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12/21/18, 12'40 PMDomestic violence in El Paso County: Records show we're among worst in Colorado | Part 1 of 4 | Premium | gazette.com

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Domestic violence in El Paso County: Records showwe're among worst in Colorado | Part 1 of 4By: Kaitlin Durbin Dec 17, 2018 Updated Dec 20, 2018

Editor's note: This is part 1 of The Gazette's 4-part "Shattered Lives" series on domesticviolence in El Paso County.

Angie Ragsdale begged her sister-in-law not to marry Gregory Lorbiecki in 2000,describing their previous three-year, off-and-on-again relationship as “tumultuous.”

But Karyn Ragsdale Lorbiecki was strong-willed and ready to start a family. Ragsdalethinks that’s why Karyn stayed with Greg, despite the warning signs that the relationshipwasn’t the fairy tale she’d hoped.

A portrait of Karyn Lorbiecki held by Carrie Scott, left, and Karyn’s sister-in-law Angie Ragsdale at Ragsdale’s home in Octoberin Colorado Springs. Karyn’s husband, Gregory Lorbiecki, shot and killed her in November 2016, after a domestic dispute. Thisyear he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.Dougal Brownlie

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Sixteen years later, Greg would shoot Karyn to death in their Widefield home. He’s nowserving life in prison.

El Paso County is rife with similar sad stories and has one of the worst records ofdomestic violence in Colorado.

Colorado Springs police respond to about 35 to 40 domestic violence calls a day — about5 percent of their calls for service. That’s thousands of more calls than in Denver, despiteDenver’s slightly larger population. Police records show domestic violence accounts forless than 3 percent of calls for service in the capital city.

THE SERIES

Part 1: Records show El Paso County among the worst for violence in Colorado.

A survivor's story: Tara Loo of Colorado Springs was nearly killed by boyfriend.Now, she's stronger and wiser.

Part 2: See why El Paso County is one of the hardest counties in which to winprotection orders to guard against abuse.

Battle from the beginning: Winning protection often comes down to evidence,whose story is more believable.

Shattered Lives: Domestic Violence in El Paso County


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Karyn Lorbiecki sits with her two children in the early 2000s.She was shot and killed by her husband on Nov. 23, 2016.

courtesy of Angie Ragsdale

Resource information: Multiple local agencies are available to help victims ofdomestice violence.

Part 3: Are offenders capable of change? One man's transformation.

In the last fiscal year, which ended in June, Denver did file 657 more misdemeanordomestic abuse cases than the 2,791 filed in 4th Judicial District, which encompasses ElPaso and Teller counties, a Gazette analysis of state court case filings showed. But that’sstill a lot of cases for this district, double the number of theft cases and about 12 timesmore than most other misdemeanors.

The 4th District also has a highernumber of requests for protection ordersfrom abuse than any other district in thestate, in excess of 2,000 requestsannually. That number is two times thatof the next highest district, 17, whichcovers Adams and Broomfield counties.The 18th Judicial District — whichincludes Arapahoe and Douglas countiesand is most comparable in size to ElPaso — had 340 filings in the same timeframe.

There was no comparison for Denver,which keeps its records separate fromthe state and says it does not trackspecific domestic abuse protectionorders.

Denver also apparently doesn’t track thenumber of domestic violence, sexualassault or stalking survivors whoseaddresses it agrees to shield through theAddress Confidentiality Program, but a spokeswoman said numbers were “pretty low.”Out of 40 requests this year, only two fell in that category, she said. El Paso County has16, the Assessor’s Office said.

Because as much as 75 percent of abuse goes unreported, those numbers account for justa fraction of the abuse occurring, domestic violence experts say.

Officials say they don’t know why domestic violence is thriving in the community; thereare no running themes relating to economic status or military experience. But a new taskforce headed by Mayor John Suthers is working to answer that question and take steps toreduce and prevent domestic violence.

A deadly cycleViolence Free Colorado, formerly the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence,reports that the numbers of domestic violence-related homicides have spiked more than60 percent since 2015.

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https://www.violencefreecolorado.org/



DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOMICIDES IN EL PASO COUNTY

Colorado Springs Police Department

2013 - 6; 2014 - 3; 2015 - 5; 2016 - 3; 2017 - 9; Jan.-Nov. 2018 - 7.

El Paso County Sheriff's Office

2013 - 2; 2014 - 0; 2015 - 0; 2016 - 4; 2017 - 0; Jan.-Nov. 2018 - 1.

Locally, the Colorado Springs Police Department and El Paso County Sheriff’s Office havereported a combined 40 domestic violence-related killings since 2013. Seven of thosedeaths occurred in 2016, accounting for 22 percent of homicides that year. At the sametime, domestic violence was behind 19 percent of Denver’s homicides.

Although 2016 wasn’t the deadliest year in terms of domestic violence — agenciesreported nine abuse deaths in 2017 and another eight this year — it was the year withsome of the most starkly vivid deaths.

That year, Julie Tureson was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend James Woo, who left herbody in a storage unit before trying to board a flight to Hong Kong. Darnell Reedy wasstabbed to death by his wife during a feud. Karen Canfield and Valerie Hills were shotand killed by their husbands, who then killed themselves. Alicia Christmas-Moore wasgunned down by her ex-husband, who died in a shootout with police. Janice Nam wasshot to death by her estranged boyfriend, Glen Galloway, who skipped town before hecould be sent to jail on a stalking charge and returned six months later to kill her andanother man.

And Karyn Lorbiecki was killed by her abusive husband, Greg. Her story is a textbookexample of the hidden cases of domestic violence happening every day in the community.

A lifetime of abuseIt’s difficult to predict when offenders may turn homicidal, but Karyn’s family said thewarning signs came early.

Four months into dating, Greg Lorbiecki was arrested on suspicion of domestic violenceafter destroying their shared apartment in a fit of rage and reportedly holding Karyn inthe bathroom at gunpoint. Angie Ragsdale recalls Lorbiecki serving time for the crime,but his criminal record doesn’t indicate if he was charged.

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The urn of Karyn Lorbiecki sits at her sister-in-law Angie Ragsdale’s home in Colorado Springs.

Dougal Brownlie The Gazette

As a joke, Greg would leave Karyn’s car running overnight so that it would be dead whenshe tried to leave for work. Then Karyn’s pet bird, Andrew, disappeared. Greg told her hereleased it because he was mad at her. Family secretly moved Karyn to a new apartmentwhile Greg was at work, but the couple soon got back together.

Then Greg left Karyn, for four months, and the family thought it was over. Karyn, whowas 30 at the time, announced she was pregnant and she and Greg married that month.Most of her family refused to attend the small ceremony, but Ragsdale recalls Gregsmashing the cake into Karyn’s face, even though she asked him not to.

After marriage, Greg would randomly change thehouse locks. He’d take the keys to their vehicles so shecouldn’t drive. He’d break her phone. During onefight, he drove their Suburban through the closedgarage door; in another he threw a wrench at Karyn’scar as she tried to flee. (He was arrested in thatincident, but the case was dismissed when Karyndeclined to testify against him.)

As a long-haul trucker, Greg would be gone for a weekat a time, but when he once returned home early tofind his family had gone out to eat at a restaurant, heunhooked the stove and moved it to the garagebecause, “if you’re not going to cook, we don’t need astove.” Another time when Karyn hosted Easter, Gregtold her the food was awful and went out for fast foodinstead.

Karyn Lorbiecki was shot and killed by herhusband on Nov. 23, 2016.

Submitted by Angie Ragsdale



“He would just do shit like that all the time, and we wouldn’t find out about it until thingsgot really bad,” Ragsdale said. “Then Karyn would cry, call and ask for help and we’d tryto help her and do whatever, but she’d go right back to him.”

What domestic violence looks likeWhy did Karyn stay through all of the abuse that eventually led to her death? Why doesany victim stay, as they often do? The question blames the victim for the abuse, ratherthan the abuser, and dismisses the many reasons why victims feel the need to stay.

