Women shot, beaten; kids hurt. Is COVID-19 behind KY domestic violence ‘escalation’?
John Gentry knew what he was doing when he allegedly shot and killed the mother of his children, according to the Boone County sheriff’s office.
Gentry, a 34-year-old Crestview Hills resident, told deputies he saw his ex-girlfriend driving home the night of Oct. 2 and followed her, according to his arrest citation. He allegedly confronted her outside her sister’s home about seeing their children, and when she tried to call the police, he shot a handgun into her car “until it was quiet,” according to the court record.
“He knew he was going to jail for the rest of his life,” Deputy Angeline Bouchard wrote in the arrest citation.
Tiffany Kidwell, a 32-year-old Union resident, died, according to friends on social media and obituaries. Gentry also allegedly shot their 3-year-old son, who was in his mother’s car and had to be flown to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for surgery, according to an arrest citation.
Kidwell had an active emergency protective order filed against Gentry at the time of her death, which Gentry was accused of violating multiple times, according to court records. Kidwell’s violent death is an example of an apparent “escalation” in intimate partner violence in Kentucky, according to Darlene Thomas, the executive director of Greenhouse17.
Greenhouse17 is an organization that provides support, counseling, advocacy, shelter and education for domestic violence victims. It serves 17 Central Kentucky counties. Thomas said her sense of escalated intimate partner violence is coming from survivors she’s talked to.
“They’ve expressed an escalation,” Thomas said. “Things are different. It’s more heightened.”
The KY death toll from domestic violence during COVID-19
It’s hard to tell for sure if domestic violence cases have increased across Kentucky this year, Thomas said. But in the first seven months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky, there were at least 19 domestic violence deaths across the state, Thomas said. There were at least 28 domestic violence deaths for all of 2019, Thomas said.
Several recent domestic disputes have resulted in especially violent outcomes. In a Sept. 27 domestic violence attack in Marion County, Pamela Renee Anderson, 57, was beaten to death by a man she’d previously dated, according to Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Clements.
Another domestic incident in Perry County Wednesday left a 2-year-old dead and another young child injured after a father allegedly shot two of his children at home, with their mom and another child in the residence, according to Kentucky State Police.
In early October, a Franklin County man, Lorenzo Andrew Simpson, 43, killed Carmelita Lashaun Wright, 39, the mother of his daughter, before turning the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide, according to the Franklin County sheriff’s office. The couple’s 7-year-old daughter was home at the time, according to the sheriff’s office.
Extremely violent outcomes are likely occurring as an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thomas said. Reports of domestic violence slowed at the start of the pandemic, as people began to stay home amid shelter-in-place orders and business closures.
“It got eerily quiet when everything went on lockdown,” Thomas said. “... Not anymore. It’s quite high – the calls, the requests for shelter, all of that.”
COVID-19 created so many uncertainties that it became difficult for domestic violence survivors to plan a way out of abusive relationships, Thomas said. On top of the stress of the pandemic and potential financial hardship from lost jobs, it was unclear to many survivors what they could and couldn’t do to get help during the pandemic, Thomas said.
“I don’t know that they feel like they had the same options,” she said.
‘Keep people alive’ by asking questions, expert advises
With October recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, agencies around the state have tried to let domestic violence survivors know about their resources.
“The challenges are how we need to keep people safe from intimate partner violence and COVID-19,” Thomas said. Sheltering a survivor isn’t as easy as it was before the pandemic, Thomas said, because of isolation and social distancing requirements. But shelters have options to offer help and potentially save lives, and she urged survivors who fear they are in danger to reach out.
Thomas also asked neighbors, friends, and family to look out for each other, be aware of potential domestic violence signs, and ask questions about potentially abusive relationships.
“It’s not being nosy; it might keep people alive,” she said.
Emergency shelters remain open for victims of domestic violence 24/7 during the pandemic, and they’re using masks and social distancing precautions, according to the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
“Domestic violence is a public health issue just as COVID-19 is a public health issue,” said Angela Yannelli, CEO of the coalition. “Many of the conditions experienced during the pandemic are also risk factors for the perpetration of domestic violence, such as unemployment, social isolation, depression, and substance use.”
The recent stream of extreme violence has resulted in significant criminal charges against the alleged perpetrators after the victims are dead. Gentry, the man accused of unloading rounds into his ex-girlfriend’s car in Boone County, was charged with murder, attempted murder, assault, wanton endangerment, robbery, violating a domestic violence order and evading police on foot, according to court records.
After he initially fled and was apprehended, Edward Shewmaker, the 58-year-old accused of beating his ex-girlfriend to death in Marion County, was charged with murder, speeding, wanton endangerment, reckless driving, evading police and operating on a suspended or revoked license, according to court records.
David Hampton, the 36-year-old accused of shooting and killing his 2-year-old child, was charged with murder, attempted murder, wanton endangerment and resisting arrest, according to police and court records.
Warning signs of domestic abuse and where to seek help
Here’s how to know if your partner is abusive, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
- Tells you that you never do anything right.
- Shows extreme jealousy of your friends and time spent away from them.
- Prevents or discourages you from spending time with friends, family members, or peers.
- Insults, demeans, or shames you, especially in front of other people.
- Prevents you from making your own decisions, including about working or attending school.
- Controls finances in the household without discussion. Takes your money or refuses to provide money for necessary expenses.
- Pressures you to have sex or perform sexual acts you’re not comfortable with.
- Pressures you to use drugs or alcohol. Intimidates you through threatening looks or actions.
- Insults your parenting or threatens to harm or take away your children or pets.
- Intimidates you with weapons like guns, knives, bats, or mace. Destroys your belongings or your home.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline also warns that domestic violence can look different in every relationship.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233. Greenhouse17 also has a 24/7 crisis hotline at 800-544-2022.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 12:34 PM.