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All Things Considered
Tom Crann and Ngoc Bui

Report: Relationship abuse led to killing of 40 people last year, most yet since 1989

A collage of people
A photo collage of the 40 people who were killed as a result of relationship abuse in 2023.
Courtesy of Violence Free Minnesota

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A new report shows 40 people were killed last year as a result of relationship abuse. This includes 29 victims and another 11 bystanders or intervenors.

It’s the highest number since Violence Free Minnesota, a statewide coalition, began tracking intimate partner violence in 1989.

One of the people remembered in the report is Jennifer Yang, an Andover woman who was killed in a murder-suicide by her husband last year.

The report also shows that among the 29 people killed by a former or current partner:

  • Twelve were victims of color, with Black and Native victims particularly overrepresented

  • Firearms made up 55 percent of homicides

  • More than half were wanting to leave or had already left their partners.

A spiral staircase is used as a theme for the 2023 report.

“We think it really illustrates all these complex layers and different steps that are involved in domestic violence and that ultimately, unfortunately, in too many cases, the last step of domestic violence is homicide,” Meggie Royer of Violence Free Minnesota said.

In that same way, Royer said, addressing domestic violence requires a multi-faceted response: “We also need all of these different facets of our community involved. Health care, schools, hospitals — all of those need to be involved in preventing and addressing domestic violence.”

Click play on the audio player above to hear more about Violence Free Minnesota’s 2023 Homicide Report.

If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation with a partner, there is a 24-hour statewide domestic and sexual violence hotline. You can call Minnesota Day One at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995.