The first and simplest reason is love, according to 30-year domestic violence educatorand victims rights’ champion Jean McAllister.

“Nobody would stay with someone who punched them in the nose the first time they metthem and kept doing it every day,” McAllister said. The relationship devolves over time.It starts with affectionate gestures like picking a partner up from work or offering to drivethem to the store, and turns into victims being unable to travel anywhere without theirabuser.

But offenders frequently cycle back to the good times to remind their partners of theirinitial bond, McAllister said.

That’s how it was with Greg and Karyn, too.

He took her out. They went to the movies and toconcerts with their children. He bought her the latesttechnology and paid for their $225,000, five-bedroomhome with a hot tub off the deck. After one fight overGreg’s infidelity, Greg took the family on vacation toLas Vegas.

On the way, Ragsdale said Karyn texted her, “He’sreally sorry now. I’m not going to leave him now thathe’s sorry and now that he’s being nice. And the kidslove their dad.”

McAllister says it’s an easy trap for anyone to fall into.

“Most of us can think of times when we have letsomething go too far, maybe not violence, butsomething with someone we cared about because we cared about them. We do that all thetime — we let our kids get away with too much, we have a good friend that drinks toomuch and we don’t talk to them about it, we let friends borrow money and not return it,”McAllister said. “We love them and they’re family members so we don’t want to make a

Domestic violence resources in ColoradoKaitlin Durbin

A portrait of Karyn Lorbiecki is held by hersister-in-law Angie Ragsdale, left, and CarrieScott at Ragsdale’s home in October inColorado Springs.

Dougal Brownlie The Gazette





problem about it.”

The same compromises are made in intimate partner relationships, McAllister said, only,“those bonds are much deeper and much more difficult to sever.”

Other reasons to stayVictim blaming also negates the very definition of domestic violence, which is a pattern ofcoercive and controlling behaviors designed to keep victims in the cycle of abuse. Theabuse can be physical, emotional, sexual or financial.

What are the usual signs? It can be tampering with a partner’s cellphone to disconnectthem from their family or the outside world, breaking sentimental valuables, child or petabuse, or verbal harassment, said Rachael Powell, a deputy district attorney with the 4thJudicial District.

“It’s everything you can imagine and everything we haven’t heard about before,” Powellsaid, and it affects people of all ages, races, religions, genders and economic statuses.

This pattern works to break down the victim’s sense of self-worth and identity to keepthem dependent on their abuser.

SherryLynn Boyles, executive director of domestic violence center TESSA, said victimsbegin to second-guess what’s right or normal in a loving relationship. They questionwhether the abuse is their fault or whether their partner could change. Because themajority of domestic violence victims are financially dependent on their abuser, theyquestion whether they can care for themselves or their children on their own — will theybe homeless, can they put food on the table? Sometimes their partner threatens to havetheir children removed altogether. And perhaps most detrimental, victims begin toquestion whether they can leave safely.

Research shows that women who attempt to leave a battering relationship are more likelyto be seriously injured or killed than those women who stay.

“It’s not uncommon that families think, ‘If she’d just leave she’d be safe,” but the reality isthat’s not true, it’s actually the opposite. She’s more likely to be hurt when she leaves,”McAllister said.

Amy Pohl with Violence Free Colorado said 75 percent of domestic violence victims whohave been killed were in the process of leaving.

https://www.tessacs.org/



In a relationship dependent on one person’s control over the other, leaving is theultimate act of defiance. It’s the point at which most relationships turn physically violent,even deadly, if it hadn’t already. Even law enforcement openly acknowledges thatdomestic violence calls are among the most dangerous.

“Does that mean that survivors shouldn’t leave? Absolutely not,” Pohl said. “It meansthere is a lot of safety planning that needs to be done.”

That’s where TESSA and other domestic violence organizations come in. They helpvictims form a plan for how to leave safely. They can help petition for a protection order,secure finances or provide housing.

The ‘last night of peace’Karyn had no plan for leaving and apparently did feel trapped, her family says. Greg wasthreatening her. He verbally abused their son, who had high-functioning autism. Hewould punch and “paddle” their 15-year-old daughter.

The daughter told Ragsdale that Karyn once said, “I would leave if I could, but if I left hewould kill me.”

Instead, Karyn tried to control the abuse from inside the relationship, something expertssay victims often do, thinking they can mitigate or even stop the violence. Because Gregwas away for work four days a week, Ragsdale said she believes Karyn “thought she couldhandle it.”

The day before Greg returned home that final time, Karyn reportedly told her daughter,“Well, it’s our last night of peace.”

Tragically, she was right.

Greg came home early for the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 22, 2016. They went out forice cream and listened to ’80s music in the basement while playing ping pong. Thechildren said their parents danced together, which was rare. The daughter remembersgoing to bed happy around midnight — could things finally be getting better?

She woke 45 minutes later to find Greg smashing Karyn’s head against the tiled showerwall. By this point, she was trained not to call police when her parents fought — Gregalways told her if he was arrested he’d come after her next — but she’d say Karyn lookedso dazed it scared her.

Greg smashed her cellphone so the girl snatched the house phone and ran. She’d later tellRagsdale she could feel Greg’s fingers around her ankle as she raced up the stairs butsomehow he didn’t catch her. She ran around the corner and called 911.

During the reprieve, Karyn reportedly ran to her son’s room and hid with him in bed, butGreg found her and dragged her to near the front door where he held her hostage untilpolice arrived. Ragsdale said police told her they heard Greg say, “I’m going to decidehow this ends,” before he shot her.

Unanswered questions



Kaitlin DurbinReporter

Kaitlin is a public safety reporter with a focus on investigations. She is a proud Ohioan,champion for local libraries, volunteer reading tutor and an expert ice cream connoisseur(mint chocolate chip!). She joined the Gazette in 2016.

Ragsdale said she remembers once warning Karyn toget rid of all guns in the house, “because if you don’t,I’m going to be raising your kids.” She adopted herniece and nephew this year.

“While they miss their mom, I think they’re actuallyhappy to not live like that anymore,” Ragsdale said,adding that the children are thriving. The oldest willgraduate high school this May with a year of collegecredits, and her brother started high school this yearmore social than ever before.

Ragsdale said Greg has never explained why he killed Karyn. She watched video of him atthe police station, hours after the shooting, and he had his feet up on the table and hisarms resting behind his head. At one point, it looked like he’d fallen asleep. He woulddecline to give a statement.

At his sentencing, she said Greg’s attorney told him to write an apology to read to thecourt. But he only held up a single piece of paper with three dots drawn in the middle —an ellipsis.

Carrie Scott, Karyn’s best friend since they were 12, said Greg’s silence spoke volumes.

“The thing that bothers me the most is that we’ll never know why,” Scott said.

Contact the writer at 719-636-0362 or find her on Twitter: @njKaitlinDurbin. Dataexpert Burt Hubbard contributed to this report.

Gregory Lorbiecki shot his wife to death intheir Widefield home and is serving life inprison.

courtesy of el paso county sheriff’s office

Contact the writer at 719-636-0362 or find her on Twitter: @njKaitlinDurbin.



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12/21/18, 12'43 PMDomestic violence in El Paso County: It's difficult to win protection orders against abuse | Part 2 of 4 | Premium | gazette.com

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Domestic violence in El Paso County: It's difficult towin protection orders against abuse | Part 2 of 4By: Kaitlin Durbin Dec 18, 2018 Updated Dec 19, 2018


El Paso County has the second highest number of domestic violence cases in the state,with 40 domestic violence homicides in the last five years, yet it’s one of the hardestcounties in which to win protection orders to guard against that abuse, according toexperts and records.

“We don’t just give up. We’re sort of the ones that are stomping our feet and pounding our fist on the table and saying thisperson needs to be held accountable,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Lindsey said.Dougal Brownlie

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In fiscal year 2017, there were 2,612 people who petitioned for civil protective ordersagainst their intimate partners, the most in the state, excepting Denver, which does notspecifically track those orders. Only about 19 percent of those requests were granted,Colorado Judicial Branch records show.

