Tucson, Ariz.– The Pima County Attorney’s Office has released the following statement regarding a deadly domestic violence incident that took place earlier today.
It is with deep sadness that the Pima County Attorney’s Office shares tragic news we learned today. A defendant that our office was prosecuting for two felony cases regarding domestic violence strangulation is now reported to have killed the same victim and then killed himself. This is a reminder of how very dangerous and complex domestic violence cases can be. In this case, we argued and secured a bond to keep him in jail, but the defendant returned to court asking for a second chance to be released. We strenuously objected due to our grave concerns that the defendant’s violence was escalating. The court documents related to that very argument are attached below.
When we arrived four years ago, we changed the PCAO Initial Appearance Recommendation form to include the following critical warning from the National Institute of Health (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2573025/) . Our argument in that form states:
“This case involves intimate partner strangulation. There is a high lethality associated with Domestic Violence Strangulation. 43% of all women who are murdered have been previously strangled by their partner. When a person has been strangled by their partner, there is an 800% increase in the likelihood of that person being murdered.”
As we share this data, please look for domestic violence warning signs, and if you see something, say something. For more information on prevention and assistance, please visit https://emergecenter.org (https://emergecenter.org/) or call 1-888-428-0101.
Media Contact: Shawndrea Thomas
Director of Communications
Pima County Attorney’s Office
(520) 724-5738 (Office)
(520) 310-4720 (Mobile)
Shawndrea.Thomas@pcao.pima.gov
