Domestic violence 'exists in every town.' How do 2023 incidents compare to past years?

On July 15, Richard Hanson of Newton was arrested after he allegedly beat his wife, Nancy Hanson, to death with a baseball bat.

That slaying involving intimate partners was one of 19 in the state 2023 tracked by Jane Doe Inc., a statewide coalition of public and private agencies that work to prevent gender-based violence.

The numbers are unofficial — the state has not released the final 2023 data and Jane Doe Inc. bases most of its numbers by tracking media accounts of intimate partner murders, organization Executive Director Debra Robbin said.

The 19 homicides are a little above the yearly average since 2013 — 18.1 — and six lower than in 2022 when there were 25 throughout the state.

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However, Robbin said people shouldn't read too much into recent numbers — rather, she said every year has to be judged on its own.

"There are different factors each year," she said. "It's not something that can be judged year to year or even over a 10-year period."

Those numbers do not include non-intimate partner domestic homicides. For example, the murder of Nancy Uhlman of Westborough on June 1, 2023, in Marlborough, allegedly by her son, Daniel Uhlman, is not included in that number. The death of Eric Murray of Marlborough on Aug. 2, allegedly stabbed to death by his girlfriend, Darlene Carreras, who is charged with manslaughter, is included.

One-third of all women report domestic violence

Domestic violence is a problem in the state — one in three women and one in five men report violence, rape or stalking involving an intimate partner during their life, according to Jane Doe Inc. In addition, one-third of transgendered people say they have been threatened with violence by a partner compared to 13.6% of cisgendered people.

Incidents of domestic violence, as a whole, increased during the pandemic as more and more people were trapped in homes, often with their abusers.

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Sixmarie Rodriguez, program director for Framingham-based Voices Against Violence — said the number of domestic violence incidents has declined since pandemic restrictions were lifted.

"There has been a very high uptick during the pandemic — it was extremely high compared to what we see now," she said. "People weren't able to leave their home and the stressors during the pandemic played a role in the violence."

In general, most domestic violence homicides in 2023 were allegedly committed by men — 17 of the victims were women. That includes the Newton case, where Hanson is alleged to have killed his wife. It also includes Rakesh Kamel, 57, of Dover, who authorities said killed his wife and daughter — Teena and Arianna — before killing himself in December.

The Kamel murder was not the only murder-suicide in the area.

On Dec. 17, the Norfolk District Attorney's Office said Michael Fischella, 32, shot and killed his partner, Tanaia Wilkinson, 25, in Millis before he killed himself.

On Nov. 29, Kethlen Paula Alves Trindade DaRocha, 28, was shot to death in her Marlborough home, allegedly by her boyfriend, Marlon Moreira Costa, 29, who then shot and killed himself with what authorities say was a murder-suicide.

"Obviously, the loss of anyone in these situations… even one is too many," said Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. "We work hard in these situations and work to try to avoid these situations ever happening."

Despite multiple area murder-suicides, Ryan said murder-suicides themselves aren't increasing — but suicides, in general, are.

"There has been a significant increase in people dying by suicide," she said.

DA's office offers programs to help spot domestic violence

The Middlesex District Attorney's Office has many programs designed to help those suffering through domestic violence. One of the programs is called "Cut It Out," where those who work in salons, such as hairdressers or makeup artists — can undergo training to help spot domestic violence and refer people to area resource agencies.

Another is having domestic violence high-risk assessment and rapid response teams. There are nine teams in the county, including in Framingham and Waltham. The team, using evidence-based risk assessment and tools try to identify and intervene in domestic violence cases that pose the greatest risk of someone being killed.

"It's, unfortunately, a problem that exists in every town, every community," said Ryan. "We have to do our best to make sure the programs are available, and people know about these. We work hard in these situations to help make sure people know these resources are available."

Rodriguez said Voices Against Violence runs an emergency shelter for people who need immediate support, but she said the key is making sure the public knows about available help.

"I think the most important thing, before any of these (homicides) happen, is to really work on our outreach," she said. "The more the public knows that we're there to support them there are less chances for things to get to a homicide. We try to go to every event possible; we try to go to all of the schools to talk about it and we have relationships with local police departments."

Robbin said the key is to work with domestic violence victims. Many times, when someone is the victim of a domestic homicide, those who know the couple often don't know there was domestic violence in the relationship.

She said having the resources and assistance is particularly important when particularly when a person has decided to leave their abuser.

"That's the most dangerous time for a person," said Robbin. "That can trigger an abuser to increase the violence when they find out."

Domestic violence resources

The statewide SafeLink Hotline: 1-877-785-2020Voices Against Violence: 800-593-1125Domestic Violence Network of Central Middlesex Inc.: 888-399-6111Advocates: 508-485-9300Wayside Youth & Family Support Network: 508-879-9800 and 508-478-6888REACH Beyond Domestic Violence: 800-899-4000YWCA Central Massachusetts: 508-755-9030New Hope Inc.: 800-323-4673Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children: 781-861-0890CASA Project: 508-757-9877

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Domestic violence homicides drop from higher rates in pandemic years