Even when advocates for TESSA, a nonprofit that helps victims of abuse, step in to assistin the process, the odds don’t improve. From June 2016 to February 2017, the nonprofithelped with 74 contested protection order cases for victims of domestic violence or sexualassault. Less than half — 29 — were granted.

THE SERIES







“Unfortunately, we see that in our jurisdiction it is more difficult for women to getprotection orders for reasons that are not clear,” TESSA Executive Director SherryLynnBoyles said.

There are countless stories of victims petitioning for protection two or three times beforethe order is granted.

Some experts say the process is too hard — victims must prove by a preponderance of theevidence that they’re in great danger and that the behavior is likely to continue or evenescalate, a standard much higher than probable cause. And all of that must largely beconveyed in only a couple of lines on the request form (in one section, victims can use upto a page).

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MORE INFORMATION

TESSA advocates are available to assistwith the filing of Protection Orders forvictims of intimate partner violence,sex assault and stalking. Find themMonday-Friday 8 - 9:30 a.m. in thecourthouse self-help center, room S101.

Others say the process is too intimidating, forcing victims to go before a judge, with theoffender often present, to testify about the abuse, because civil protection orders must bewon in court. El Paso County Judge Douglas Miles, who oversees the domestic violencecourt, said many victims don’t want to go through that or don’t know how to safely, sothey recant or drop the request or hold back evidence.

“We say, now you have to get up on thewitness stand with him watching youand you have to be perfectly honest andfearless. That’s absurd,” Miles said.Offenders can be both men and women,but in his experience, most are men.

The District’s Chief Judge, William Bain,however, argues that “our county is notdifferent from the other most populatedcounties throughout the state.” We’re “inthe middle of the pack,” he said.

No county can even come close totouching El Paso as far as protectionorder requests, and records do show El Paso’s average rate for granting protection ordersin the last 4½ years isn’t far off from most other parts of the state. Jefferson tied at 17percent and Arapahoe granted 18 percent. But other parts of the state are doing better.

Adams, Pueblo and Weld counties hovered between 20-21 percent, and Mesa had 28percent.

Most of the time when petitions are denied, Bain says it’s out of the court’s hands. Thecourt estimates that victims don’t show up for the hearing 25 percent of the time, or theyshow up and want to drop the request. Other times protection orders are applied throughother means so the civil order isn’t needed or victims don’t present evidence to supporttheir claim.

“The list could go on and on because there are so many reasons (protection orders) arenot ultimately granted that have nothing to do with the merits at a full-blown hearing,”Bain said. “At the very least, what is not going on in Colorado is judges denying(protection order) requests because they are not sensitive to the terrible, cyclical natureof domestic violence.”

‘No face, no case’Protection orders are a tool meant toprevent further violence, and if thatviolence continues the DistrictAttorney’s Office can step in to prosecuteprotection order violations or file otherdomestic violence charges. But thedistrict doesn’t have a good reputationfor doing that, either.

El Paso County Judge Douglas Miles oversees the domesticviolence court.

Courtesy of 4th Judicial District



Records show El Paso and Teller counties have one of the lowest rates for prosecutingprotection order violations. Ten districts have higher numbers of violations, though fewerrequests for protection, and many districts report more violations than petitions. But inthis district, the ratio is about one violation to every 9 petitions for protection.

And in the latest fiscal year, which ended in June, those cases accounted for about 54percent of the 890 arrests Colorado Springs police say they made on various protectionorder violations.

The district also is one of only six in the state that has seen a drop in protection orderviolations over the last 4½ years, though numbers are starting to climb back up this year.Other lagging districts include those encompassing numerous small counties in thesoutheastern and northwestern corners of the state.

It could be that offenders here heed protection orders better than others parts of thestate, but it’s more likely that the disparity comes from the district’s stinginess ingranting protection orders. If there isn’t a protection order, there can’t be a violation.

Bain said he couldn’t comment withoutknowing what year the protection orderswere issued versus when they wereviolated, but he thinks a policy changethat went into effect last year could getthe district back on track.

Previously, in criminal domestic violencecases, the court would automaticallyinstate a protection order that lastedseven days. Now, that protection isextended throughout the duration of thecase, unless the victim asks for it to belifted.

“El Paso, at least prior to the change in Sept. 2017, would have thousands (and possiblytens of thousands) fewer protection orders that could be violated,” Bain said in an email.“Without those thousands upon thousands of protection orders even in existence, ofcourse, the number of violation of protection order cases is going to be far lower than theother jurisdictions.”

‘We don’t just give up’Criminal domestic violence convictions have an even worse record.

Miles said “there’s a huge population of cases where nobody gets convicted and cases getdismissed.”

He estimated that over 80 percent of misdemeanor domestic violence cases aredismissed, most often for “failure to prosecute,” which he said usually means the victimrefused to participate. He referred to the practice as, “No face, no case,” meaning ifvictims don’t show up, the case gets dropped.

District Chief Judge William Bain says most of the time whenpetitions are denied, it’s out of the court’s hands.

courtesy photo



Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Lindsey said the term comes from defenseattorneys who use it to get victims to act in a way that benefits their client. In the last sixmonths, he said, the office filed for sanctions against an attorney who reportedly told avictim if they show up, their husband is going to jail for two years, but if they don’t,everything will go away.

In some ways, the motto is true, because if a witness doesn’t show up, that denies thedefendant their right to confront those testifying against them. In that case, “we can’tproceed with a case,” Lindsey said. But the office can occasionally move forward bycalling witnesses to the abuse, bending the rules to the hearsay law or offering morelenient pleas to get a person in treatment if they can’t get a conviction.

“We don’t just give up,” Lindsey said. “We’re sort of the ones that are stomping our feetand pounding our fist on the table and saying this person needs to be held accountable.”

Colorado law says that a prosecutor cannot drop domestic violence charges unless theybelieve it would be impossible to prove the case at trial. And sometimes, especially in theabsence of physical abuse, there isn’t enough evidence without a victim’s testimony.

That’s why domestic violence cases are inherently “the hardest cases that we prosecutehere in the DA’s office,” Lindsey said, because they’re he-said-she-said crimes andbecause victims do recant or refuse to show up, even under court order. Or, if they doparticipate, sometimes it’s for the defense.

“Imagine sitting on a jury and hearing, ‘you know what, that didn’t happen. What I toldthe cop that night, didn’t happen. I made it up. I lied or I hit him first … or I was trying toget him out of the house because I was mad at him because I was drunk,’” Lindsey said.“Then a jury has to say, ‘OK, which story do we believe?’ When it’s a toss-up, guess whichone they’re going to say?”

To prevent that, domestic violence advocates say judges and juries need to be bettereducated about why victims might recant their stories of abuse or refuse to pursuecharges. Because sometimes victims need to be protected even if they can’t ask for it.

TESSA Advocacy Manager Courtney Sutton said in her experience, juries tend to dismissaccusations by absent victims, assuming if they were really afraid they’d show up andspeak, and certainly wouldn’t stay with their abuser.

That’s not how it works, experts say.

Domestic violence is a pattern of abuse — emotional, verbal, financial or physical — usedto coerce or control a person. It can leave victims feeling trapped in the relationship —maybe they don’t have money to support themselves, maybe they have shared children or

Colorado Springs domestic violence survivor Tara Loo shares story of nearly beingkilled by boyfriendTARA LOO, Special to The Gazette








fear what their abuser would do to them if they tried to leave.

There’s any number of reasons why victims stay and try to mitigate or hide their abuse.Which is why Miles says victims need to first believe victims and then, “We need torespect victims.”

He understands the frustration of inconsistent victims but says that’s “the nature of therelationships. They’re good one week, they’re bad one week.

“She’s not being crazy or inconsistent,” Miles said. “It’s very logical what she’s doing …Victims understand what they need more than anybody.”

The goal, he says, should not be to force victims to act, but to leave the door open so theycan act when they’re ready and when they feel safe.

