Domestic violence murders in Lexington are spiking. What’s behind the ‘escalation’?
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Domestic violence murders in Lexington are rising. Why?
The number of domestic violence related homicides have skyrocketed in the first six months of 2022, according to Lexington Police Department statistics. There have been eight people killed by a family member, someone close to them or a partner as of June 1. That’s almost as many in six months as the nine domestic violence related homicides recorded in the previous four years.
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We failed Nikki James. And her kids. And all the other victims of domestic violence.
The number of domestic violence related homicides have skyrocketed in the first six months of 2022, according to Lexington Police Department statistics.
There have been eight people killed by a family member, someone close to them or a partner as of June 1. That’s almost as many in six months as the nine domestic violence related homicides recorded in the previous four years.
In 2018, there were four. In 2019, there was one. In 2020, there were three. In 2021, there was only one, according to police statistics.
“I’ve been horrified at the number of homicides that we are seeing here and across the country,” said Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton. “It’s shocking how quickly (the number of domestic violence related homicides) have increased. We are only through half the year.”
The eight people who have been killed in domestic violence related homicides are: Landon Hayes, Darian Webb, Leslie Bales, Deon Williams, Skyler Williams, Lisa Wilson, Bryonny Wilson and Bronwyn Wilson.
More chilling — three of the victims were under the age of 14: Landon Hayes, 10; Deon Williams, 13; and Skyler Williams, 5.
It’s not just in Lexington.
Louisville has seen a similar jump in domestic violence related homicides as cities across the country are seeing dramatic increases overall in homicides.
Louisville Metro Police statistics show from January to May 2020 there were two domestic violence related homicides in Kentucky’s largest city. From January to May 2021, there was one. As of May 2022, there were 12 domestic violence related homicides.
“This is not a ‘family issue.’ It’s not just something for the police,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer during a May 20 press conference. “This is a community problem, and addressing it needs to be a community priority.”
Meg Savage, chief legal counsel for the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which oversees 15 domestic violence programs across the state, said their statistics — gathered largely from news accounts — show an 82% increase in domestic violence related murders over 2021 and “that’s with three months left to go.” The coalition tracks statistics from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31.
A new state law passed earlier this year would require police departments to report domestic violence homicides to the state. However, the reporting of that data has not yet begun.
National statistics show similar trends.
The National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice reviewed 12 studies that included statistics from many major cities that showed a jump of about 8.1% in domestic violence related incidents since coronavirus lockdowns were imposed.
Gorton has convened a group of stakeholders who work in mental health, domestic violence and social services to determine how the city can better address domestic violence, tackle gaps in services and look for best practices to help the city reverse the upward trend in domestic violence related homicides.
“First, we have to publicly acknowledge that we have a problem,” she said.
‘It’s the severity of the cases’
Some providers who deal with domestic violence say they haven’t seen an increase in referrals or need for service, but the types of cases they are seeing are more serious.
Darlene Thomas, the executive director of Greenhouse17, a domestic violence shelter in Fayette County that serves several Kentucky counties, said in the past six months the types of domestic violence they are seeing are more acute.
“It’s the severity of the cases,” Thomas said.
Intimate partner violence is about power and control, Thomas said. During the coronavirus pandemic, abusers had control over victims, who were isolated. At the beginning of the pandemic, some victims may have been more reluctant to go to a shelter because they were worried about possible COVID exposure.
Now, there are virtually no COVID restrictions in place. Coronavirus case numbers are down while vaccinations are up, which means more victims may be willing to leave, Thomas said.
Abusers ratchet up controlling behaviors and often become more violent when their power or hold over a victim becomes tenuous, she said.
“Now there are more options and choices for survivors,” Thomas said. “The batterer’s control is now threatened and we are seeing an escalation in intimate partner violence up to the taking of human life.”
Angela Yannelli, chief executive officer of the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said other domestic violence programs in the state have reported similar trends of escalating violence and controlling behaviors.
“The crisis calls were getting longer,” Yannelli said. “The violence is more severe. We are seeing an escalation in the number of domestic violence homicides.”
Mental illness connections to some homicides
Mental illness may have been a factor in several domestic violence murders this year, according to police records.
Several involved a family member killing other members of the family.
Savage, with the Kentucky Coalition against Domestic Violence, said the coalition does not count those types of deaths as domestic violence related since it does not involve intimate partner violence.
“Those are considered domestic violence related under the state statute,” Savage said.
Nikki James, 43, was arrested and charged with murder - domestic violence after she allegedly stabbed to death her two children — Deon and Skyler Williams on May 2.
