SafeHaven of Tarrant County has released a local, comprehensive report, compiled by several collaborating organizations, that sheds light on the number of intimate partner homicides that happen each year in the Tarrant County community.
The fatality report includes details about eight intimate partner homicides that took place Tarrant County in 2019, including perpetrator/victim demographic information, crime information, and the interaction with community agencies prior to the homicide.
The Fatality Review Report is designed as a tool to evaluate and improve the current system with which both abusers and victims interact in the hope to end fatalities at the hands of domestic violence.
“I am confident in the process our collaborative group utilized to gather and analyze this data. I am also grateful for this team and our ability as a community to come together in this important way,” SafeHaven of Tarrant County President and CEO Kathryn Jacob said.
“We learned so much while reviewing these cases, and, sadly, much of the research we have on intimate partner violence was confirmed through these local examples.
“The most powerful piece was regarding women who leave their relationships. This does not always mean they have found safety. In fact, most of the time, leaving does not equate to safety,” Jacob said.
The Fatality Review Team consists of designated partners that conduct in-depth case analysis with each partner providing relevant information. Contributing partners are the Arlington Police Department, the Fort Worth Police Department, John Peter Smith Hospital, MedStar, the Office of the Criminal District Attorney, SafeHaven of Tarrant County and Texas Health Texas Health Resources.
The review found that intimate partner violence impacts every age group, with victims ranging from 23 to 71, and the homicides happened in Arlington, Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, and Watauga. The victims and offenders identified as white, Black, Asian, and Native American.
The length of the relationships ranged from two weeks to many years, and all but one relationship had ended. Only one couple remained together at the time of the homicide.
The report may be accessed here: http://bit.ly/SafeHavenReport