“I think the system has to protect people even when we believe the people we’reprotecting don’t appreciate the level of risk they’re in,” Miles said. “When we treat avictim in a way that that victim says, ‘I’m never calling the police again,’ then the systemhas made that victim more vulnerable, more at risk.”

Janice Nam’s desperate exampleThat journey toward safety can often start with getting a protection order, experts say,because it’s the court telling the offender to stop and to stay away. And sometimes thatworks.

Some abusers do heed the no contact order, and for those who don’t, it gives policegrounds to arrest them. Protection orders also can signal to the court how fearful victimsmay be and how dangerous offenders really are, because breaking a protection order is“telling the court, ‘I will not follow your orders,’” Deputy District Attorney Rachael Powellsaid.

This process only works, though, if victims have access to the protection.

One of the most memorable examples ofthe struggle victims can face in theirfight to get protection involved JaniceNam.

Three times she sought protection fromher estranged boyfriend Glen Gallowayfor reportedly harassing her, breakinginto her house, abusing her dog andthreatening to kill her.

“I have a gun and I’m not afraid to use it,I will kill you if you say another word,”she quoted Galloway in her petition forprotection, describing an encounterwhere police came to the home andconfiscated three guns.

Hours after police tore down the caution tape and reopened thestreet, a police vehicle and the El Paso County Coroner’s Officewas seen parked out in front of 6042 Miramont St. again about10 a.m. Tuesday. Owner Janice Nam was found dead in the homeMonday evening. (Kaitlin Durbin, The Gazette)



“I have no doubts about him killing me,” she concluded. The order was denied.

Two weeks later she tried again, accusing Galloway of chasing her out of a store andparking outside her house, despite police telling him to stay away. “I’m worried he willnot stop until he kills me,” she wrote. It also was denied.

The third time she described herself as a hostage in her home and said he left bruises onher arm during an encounter at their shared work. That protection order was granted,and quickly violated — Galloway would be convicted of stalking before eventually killingher.

Powell prosecuted that stalking case and said it wasn’t just the court making theprotection process difficult; Galloway was very cunning. He called co-workers to vouchfor his character and attack Nam’s. He even filed a protection order against her, whichwas denied.

It wasn’t until he killed Nam that coworkers admitted he’d made death threats againsther, though they said they never believed he’d act on them.

Miles said he knows all the tricks offenders use to avoid taking responsibility for theiractions. He’s worked with them intimately in domestic violence court for six years. Hedoesn’t grant civil protection orders, but says his experience with offenders has taughthim one thing:

“First of all, we need to believe victims,” Miles said, because victims don’t put themselvesthrough the inconvenience of going to court and testifying in front of and against theirabusers “just to get back at somebody.”

Do protection orders protect?Despite their name, protective orders are not fail-safes against future abuse. Actually,they can incite it.

Research shows that leaving a relationship is the most dangerous time for domesticviolence victims. About 75 percent of domestic violence homicides occur after a personmade the decision to leave a relationship, said Amy Pohl, with Violence Free Colorado,formerly the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Leaving is also the point at which victims are most likely to seek protection. In arelationship based on one person’s control over another, the action can be interpreted asdefiance, leaving offenders desperate to regain control by any means necessary, includingmurder.

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Since 2013, there have been 40 domestic violence killings in the county. Many of thevictims had protection orders in place against their abuser.

Mark Peters reportedly mocked his wife’s protectionorder against him before he shot her in July. Hetexted, “You think you’re protected but you’re not,”records said. He would use force to learn where shewas hiding and disguise himself as a saleswoman to

get her to answer the door before shooting her.

He remains jailed without bond, pending trial on first-degree murder and multipleassociated crimes.

Maxwell Garihan also mocked his wife’s protection order against him in 2015, reportedlytelling her, “A restraining order never stopped anyone. Research that ...” A month later,he would shoot Margaret Temple Garihan in the head — she survived — and kill herboyfriend. Maxwell is serving two life terms in prison without parole, plus another 144years.

And of course, Galloway mocked Nam’s protection order by repeatedly violating it, upuntil the day he killed her and another man in a murder spree for which he was convictedin June.

Powell said Nam did everything she could to stay safe. She fought for a protection orderuntil she won. She took her abuser to court. She stayed with family for a time. And shedeveloped a safety plan, which included installing security cameras and alarms at herhouse, buying two guns, constantly updating her family about her whereabouts, and evenasking neighbors to watch for signs of Galloway.

None of it saved her.

Videos of Nam’s last moments in her house showed her turning on the alarm and double-checking that windows and doors were locked just a few hours before Galloway broke inand shot her in bed.

“I don’t think there’s a surefire way (to protect yourself) and that’s probably the saddestpart of it all,” Powell said. “Honestly, she did all of the things I would think you wouldwant to do to keep yourself safe.”

The story is just one in a long line of tragedies that underscore the limits to theprotections available to victims. But experts stress that doesn’t mean that victimsshouldn’t pursue them.

“I’m not saying holding up the no contact protection order while someone’s coming atyou with a gun is going to save your life, obviously,” Powell said.

“But having as many hurdles for the offender is what we’re looking for, becausesometimes that’s all we can do”

Importance of a safety plan

How to talk to domestic violencevictims about abuseKaitlin Durbin

https://gazette.com/news/how-to-talk-to-domestic-violence-victims-about-abuse/article_ee7abf00-fa51-11e8-8827-27f804412fb4.html





Those other hurdles — protections — include things like enrolling in the AddressConfidentiality Program, changing their identity, transferring schools or relocating toanother state. But that’s in the most extreme cases.

A simpler step victims can take is developing a safety plan so they know what to do whenviolence does happen. Do they have an emergency bag packed? Do they have a place tostay? Who can help them leave? Do they have transportation?

And resources such as TESSA can help with that. In the end, though, experts say there’sonly so much victims can do. It’s up to the offender to make the decision not to abuse orto take steps to change their behavior. And, sadly, victims and their families are left todeal with the consequences.

Take Nam’s case — Galloway was sentenced to life in prison, but there still is no realjustice for Nam or her family, Powell said. She’s still gone.

“(Galloway) got his consequences, we’ve gotten the result, but that sorrow, that wishingthat she’s not another face or name in your list of women who’ve gotten killed by theiroffenders, just wishing that was never ever the case…” Powell said, her voice trailing off.“Why do we have to be here to begin with?”

Powell said she can only hope that stories like Nam’s lead to change so that maybe shewill be one of the last names on the long list of domestic violence victims.

“Maybe it saves somebody else’s life. I hope to God it does,” Powell said. “I hope it savesall of their lives.”

Editor's note: This story was edited to reflect that the standard in civil protection ordercases is a preponderance of evidence.

Contact the writer at 719-636-0362 or find her on Twitter: @njKaitlinDurbin. Dataexpert Burt Hubbard contributed to this report.

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12/21/18, 12'33 PMDomestic violence in El Paso County: Are offenders capable of change? One man's transformation | Part 3 of 4 | Premium | gazette.com

Page 1 of 8https://gazette.com/premium/domestic-violence-in-el-paso-county-are…enders-capable-of/article_0c0c2afc-fa45-11e8-b2a4-a399a8972113.html


Domestic violence in El Paso County: Are offenderscapable of change? One man's transformation | Part3 of 4By: Kaitlin Durbin Dec 19, 2018 Updated 23 hrs ago


Three years ago this month, Geoff was just starting El Paso County’s Domestic ViolenceCourt program after a 65-day stay in jail for violating terms of a permanent protectionorder.

He was facing three to five years in prison for the charge — his second that year and oneof 15 domestic violence allegations he’d battled in as many years — when someoneapproached him about the program. It was a “get out of jail free” card that also offeredthe chance to clear the charge if he was successful. Thinking back to wishing his son ahappy Thanksgiving from jail, Geoff said his answer was a no-brainer.