James has pleaded not guilty.
The murder of the Williams children has prompted calls from the NAACP and James’ lawyers for a review of mental health services and Lexington police response.
“The deaths of Deon and Skyler Williams are an undeniable tragedy,” wrote Sarah D. Langer and Bonnie Potter, James’ lawyers, in a statement released in early June. “Nikki James, Deon and Skyler are the victims of a clear systemic failure.”
The Lexington-Fayette County branch of the NAACP has questioned the Lexington Police Department’s response to the incident and whether the deaths of the two children could have been prevented.
Lexington police responded to a welfare check at James’ apartment on May 1, the day before the fatal stabbing.
The Lexington Police Department said in a statement the two officers who responded to James’ home May 1 were called there “for a wellness check, not a mental health emergency,” and they “did not observe any indicators that additional mental health assistance was needed” while speaking with James at the door, according to a statement released by police.
Police said the officers who responded had been through Crisis Intervention Team training, a 40-hour course that teaches them to recognize and respond to signs of mental illness. “The caller was not Nikki James (the mother) nor the children’s father. The caller was a third party that knew the family and had recently been in contact with the father.”
Police said there was nothing to indicate that James or her children were in danger.
One of Skyler Williams’ teachers has also said that she conducted two home visits during the school year and did not detect anything wrong. One of those home visits was a week before the stabbing.
‘Acute’ needs in mental health
New Vista, a community mental health provider in Fayette County and the surrounding area, serves an average of 25,000 people in Kentucky a year and is one of the state’s largest mental health providers.
The number of people who need crisis interventions and those seeking help through its help line has increased substantially in the first six months of the year, said Tiffany Arrows Price, New Vista’s Regional Director of Specialty and Outreach Services.
“It seems that overall the needs are more acute and there are more of them,” Arrows Price said.
New Vista’s mobile crisis team saw a 32% increase in services for the first three months of this year compared to last year. That team can be deployed to help people in a mental health crisis, and also works with the Lexington police department to do assessments and help respond to certain incidents.
Over the past nine months, that team has worked with police in 30 incidents, according to New Vista data.
Calls to New Vista’s crisis line in March increased by more than 1,000 calls over February, she said.
“I know providers across the city are seeing similar increases,” Arrows Price said.
Why?
What’s behind the dramatic increase in domestic violence related homicides?
It could be a combination of factors.
Gorton, a registered nurse, said people’s coping mechanisms are frayed after nearly three years of various but continued stresses — the uncertainty of the first global pandemic, job losses, mass shootings and now inflation that has sent prices for rents, groceries and gasoline skyrocketing.
Substance abuse also has steadily climbed during the pandemic, Arrows Price said.
In response to the pandemic, the state and federal government beefed up safety net programs, including increases in food benefits and eviction prevention money. Many of those enhanced benefits have been cut, adding to overall stress levels, Arrows Price said.
“There are a lot of contributing factors,” she said.
Gorton said data shows many teens and young adults who are involved in violence have witnessed domestic violence in their homes. They do not know how to resolve conflicts without violence. One Lexington, the city’s violence prevention programs, has several mentoring programs that teach teens how to resolve conflict without violence and teach kids how to cope with stress.
“It’s all connected,” Gorton said. “It’s a very complex problem.”
What’s next?
Gorton said she has asked members of the stakeholders group to look at best practices and determine if there are ways Lexington can improve. Gorton said she’s also interested in learning more about gaps in services.
The group met June 1. A second meeting date has not been set.
“There may be gaps in our criminal justice system,” Gorton said. “We are looking at trying to identify those gaps.”
Savage said there are many laws in place to protect victims of domestic violence. But there are gaps statewide in how the system works.
For example, a judge can order someone who has had a protection order filed against them to turn over any guns, which are most often used in domestic violence related crimes, data shows. But who ensures those guns are turned over to authorities depends on the county and court.
In some counties, there is a formal process to turn in weapons. In other counties, it’s up to the defendant to figure out the process.
“They have to walk out of court and figure out who to give this weapon to,” Savage said.
If someone is criminally charged with assault, upon release from jail prior to adjudication of those charges, a judge can and frequently orders that person not to have contact with the victim as a condition of their release. Those no-contact orders sometimes don’t make it into the LINK network, a statewide database.
“Police can’t enforce it if they don’t know,” Savage said.
Thomas, the Greenhouse17 director, said having a community-wide response to address domestic and family violence is key. People leaving abusive relationships need supports — housing, transportation and access to jobs and job training.
“Victims needs to know that they are supported,” Thomas said.
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 11:00 AM.
