A third of 2009 Minnesota murder-suicides occurred in Quad Area
by Nicholas Backus
Quad Editor
Published:
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 5:19 PM CST
NORTHEAST METRO — In a state with the highest murder-suicide rate in 2009, why has a third occurred in the Quad area, with another reported in adjoining Hugo last month?
Local domestic violence prosecutors aren’t sure, but some say economic factors could contribute to that terrible, final act of control.
“If you have lost your job and you are the breadwinner of the family with control issues in that relationship, sometimes you can lose control,” said Connie Moore, executive director of Alexandria House, a battered women’s shelter in Blaine.
Anoka County Attorney Bob Johnson agreed with Moore, saying economic conditions can raise stress levels and bring out violent behavior that would normally not manifest itself.
“You see domestic violence at all different economic levels,” Johnson said. “Any type of stress on the relationship can do it, and economic stress is one of them.”
On the law enforcement level, Lino Lakes Police Sergeant Kelly McCarthy said she isn’t as concerned with trends and explanations as much as working to prevent potential murder-suicide.
“Every one is one too many,” McCarthy said.
According to figures from the Minnesota Coalition of Battered Women, there were six murder-suicides in Minnesota last year, meaning one-third of them were committed in the Quad Area. Those two murder-suicides occurred in the last seven months. Last August, Erica Wilson was killed by a former boyfriend in Circle Pines. Then in October, Pamela Taschuk was killed by her husband before he turned the gun on himself.
Just last month, a third area murder-suicide took place in Hugo, when Sarah Mitzuk was shot dead by her husband Michael. All three incidents involved firearms.
Johnson said he’s never seen crimes of this nature bunched so closely together.
“This violence underscores the importance of (domestic violence prosecution),” he said. “These crimes don’t go unnoticed.”
Johnson’s office is currently busy writing a $400,000 federal grant proposal that would add staff at the county’s corrections department, just one of many levels of domestic violence prosecution county-wide.
Whether the county receives the funding or not, Johnson said prosecution must improve. Practices like “gone-on-arrival” offenders who are not taken into custody at the scene of a domestic violence incident must stop. Moreover, Johnson admitted that his office’s general rule of charging domestic assault suspects in 30 days is insufficient.
“We have to do a better job,” the county attorney said. “These are potentially dangerous situations that we need to get to right now.” The latest hot topic in domestic violence prevention is the implementation and escalation of perpetrator “lethality assessments.” Johnson said this could speed up prosecution once suspects go to court.
“We want to get (assessment) information to the court before the person appears,” he said. “That way the judge has a better idea of setting probation and bail.”
The assessments classify suspects from low- to high-risk judging from a questionnaire completed by domestic violence victims at the scene of the crime. According to McCarthy, the questionnaire contains 27 questions, some of which ask if the suspect has ever tried or threatened suicide or owns firearms and weapons.
“We analyze the information we receive and work with the victim to tailor aftercare,” McCarthy said. Every domestic assault responded to by Lino Lakes Police is reported to the Alexandria House.
To increase the effectiveness of lethality assessments, Johnson pulled together all levels of Anoka County domestic violence prosecution to make sure each knows its role. They include the county administrator’s office, 911 services, field services for community corrections, court administration, Anoka County’s chief judge, the sheriff’s department and Andover’s city prosecutor.
“The assessments inform prosecutors how to deal with offenders,” Johnson said.
The chief area of implementation starts on the front lines of law enforcement, Johnson added, and he worries that officers might be stretching themselves too thin.
“We’re always asking more and more from responding officers but there are practical limits,” he said. “That’s why we have to make (assessments) efficient, to reduce the burden.”
McCarthy dismissed the notion that police are pushed too far by the additional responsibilities presented by increased domestic violence prevention methods.
“It’s a lot of work but it’s important work and we’re doing as much as we can,” she said.
Johnson said the assessments could be useful in corrections, where officers could apply them to offenders currently on probation. If the offender violates probation or commits another crime, a lethality assessment would be on hand for quick prosecution.
Johnson is also looking at the possibility that the attorney’s office could examine lesser domestic violence cases, such as gross misdemeanors, to curb the violence before it becomes deadly. Currently, Johnson’s office only prosecutes felony domestic violence charges, which consist of strangulation, broken bones, or a third domestic violence misdemeanor.
In exchange for the more “serious” domestic violence cases, the county would ship common felony cases such as thefts and DUIs to municipal jurisdiction prosecution.
Whether it be fate or mystery, the recent violence in the area has caught the eye of those involved in domestic violence prevention. For Alexandria House’s Moore, the Hugo case was a shock. “In many cases, no one has a clue something is going on,” she said. “Victims hide it for various reasons. They may feel shame and guilt or blame themselves for what’s happening. They may feel they’ll get in more trouble if they talk about the abuse.”
While Moore fights to ensure victim’s safety, Johnson believes the three recent murder-suicides is a signal for improved change.
“It’s unusual to have (three murder-suicides) compressed in time but it makes the case that we have to do better,” he said. “We need to get smarter.”
Nicholas Backus can be reached at quadnews@presspubs.com, 651-407-1235 or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/quadpress.
What do we know about murder-suicide?
Studies estimate there are between 1,000 to 1,500 murder-suicides each year in the United States. It is estimated that three quarters are intimate partner murder-suicides.
The most prevalent type of murder-suicide is between intimate partners, with the man killing his wife or girlfriend.
90 to 95 percent of those who commit murder-suicide are male.
75 percent of all murder-suicides occur in the home.
Intimate partner murder-suicides are most commonly precipitated when there is an attempt to leave or end the relationship.
Source: 2009 Minnesota Coalition For Battered Women Femicide Report
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