Geoff, whose last name is withheld for confidentiality, had a string of 15 domestic violence allegations in as many years,including eight protection order filings, three of which were granted. After two convictions on protection order violations in 2015,he entered the 4th Judicial District’s Domestic Violence Court and graduated in 11 months. He has not been in trouble since.(Dougal Brownlie, The Gazette)

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Page 2 of 8https://gazette.com/premium/domestic-violence-in-el-paso-county-are…nders-capable-of/article_0c0c2afc-fa45-11e8-b2a4-a399a8972113.html

“This is make or break right here,” he remembers thinking. “I was about to loseeverything I have — my family, my son.”

Today, Geoff says he is rehabilitated. He co-owns his own contracting business. He has agreat relationship with his 14-year-old son. And, perhaps most importantly, he hasn’treoffended; records show he has not had another criminal charge since entering theprogram in 2015.

THE SERIES






“I wouldn’t be where I am today without this program,” Geoff said. “It saved me.” TheGazette agreed not to use his full name at his request.

County Judge Doug Miles has overseen the specialty court since its inception six yearsago. He calls it “extremely intense monitoring” for repeat offenders who can’t seem toend the cycle of violence or comply with the terms of their probation.

“It’s sort of a last chance to succeed,” if they’ve failed all of the other regular channels,Miles said. Because if they also fail domestic violence court, they go to jail or prison, hesaid.

Breaking the cycleThe program moves offenders through several phases of rehabilitation based on theresults of a 14-point risk assessment, which ranks a person’s threat level, likelihood toreoffend and determines the type of treatment they need.

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The program looks a little different foreach participant, but it generallyincludes specific domestic violenceeducation classes, weekly appearances incourt and random drug screening.

Geoff was low risk, despite his lengthyrap sheet. Fifteen times he’d beenaccused of domestic violence relatedcrimes, though more than half of themwere ultimately dismissed. Fourdifferent women would file eight timesfor protection orders against him, threeof which were granted.

“Domestic violence is a cycle, and I cycled through the court,” Geoff admits.

Court records show Geoff was never accused of hurting any of the women and none ofthem said he threatened violence against him, but they still feared him. They said hecalled, texted and emailed incessantly wanting to talk to them after their breakups. Hedrove by their house or followed them in his car. Some of the women said he broke intotheir house, and one said he left a shrine to the relationship on their bed. Others claimedhe spit on their car.

“I’m constantly looking over my shoulder and checking my locks cause I fear him beingaround,” one of the women wrote in a petition for protection that would be denied.

The first protection order to stick came from Geoff’s ex-wife after their 2012 divorce. Shesaid she caught him lurking outside of her bedroom window. His next girlfriend accusedhim of breaking into her garage and driving by her home. The girlfriend after that said hehacked into her Facebook, was in her backyard and broke into her house to call her fromher house phone.

Then came the protection order violations, four of them in 2015. He would be convictedtwice, leading him first to jail and then to the program.

El Paso County Judge Douglas J. Miles



“I’m concerned that he can’t handle how to properly end our relationship and what hemay do to me,” the last woman wrote in her first, failed protection order complaint. Hersecond request was granted, though the woman eventually dropped it after Geoffcompleted the court program.

Geoff said the woman was right; he didn’t know how to have a healthy breakup.

When he first entered the program, he remembers feeling angry, bitter, jealous andsuspicious all the time in his relationships. He didn’t know how to de-escalate a fight,how to resolve issues or even how to trust, a vice he said came after his ex-wife cheatedon him.

“It was my fault for getting too quick into relationships without being in a good place inmy own mind,” Geoff said. “Nothing I did was physical, but it’s still domestic violence.It’s still against the law.”

That mindset is actually the guiding principal of the Domestic Violence OffenderManagement Board, which sets and reviews standards for the court-ordered treatmentprogram: “domestic violence is a crime and not the result of a response to a failingrelationship.”

Some of the other key concepts include:

There is no one stereotype of people who commit acts of domestic violence. Offendersrun the gamut of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental healthcondition, financial status, cultural background and religious belief.

Before Geoff was ordered to treatment through El Paso County's Domestic Violence Court, three women had petitioned eight timesfor protection against him, saying his behavior became worrisome when they tried to end the relationship. He never threatenedphysical harm against them, but they accused him of breaking into their homes, spitting on their cars and following them.

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dcj/domestic-violence-offender-management



All domestic violence behavior is the sole responsibility of the offender.

And one of the most important concepts: offenders are capable of change.

RehabilitationThe purpose of treatment is simple — to prevent future abuse by challenging destructivecore beliefs and teaching positive, nonviolent behavioral skills. How that is achieved,though, varies.

Colorado previously had a one-size-fits-all approach — if you completed the 36-weekcourse, you graduated. But Jesse Hansen with the Office of Domestic Violence and SexOffender Management said it became clear that offenders knew how to “b-s their waythrough treatment.” They knew their end date and did just enough to reach it.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOMICIDES IN EL PASO COUNTY


2013 - 6; 2014 - 3; 2015 - 5; 2016 - 3; 2017 - 9; Jan.-Nov. 2018 - 7.


2013 - 2; 2014 - 0; 2015 - 0; 2016 - 4; 2017 - 0; Jan.-Nov. 2018 - 1.

Now, regular assessments determine if participants are really meeting core competenciesor if treatment should be extended, Hansen said.

Miles said he’s seen the difference in the program’s success, locally. His data show about50 percent of El Paso County participants graduate, meaning they tick all the boxes intheir treatment and have no new offenses.

“I wasn’t terribly happy with 50 percent until somebody pointed out that when you startwith 100 percent failure, increasing to 50 percent is not bad,” Miles said, explaining thatall participants come into the program with some kind of domestic violence conviction ormultiple. “It’s not bad, but I’d like it to be better.”

For the half that doesn’t graduate, it’s not even always that they remain abusive. “We seevery, very low domestic violence reoffense,” Miles said, though it does happen.

Instead, he said participants most often struggle with substance abuse and trauma.That’s what Geoff said he witnessed too.



He was able to complete the program in 11 months, but said many of his friends werethere two years or more. He recalls only two participants reoffending; the others whoregressed either didn’t come to class, didn’t show up to court or were caught using drugsor alcohol.

“The system is not set up for them to fail, but they want you to be accountable,” Geoffsaid. “I watched guys regress out of the program and go to jail for like, 10 to 12 years. Youhave to have the mindset to succeed. For me, it was a mindset that something in mylifestyle had to change. I didn’t want to step one foot back in (the Criminal JusticeCenter), not even for one hour.”

The state’s domestic violence board said low-level offenders like Geoff are the most likelyto succeed.

Their 2016 Standards for Treatment with Court Ordered Domestic Violence Offendersreport, prepared by Hansen, showed that low-level offenders graduate about 91 percentof the time, as opposed to moderate risk offenders with an 80 percent success rate andhigh-risk offenders at 46 percent.

The board is scheduled to continue to evaluate the program through at least 2022 andsuggest tweaks to make the program more successful.

“There are no other states that are doing this,” Hansen said. “What’s becoming more andmore apparent is, not only does treatment work, but which interventions work for eachpopulation.”

Taking responsibilityRight now, participation in the domestic violence program is voluntary, but Miles saidthere is talk of making it mandatory for some offenses. As someone who has gonethrough it, Geoff says he does wish the program would have been offered to him sooner.

After his first protection order violation, he was ordered to complete a domestic violenceclass as part of his probation, but he said it didn’t have the impact the court program did.The second time around, he said he learned how to de-escalate, how to problem solve,and how to express his emotions safely.

“I learned a lot about how the brain works in that program,” Geoff said, advocating thatthe classes should be mandatory for any person in a relationship.

But he especially found group therapy helpful.

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Domestic violence resources in Colorado

“It was an outlet for guys who have been told our whole lives, ‘don’t wear your emotionson your sleeve,’ ‘don’t show emotion at all,’” he said, puffing his chest out in a mockmacho manner. “In reality, we have very real emotions and we have to have an outlet forthat.”

(While domestic violence does impact both men and women, the majority of offenders dotend to be men. Miles said he’s had four women offenders in the program’s history.)

