Did you know that strangulation is the highest predictor of murder in an abusive relationship?

A study of homicide victims killed by an intimate partner found that 43% had experienced a non-fatal strangulation by their partner prior to their murder. Researchers involved in that study also determined that being strangled by a partner – even one time – increases a victim’s risk of homicide by that partner by over 600%.

While most women murdered in domestic violence homicides are shot, strangulation is also the highest predictor of a homicide with a gun. Being strangled by a partner makes a victim 750% more likely to be murdered by that partner when there is a gun in the home.

It can be difficult to identify strangulation as an abusive tactic because visible injuries, such as bruising, may not be present at the time of or immediately following an assault. Abusers can more easily deny the assault when police are called, and survivors, who may fear not being believed, are more likely to downplay the violence.

But experts have long agreed that strangulation is the ultimate form of power and control an abuser can exert over a victim.

Last April, Ohio became the 50th state to recognize strangulation as a felony, acknowledging the potentially deadly nature of the crime and its all-too-common connection to intimate partner violence. That law authorized the establishment of county or regional domestic violence fatality review boards and required the Ohio Department of Health to create rules and procedures for such boards.

Bethany House is one of the local partners currently working with ODH and others across the state to provide technical assistance and develop policies and procedures around establishing and conducting domestic violence fatality reviews.

One goal of these reviews is to identify trends and warning signs to better educate the community and help victims before it’s too late.