Article: Domestic killings up as 2011 heads into holidays

By: Scott McCabe | 11/20/11 8:05 PM
Examiner Staff Writer Follow Him @Scott_McCabe

The violence could be about to get worse. Studies have shown that stress associated with holidays increases domestic disputes and domestic violence. Prolonged time with the family, buying gifts or trying to make the perfect meal are added stressors.

Mix in alcohol and drugs, and you've got a recipe for family violence.

Hannah Sassoon, Montgomery County's domestic violence coordinator, said she sees more severe abuse toward the end of the year, especially in cases where there's been a breakup or a woman has had to flee the relationship.

"The idea of a family separating during the holiday becomes more traumatic," Sassoon said. "It becomes harder to deal with for people under a great deal of stress."

Domestic trouble in D.C.
• Metropolitan Police Department received more than 31,000 domestic violence-related calls in 2010 -- about 1 every 17 minutes.
• 5,465 people received help at the District's domestic violence intake centers in 2010, up 15 percent from 2009.
• In 2010, the number of 18-to-21 year olds getting social services related to domestic violence increased by almost 25 percent.
Sources: MPD and D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence
That appears to have been the case for Tawanna Barnes-Copeland. The 41-year-old Georgetown University Hospital employee was killed by her ex-boyfriend, Shawn Davis, last December after she asked him to take care of her apartment while she spent Thanksgiving in North Carolina.

Davis, 37, admitted to being hurt by their breakup, and friends said he had previously smashed the headlights and taillights of Barnes-Copeland's car, flattened her tires and sent her angry texts.

She had not reported the incidents to law enforcement officials, police said.

On Dec. 7, Barnes-Copeland was found dead in her bed with 10 stab wounds to the chest and neck.

Barnes-Copeland, like many victims of domestic violence that turned deadly, had never reported any of the incidents to law enforcement.

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"Silence is deadly," Sassoon said.

Davis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this month. Davis admitted that he was angry that Barnes-Copeland still called him and asked him for favors, yet she did not want to be in a relationship with him. He faces a maximum of life in prison.

Studies show that incidents of domestic violence in the United States go up 22 percent on Thanksgiving, 17 percent on Christmas, 32 percent on New Year's Eve and 19 percent on New Year's Day.

Sarah Jones, of the Family Crisis Center in Prince George's County, said incidents of violence go up during the entire yuletide season, not just on the actual holidays.

"Money is short, bills have to be paid," Jones said. "People go to [the] store and see people happily buying things that they can't afford. It pushes some people over the limit."

smccabe@washingtonexaminer.com