Graduating didn’t save Geoff’s previous relationships, though Miles said some offendersdo return home, but he believes it’s helped him in his relationships since. There havebeen two, neither longer than a couple months, but they ended amicably, not with aprotection order.

The program, he said, made him more accountable in all aspects of his life, so much sothat’s it’s hard to relive his past and imagine the place he was once in.

“I went in saying, ‘she did this, this and this to me,’ and I came out saying, ‘I’mresponsible for this or I’m responsible for that,’” Geoff said. “They were right, I can’tcontrol anybody else; people are going to do what they want to do. I can only controlmyself and my reaction.

“Life is good.”





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12/21/18, 12'27 PMDomestic violence in El Paso County: Leaders, advocates say small steps can equal big change | Part 4 of 4 | Premium | gazette.com

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Domestic violence in El Paso County: Leaders,advocates say small steps can equal big change | Part4 of 4By: Kaitlin Durbin Dec 20, 2018 Updated 23 hrs ago


Karyn Ragsdale Lorbiecki stayed with her abusive husband for nearly 20 years beforesuccumbing to his rage in a shooting, leaving her family feeling “like there’s nothing thatcan be done” to prevent or stop the cycle of domestic violence.

They offered to help Karyn escape Greg Lorbiecki’s control, even moving her to a secretapartment at one point, but Karyn always returned to the relationship. After her death,Karyn’s family said they found a binder with pamphlets and domestic violence resourcesshe’d collected over the years but never used.

The Colorado Springs Police Department and El Paso County Sheriff’s Office have reported a combined 40 domestic violence-related killings since 2013. Seven of those deaths occurred in 2016, accounting for 22 percent of homicides that year. At thesame time, domestic violence was behind 19 percent of Denver’s homicides.

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“You can’t change their mindset,” Karyn’s sister-in-law Angie Ragsdale said as she wipedaway tears. “There’s got to be something else.”

While advocates don’t agree that victims can’t decide on their own to leave an abusiverelationship — because many do — they do agree that more needs to be done to protectvictims and prevent violence. It’s not just about victims leaving, or police arresting awaythe problem or courts imposing lengthy sentences on offenders, TESSA ExecutiveDirector SherryLynn Boyles stressed at her organization’s Champions for ChangeSummit last year.

“We have to ask, what is it in ourclimate, in society, that we can affect toreduce the violence?” Boyles said.“Prevention is focused on changing theconditions that make it possible forviolence to happen.”

Out of that summit, Colorado SpringsMayor John Suthers formed the NoExcuse for Abuse Task Force to developstrategies to reduce and preventdomestic violence in the community. Itpulls together heads from all sectors,including public officials, lawenforcement, youth outreach, the faithcommunity and business leaders.

District 20 House Rep. Terri Carver, who sits on the task force’s public policy committeewith Mina Liebert of El Paso County Public Health, says they are discussing ways toadjust policies or strengthen laws to effect change.

TESSA Executive Director SherryLynn Boyles. (The Gazette)

photos by linda navarro, The Gazette

Shattered Lives: Domestic Violence in El Paso County

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The committee is working to establish a local domestic violence fatality review board toexamine tragedies in an effort to learn from them. The board will look at what stepsvictims might have taken to end the cycle of abuse and ask: what worked, what didn’t andwhy?

Those findings, Carver said, can be used to form better policies or training forprofessionals who work with domestic violence victims.

Denver has had a board for more than20 years, and Gov. John Hickenlooperapproved a statewide board last year, buta local board would be better able toidentify “opportunities for intervention”within the Colorado Springs network,Carver said. There’s no timeline forwhen the board will be in place.

Another committee, Carver said, hasmade arrangements for advocates to gointo Harrison School District 2 toeducate youth about abusiverelationships, because some do start atthat age or kids could be seeing it athome.

That was one strategy Karyn Lorbiecki’s family suggested, but with more teeth. Karyn’steenage daughter told Ragsdale she did have a domestic violence speaker at her schoolonce but the type of abuse covered was at the extreme end of the spectrum; it didn’tmatch what her family had been suffering for years. Ragsdale remembers her niecesaying, “I never considered that domestic violence would be tied to my life. It was just theway life was.”

THE SERIES





Terri Carver is running for a third term to represent HouseDistrict 20, which includes Cascade, Chipita Park and GreenMountain Falls. Courtesy photo









Part 4: Leaders, advocates say small steps can equal big change.

Helping hand: How to talk to domestic violence victims about abuse.

But even small steps like those can add up to big change, advocates say. And somechanges have already occurred:

• In 2015, the Address Confidentiality Program was created to give survivors of stalking,sexual assault and domestic violence a legal substitute address and mail forwarding toshield their real address from the public, including their offender. The Assessor’s Officesaid the program currently protects 16 people in El Paso County.

• In 2016, the Habitual Domestic Violence Offenders law was passed to increase penaltiesagainst any person with three or more prior domestic violence convictions. It elevates anoffense from a misdemeanor to a felony and “allows for more stringent punishment whenprior punishments haven’t worked,” Carver said.

• In 2016, strangling someone was made a felony offense, allowing judges to imposestricter penalties, because strangulation is a major indicator that a person may behomicidal, advocates say.

• In 2017, the “No Bail for Stalking and Domestic Violence Offenders” denied bond tocertain offenders prior to sentencing. The bill stemmed from the death of Janice Nam,after her convicted stalker Glen Galloway cut his ankle monitor the night before hissentencing and disappeared. He would resurface six months later to kill Nam andanother man in a crime spree for which he was sentenced to life in prison in July.

• In 2017, the law requiring certain medical professionals to report suspected injuriesfrom domestic violence was amended to allow some injuries to go unreported if thevictim is at least 18 years old and requests confidentiality.

Amy Pohl with Violence Free Colorado, formerly the Colorado Coalition AgainstDomestic Violence, said the change is important because the mandatory reporting law,despite its good intentions, actually made victims less safe. “We heard from survivorsthat said they didn’t seek medical care because they worried the doctor would have toreport the abuse and things would get worse,” Pohl said. “They weren’t ready (to seekhelp), didn’t have resources in place to leave the relationship. If police got involvedbefore that time, they could be in more danger.”

• This year, the state extended its Rape Shield Law to civil cases, barring attorneys fromusing a victim’s prior sexual history against them in court. Carver said the practicepreviously turned victims away from pursuing compensation for damages.

• A 2018 bill strengthened revenge pornography laws to better prosecute offenders whopost or threaten to post pictures or videos of their intimate partner.



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“I think that in Colorado we have strong support in both parties to strengthen laws,”Carver said.

Yet, gaps must still exist. This year, eight people were killed in suspected domesticviolence related incidents in the county: Dionte Harris, Richard Martinez, MichellePeters, Brandon Watkins, Shakir Cook-Troynel, Candice Jones, Corky Oliver andCourtney Jackson. Some of them had protection orders against their partners. Some werekilled over jealousy or affairs. Police killed one man who was holding his girlfriend atgunpoint.

Knowing the number of protections already in place leaves some wondering what morecould be done to end domestic violence.

“Think about it in the context of a homicide,” said Jeffrey Lindsey, an attorney for the 4thJudicial District. “We aggressively prosecute homicide cases, we routinely win onhomicide cases and people go to prison for their lifetime or close to their lifetime, andmurders still happen. So, I guess, what’s going to stop crime ever from happening?”

Be awareIt can’t just be up to police and courts to hold domestic violence offenders accountable,Pohl said. The community can also play a part by paying attention to the actions of thosearound them.

Maybe a guy grabs a woman’s arm alittle too hard in the grocery store, ormaybe a woman threatens to hurt herpartner with a weapon. Those areinstances where members of thecommunity can step in and ask if help isneeded, separate the two, or, at the veryleast, let the offender know thatsomeone is watching, Pohl said.

Domestic violence thrives in secrecy, sointervention is the real key toprevention, she said.

“If we want to prevent incidents ofdomestic violence, we as a communityhave to stand up and say we’re not goingto tolerate this any longer,” Pohl said.

