A startling and frightening statistic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights why courts target exes who have been accused of domestic violence after a woman is murdered. According to the statistic, approximately 55 percent of female murder victims were killed in a domestic violence circumstance.
Police and Florida prosecutors are aware of this fact, which is why they tend to investigate romantic partners first after a murder has occurred. Although this tactic has proved fruitful in apprehending and convicting many individuals who have actually committed murder, it can also mean that innocent ex-partners end up being accused — or targeted in investigations — relating to a heinous crime they didn’t commit.
Who are the first people investigators look for following a murder?
Approximately three women die at the hands of romantic partners per day, and ten percent of these women experienced some kind of domestic violence within a month of their deaths. Given these statistics, prosecutors and investigators have good reason to seek out ex-romantic partners and ex-sexual partners when performing their murder investigations. As such, they tend to target the following people first:
- Ex-husbands and ex-wives
- Current husbands and wives
- Ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends
- Current boyfriends and girlfriends
- Estranged romantic partners
- Current boyfriends and girlfriends
- Live-in roommates
- All family members
It’s important to note that a domestic violence accusation is one thing, but a murder accusation is an entirely different thing altogether. Just because someone got into a physical altercation with a spouse in the past does not mean that he or she would ever wish to kill that person.
Did police accuse you of a murder that you didn’t commit?
Even though a prior conviction of domestic violence will make you look bad before the court in a murder trial, a domestic violence conviction is not sufficient evidence to find someone guilty of murder.
If prosecutors accused you of a murder you didn’t commit — and especially if you have a domestic violence conviction on your record — you will want to handle your criminal defense carefully, diplomatically and strategically.
