NM Domestic Violence Homicide Team Issues Findings

The New Mexico Domestic Violence Homicide Review Team has been working for more than a decade to identify gaps in the response to domestic and sexual violence and create effective solutions for addressing those gaps.

In 2008, the team worked for the first full year under the statutory authority of N.M. Stat. Ann. §31-22-4.1 on homicides occurring in 2005 (closed cases). Findings are documented in the 2008 Annual Report which can be found here.

In the review of 21 cases, 57 percent of the homicides involved the offender stalking the victim prior to the murder. From this finding, the team recommended an improved criminal justice response to stalking and repeated violations of protective orders.

This finding is highlighted by the 2003 study related to stalking in New Mexico, which stated nearly one-in-four women and one-in-14 men are stalked at least once in their lifetime in the State of New Mexico ( 2003 New Mexico Victimization Survey).

Other findings:

Finding: 15 of the 21 (71%) homicides occurred while the victim and offender were separated (broken up, breaking up, getting a divorce, etc.).

Finding: 12 of the 21 (57%) homicides involve the offender committing the crime of stalking prior to the murder.

Finding: 9 of the 21 homicides (43%) involve offenders who have at least one prior driving while intoxicated (DWI) charge.

Finding: Many domestic and sexual violence related homicides involve coworkers or other bystanders who are affected by the domestic and sexual violence and yet are unsure of how to help or respond to the situation.

Finding: Many victims, often women, cannot escape from violent relationships due to their financial dependence on their offenders.

Furthermore, many of the homicides involved co-workers or other bystanders who are affected by the domestic and sexual violence and are unsure of how to help or respond. This reveals a need for workplace policies on domestic and sexual violence and an overall increased public awareness.

More information on the New Mexico Domestic Violence Homicide Review Team is available here.