EducateWhat does domestic violence look like?What are the penalties for violations? What resources are available for victims oroffenders?

Domestic violence can be counter-intuitive to the average person, making it hard torecognize or understand, 30-year domestic violence educator and victim rights’champion Jean McAllister said. Abuse can be so much more than physical; it can be

“We heard from survivors that said they didn’t seek medical carebecause they worried the doctor would have to report the abuseand things would get worse. They weren’t ready (to seek help),didn’t have resources in place to leave the relationship. If policegot involved before that time, they could be in more danger.”

Amy Pohl with Violence Free Colorado

Submitted by Amy Pohl



limiting a person’s access to friends or family or a phone, verbal threats or cutting offfinancial resources.

People need to be able to spot the early warning signs before it escalates to violence, shesaid. They also need to have a better understanding of how offenders behave — it’s easyto think the violence will stop if a protection order is issued, if police make an arrest or ifvictims leave, but that’s not necessarily true.

“For the most dangerous batterers, they won’t stop,” McAllister said.

Taking those steps to protect themselves can also be dangerous for victims.

“It’s not uncommon that families think, ‘If she’d just leave she’d be safe,” but the reality isthat’s not true, it’s actually the opposite. She’s more likely to be hurt when she leaves,”McAllister said.

Research has shown that 75 percent of victims who were killed by their abuser had saidthey were leaving or were already in the process.

McAllister recommends better education for the public on how to spot domestic violenceand how to support victims, even while they remain with their abuser.

“Demands that the victim to do something right away often leaves the victim feelingtrapped with the offender and unable to access support,” McAllister said. “The last thingyou want to do is cut them off.”

Hold offenders accountableTo end domestic violence, experts say people need to stop asking why the victim didn’tact a certain way and start asking: Why does the offender abuse? This holds the abuseraccountable for their actions, McAllister said.

Then, law enforcement and the courts need to follow up with legal sanctions.

“The quicker any of that can happen, the message to offender is, this is not acceptablebehavior,” McAllister said.

That includes swift penalties for offenders who violate terms of their bond or fail toparticipate in court-ordered treatment, McAllister said, because too often she seesoffenders sent back to court or to group therapy without additional penalties. The lack ofconsequences “gives offenders permission to engage in violence again,” she said.

Prosecuting violence shouldn’t fall entirely on a victim’s shoulders, McAllister said. Whenabusers violate protection orders or offend multiple times, the courts should step in tohold them accountable, regardless of whether a victim asks for it.

“When it’s up to victim, then you are leaving it up to person who is controlled by the mostdangerous offenders to make the decision to do something against that offender, whichdoesn’t happen,” McAllister said. “By having consistent and speedy response (todomestic violence accusations) and higher consequences, I think we could make adifference in the number of people who get killed.”

Screen for violent offenders



After an offender is convicted and sentenced to treatment, often through the county’sdomestic violence court, they are evaluated to determine what level of intervention theyneed based on their likelihood to reoffend or be homicidal.

This risk assessment tool takes intoaccount a person’s prior criminalhistory, substance abuse, employmentstatus, use or threatened use of a weaponand community support, among others.But it comes only after multiple crimeshave occurred, because as El PasoCounty Judge Doug Miles said, domesticviolence court is “sort of a last chance tosucceed” when previous interventionshave failed.

But advocates argue the tool could be used earlier to prevent crimes by determiningwhether it’s safe for an offender to be released from jail prior to trial or if victims need totake additional steps to be safe.

Currently, organizations like TESSA, which serves as a resource for victims, encouragedomestic violence victims to take the “Danger Assessment” developed by JacquelynCampbell, renowned professor in the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Thetool can help victims determine the threat level of their partner based on their yes and noanswers to 20 questions.

The website, dangerassessment.org, calls 10 or more “yes” responses “concerning,” butMcAllister says, “If have more than eight of those factors, you need to do somethingpretty substantial to protect that victim.”

The website touts that the assessment has been used by law enforcement, healthcareprofessionals and domestic violence advocates for 25 years, and McAllister says she’sused to it in court when testifying retrospectively about the danger a victim was in priorto being killed. But she wonders why courts don’t use it when an alleged offense occurs.

“If it was done ahead of time, there may have been some intervention to get the victim tosafety,” McAllister said.

El Paso County Judge Douglas Miles oversees the domesticviolence court.

Courtesy of 4th Judicial District

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https://www.dangerassessment.org/



After 21 years with the 4th JudicialDistrict Attorneys Office, Lindseydoesn’t see that ever happening. Thecourt system is set up to respond tocrime, not necessarily to prevent it, hesaid, and the system demands a person’spresumption of innocence until provenguilty.

“The defendant has a right to remainsilent,” Lindsey said. “So if he has to gothrough this assessment, pre-conviction,he then is required to talk about whathappened or to some fashion they’regoing to try to get his version of theevents, right? What defense attorney is

going to allow that to happen?”

Instead, Lindsey argues that the best defense starts with law enforcement’s probable-cause affidavit, which details the alleged crime committed. Judges use this report todetermine an offender’s bond.

“Though the court system is an imperfect system — I think we all agree with that — it’s agood system and it’s something we all ascribe to and believe very strongly in, otherwisewe wouldn’t dedicate our lives to the criminal justice system,” Lindsey said.

Set appropriate bondsA bond is a formal agreement between the court and the accused that the person willappear for hearings and not reoffend, in exchange for their freedom prior to conviction.Currently, those bonds are determined based primarily on the alleged crime committed.

But Judge Miles said he believes courts should set bonds based on an offender’s risk andlethality, which can be determined through an assessment.

That may have prevented Alexander Bruce Jasmine’s second attack on his wife this year.

Jasmine was first accused in October of threatening his wife to the point she lockedherself in the bathroom and called her mom for help. When she tried to run, she saidJasmine came up behind her and she felt “a sharp poke to her back” where he scratchedher skin with a knife, court records said. Jasmine posted his $10,000 bond and went free.

A little over a month later, just after the woman dropped the court’s no contact orderwith Jasmine, he reportedly stabbed her with a kitchen knife 15 to 19 times in her back,sides, chest and neck. She survived. Jasmine is now being held in the El Paso County jailwithout bond on suspicion of attempted murder and assault.

Make it easier for victims to get outTESSA is dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence with whatever need they mayhave.

“We don’t just give up. We’re sort of the ones that are stompingour feet and pounding our fist on the table and saying this personneeds to be held accountable,” Chief Deputy District AttorneyJeffrey Lindsey said.

Dougal Brownlie




For the 10,000 people it serves a year, sometimes that means creating a safety plan,petitioning for a protection order or just being there to talk. And increasingly, it alsomeans finding victims housing if and when they decide to leave the relationship.

LOCAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOMICIDES


2013 - 6; 2014 - 3; 2015 - 5; 2016 - 3; 2017 - 9; Jan.-Nov. 2018 - 7.


2013 - 2; 2014 - 0; 2015 - 0; 2016 - 4; 2017 - 0; Jan.-Nov. 2018 - 1.

Abusers often manage the finances in a relationship to further isolate their victims,because without means to support themselves, it’s harder for victims to leave, advocatessay.

But there are options.

TESSA has a 32-bed safe house for victims fleeing violence; it serves more than 300women and children a year, Boyles said. The U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment and the Victims of Crime Act also gave $325,000 last year to help TESSAhouse victims at risk of homelessness. Boyles said that money allowed them to house 87families, including 150 children.

This year, TESSA also acquired the Women’s Resource Agency, which teaches andempowers women to achieve self-sufficiency and economic dependence. Most domesticviolence victims are women.

There are ample resources available to guide victims of domestic violence throughuncertain transitions and allow them to escape abuse and take back control over theirown lives. And advocates stress that support will always be available, whenever victimsare ready to use it.


