Article: Expert: Murder-suicide cases often start with abuse

A murder-suicide in Pueblo over the weekend has domestic violence advocates talking about the warning signs of abusive relationships. Pueblo police say Roseanna Vigil was killed by her boyfriend Brian Wersma. Wersma then drove off a cliff and died. The YWCA of Pueblo says it's rare that people snap and do something violent. Experts say typically cases like this start with some sort of verbal or emotional abuse. "Then it will often escalate to physical abuse," said Margaret Reiber, YWCA Shelter Director.
THE YWCA says everyone in a relationship needs to be aware of certain red flags:
-Jealousy
-Isolation
-A controlling partner
-Threats
"When they're in a relationship like that, it's time to seek some help," said Reiber. The YWCA offers free counseling to individuals and shelter for woman seeking to leave an abusive relationship. For help call the YWCA Crisis Hotline at 719-545-8195.