abuse will stop or decrease; more regularly, it is the opposite. It is often asserted that the most dangerous time for a DV survivor is when they leave their abuser. The abuser feels a loss of control over the survivor, resulting in an escalation of abuse, including homicide.

Additional factors that indicate increased risk can also include loss of employment by the abusive partner, abuse being committed against a victim or survivor who is pregnant, sexual abuses occurring in the relationship, and the abuser having a history of fire-setting or arson. Recognize that an absence of multiple factors doesn’t mean there is a lack of significant risk. If other abuses are present in a relationship there is a safety risk for the abused partner, regardless if those abuses occurring are not necessarily lethality factors themselves.

No one ever deserves to be abused, much less be killed by a current or former partner. Domestic violence can make you feel incredibly isolated, but know that you are not alone. Help and safety are available for you, for your children, for your friends and loved ones. AVRC Staff are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
All you have to do is reach out.

415 Colorado Avenue, La Junta, CO 81050
(719) 384-7764
TTY: (719) 384-1938
After Hours Colorado Relay dial 711 or 1-800-659-2656

AVRC is non-discriminatory agency regarding age, race, religion, color, gender, country of national origin, sexual orientation, mental health status, substance use or economic condition.