Violence Free Minnesota counted 40 homicides related to intimate partner violence in 2023, its highest since it began tracking. The holiday season is seen as a time that can be more dangerous for those in abusive relationships.

By Elliot Hughes

The Minnesota Star Tribune

December 23, 2024 at 11:11PM

Minnesota counted a record-breaking 40 homicides related to intimate partner violence in 2023, an alarming milestone that advocates say reinforces why victims should try reaching out for help.

Calls to domestic abuse hotlines have increased nationally for several years and advocates say violence in abusive relationships has grown worse. But Guadalupe Lopez, the executive director of Violence Free Minnesota, said it is hard to pinpoint why 2023 was a record-breaking year for fatal violence in the state.

“Perfect storms are created by systems that either are overwhelmed and overworked and are siloed — when we don’t work with each other,” she said. “That is where community members and survivors fall through the cracks.”

The finding was part of Violence Free Minnesota’s annual report on intimate partner violence, which has tracked homicides since 1989 using a broader definition than law enforcement. Released in October, it also details statewide trends and risk factors and honors victims of fatal abuse.

Service providers maintain that it’s important for victims of abuse to reach out for help and avoid isolation.

The holiday season is regarded as a time that can be more dangerous for those in abusive relationships. Holidays can bring about extra stress from family, finances, traveling and various societal expectations.

Here are takeaways from Violence Free Minnesota’s report and a list of resources for abuse victims:

40 homicides breaks a 10-year record

The 40 homicides identified in 2023, breaks a record of 37 set in 2013.

The count has fluctuated throughout the years ever since the group started tracking the killings in 1989.

In 2018, just five years after the previous record was set, the group counted 14 homicides, tying an all-time low.

The count then jumped to 30 in 2020, dropped each of the following two years, and climbed again to 40 in 2023.

Survivor advocates have long connected the pandemic, with its stay-at-home orders and disruptions to social services, to an increase in relationship abuse. The report from Violence Free Minnesota said service providers have reported higher rates, and more severe forms, of violence since the beginning of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, there have not been proportional investments in advocacy and prevention services, Meggie Royer, a spokeswoman for Violence Free Minnesota, said in October.

“We are still seeing the aftereffects of the pandemic,” she said.

Guns play a large role

Violence Free Minnesota, in both its report and in staff comments at a news conference, has made a point to highlight the number of homicides that involved a gun.

In 2023, 60% of victims were killed with a firearm, despite some perpetrators being barred from possessing them.

Since 1989, nearly half of all the homicides tracked by the organization were committed with a gun (the next most common method is stabbings, at 20%).

“It’s really important to bring attention to that,” Roye said. “And we also really need to be asking the question of: Why does this keep happening? Why are firearm-related homicides so common?”

In 2023, an abnormal number of bystanders and interveners — 11 — were identified among the victims, tying an all-time high. That group tends to be killed by firearms at a higher rate, according to the report. Since 2013, almost 79% were killed with firearms.

People of color are overrepresented among victims

People of color account for about 20% of Minnesota’s population, according to 2022 Minnesota Census data, yet they represent more than 41% of victims killed by their intimate partner in 2023.

That continues longstanding trends in domestic and intimate partner violence — the result of racism, economic disparities and lack of access to various services, among other factors.

In addition to Black Minnesotans, Native Americans and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were overrepresented at twice the rate of their population or more.

Other facts from the report

Of the 29 homicides that involved a perpetrator killing a current or former intimate partner:

Twenty-six victims were women and three were men.
At least 16 victims had separated from their partner or had been attempting to leave them. Attempts to leave an abusive relationship is often cited as a risk factor for violence, as abusers may feel a loss of control.
Thirteen of the perpetrators had a documented history of violence and at least another five also had a history but with no documentation. It is unknown if the 11 other perpetrators had a history of violence.
Seventeen victims were killed in the Twin Cities metro area, and the others, in greater Minnesota.
At least 47 children under the age of 18 lost a parent due to intimate partner violence in 2023. At least seven witnessed the homicide or discovered the body.

Safety planning for holidays and long weekends

The National Domestic Violence Hotline has a safety planning guide for holidays and weekends, which can be found here.

Anyone can call the hotline at 1-800-799-7233 to brainstorm a safety plan.

The guide encourages people to make a plan for their emotional and physical wellbeing and that of any children who are included; create a self-care routine; plan for time alone as well as traveling; and consider communicating with others using safety words.

How to find help:

For anyone in Minnesota experiencing domestic or intimate partner abuse, Violence Free Minnesota recommends contacting the 24/7 Minnesota Day One Hotline. Call 866-223-1111 or text 612-399-9995.

The hotline serves anyone experiencing sexual violence, domestic violence, general crime or trafficking.

A list of Minnesota agencies, by county, which serve domestic violence survivors can be found here.

Culturally specific agencies serving the Twin Cities area include:

For the Asian community:

Asian Indian Family Wellness

24/7 crisis line: 952-912 – 9100

6645 James Av. N, Brooklyn Center

Asian Women United Minnesota

24-hour multilingual crisis line: 612- 724-8823

Hmong American Partnership

651-495-1557

1075 Arcade St., St. Paul