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12/21/18, 1'07 PMDomestic violence resources in Colorado | Colorado Springs News | gazette.com

Page 1 of 2https://gazette.com/news/domestic-violence-resources-in-colorado/article_4e5ce160-f4e8-11e8-a486-0fb492777dd6.html


Domestic violence resources in ColoradoBy: Kaitlin Durbin Dec 17, 2018 Updated Dec 18, 2018

There is help for victims of domestic violence in El Paso County, the Colorado Springsarea and the rest of Colorado.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: If you’re in a domestic violence crisis andneed immediate help, call (800) 799-7233 to connect with local emergency resources.You can also chat with advocates online at https://www.thehotline.org/

Violence Free Colorado: Formerly the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence,the organization can connect victims with resources in their area. Visitviolencefreecolorado.org for more information.

TESSA: Domestic violence victims in El Paso and Teller counties can access a variety ofsupport services: crisis intervention, counseling, housing, legal advice. TESSA’s localsafeline is (719) 633-3819. More resources can be found on their website,www.tessacs.org/

Colorado Department of Criminal Justice: Victims of domestic violence areguaranteed certain rights under the Colorado Victim Rights Act. If you feel your rightshave been violated, you can file a complaint athttps://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dcj/file-vra-complaint. The state’s victimcompensation program also provides financial assistance to help victims recover.

The Address Confidentiality Program: Provides survivors of domestic violence,sexual offenses and stalking with a substitute mailing address and confidential mailforwarding service to protect their location. Applicants must have evidence ofvictimization and have or be willing to move within 90 days. To apply, visit the ColoradoDivision of Central Service’s website at https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dcs/acp



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12/21/18, 1'07 PMDomestic violence resources in Colorado | Colorado Springs News | gazette.com

Page 2 of 2https://gazette.com/news/domestic-violence-resources-in-colorado/article_4e5ce160-f4e8-11e8-a486-0fb492777dd6.html

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Domestic violence in El Paso County: Records show we're among worst in Colorado | Part 1 of 4

Colorado Springs domestic violence survivor Tara Loo shares story of nearly being killed byboyfriend


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12/21/18, 12'41 PMColorado Springs domestic violence survivor Tara Loo shares story of nearly being killed by boyfriend | Premium | gazette.com

Page 1 of 5https://gazette.com/premium/colorado-springs-domestic-violence-surv…o-shares-story-of/article_29942594-f4c2-11e8-bcc1-b3a001a34671.html


Colorado Springs domestic violence survivor TaraLoo shares story of nearly being killed by boyfriendBy: TARA LOO, Special to The Gazette Dec 17, 2018 Updated Dec 19, 2018

Editor's note: Some of the photos with this first-person story from Colorado Springsnative Tara Loo are graphic and may be disturbing.

On Dec. 12, 2009, I almost lost my life at the hands of my then-boyfriend. He’d been oneof my best friends in high school, but we’d lost touch after graduation and I’d gone on toget married and have two daughters. Fourteen years later, we reconnected throughFacebook. I had just gotten a divorce and was not looking to start dating, but since weknew each other so well, I figured why not give it a shot? Things moved very quickly.

At first, everything seemed perfect. He was caring and kind to my daughters. I liked hisfamily, and mine thought highly of him. He always seemed so concerned about me andwhat was going on in my life. I didn’t see red flags so we moved in together after a monthof dating. Soon after, things began to change. I would later learn that “concern” for mewas actually an attempt at controlling me.

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Tara Loo said her abuser was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

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Page 2 of 5https://gazette.com/premium/colorado-springs-domestic-violence-surv…-shares-story-of/article_29942594-f4c2-11e8-bcc1-b3a001a34671.html

THE SERIES







It started subtly. He would get upset with who I was hanging out with but said it was onlybecause he cared about me. He would criticize my choices, saying he only wanted the bestfor me. He started questioning where I was going and what I was “really” doing. Heaccused me of having an affair with my ex-husband. A month into living together hiscriticism became constant — I began to feel I couldn’t do anything right to make himhappy. He started calling me a slut, a drunk or a bad mom, and said I was lucky to havehim because no one else would put up with me.

Deep down I knew none of the things he said were true, but I began to question myselfanyway. After every argument, I would feel like I was going crazy. If I disagreed with him,I was wrong; if I agreed with him, I was still wrong. There is truth in the saying that ifsomeone insults you enough, you start believing the lies about you are true. By monthfour I was crying every day, doubting myself and beginning to lose my entire sense of self.I knew it was an unhealthy relationship, but I never considered it abuse.









It’s important to know that I came from a very loving home, and although my parentsdivorced, I never saw them fight. My dad has always been kind and loving and treatedwomen with respect. I never witnessed abuse, nor was I educated in what an abusiverelationship looks like. If you had asked me what it meant to be in an abusiverelationship, I would have described it as physical abuse. I didn’t know how damagingemotional and verbal abuse could be.

By December, my boyfriend had moved out but we were still trying to make things work.I had tried to end things with him multiple times, but he would always apologizeprofusely and promise it would never happen again or threaten to hurt himself if I didn’ttake him back. But I did end it on Dec. 12, after he accused me of being anembarrassment at dinner with friends. I told him to be out of the house by the morningand I went to bed — I didn’t know that the most dangerous time for a woman in anabusive relationship is when you make the decision to leave.

The next thing I remember is waking upon the bathroom floor as he repeatedlypunched my body with all his force. Thebathroom was covered in blood. He hadstrangled me to unconsciousness while Iwas sleeping and then carried me to thebathroom to continue his violent attack.I had this gut-wrenching feeling I wasgoing to die.

Tara Loo with her daughters.

photos courtesy of Tara Loo



My abuser was a foot taller and 100pounds heavier than me, I knew Icouldn’t fight back, so I began pleadingfor my life. I was staring into his blankeyes while he continued to punch me and then tried to cut my throat with a knife. I toldhim he was killing me and begged him to think about my girls growing up without theirmother.

He responded, “They would be better off without you.” What he said next is foreverburned into my mind: “I’ve gone too far, done too much. I’m going to have to kill you.”He put his hands around my throat and strangled me until I blacked out again. While Iwas unconscious, he sexually assaulted me.

I have no doubt that he believed I was dead when he carried my lifeless body outside,wrapped only in a bloody towel, and went back inside to clean up. But by what I can onlydescribe as a miracle, I regained consciousness and was able to run away. When twoneighbors didn’t answer their doors, I collapsed in the shadows and screamed for helpuntil someone found me and called 911.

I spent a week in the hospital recovering from hypothermia, internal and externalbruising, a broken heel and wounds so deep it felt as if my body was being held togetherby staples and stitches: the fingers on my left hand were cut to the bone where I’d tried topush the knife from my throat — 27 stitches; there was a gash on my forehead — morestitches; I had a traumatic brain injury; and bruising that stretched from behind my earsto my chin that doctors said was caused by the strangulation.

They would later discover a 3-inch gash on the back of my head that was previouslyhidden by my blood-matted hair.

My abuser was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

As bad as my physical wounds were, nothing could prepare me for the mental andemotional wounds that followed. It took therapy, the support of family and friends, andyears of finding myself again to heal.

Many people ask why I stayed as long as I did. The truth is, there are a plethora ofreasons women stay in abusive relationships, and that looks different for each one.

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After Tara Loo's boyfriend strangled her to unconsciousness thefirst time, she remembers waking up in the bathroom to find thearea covered with her blood.

Submitted by Tara Loo






New TESSA board member Tara Loo draws on her own survival to help domestic violencevictims

We as a society need to change the narrative from, “Why did she stay?” to “Why does heabuse?” No one enters a relationship knowing it is going to be abusive. Abusers aremaster manipulators. My abuser was not physically abusive until I told him I was leaving.I know now that if someone is capable of emotionally, verbally or sexually abusing you, itis usually just a matter of time before they become physically abusive. Abuse does not getbetter over time, it only gets worse.

But awful as that relationship and thatnight was for me, I can honestly say I amstronger and wiser because of it. I’velearned the importance of trusting myinstincts, loving myself and settinghealthy boundaries. I am in a healthyand supportive relationship with a manwho has shown me the true meaning oflove. My daughters and I have growncloser and healed together. I became acertified confidential victims’ advocate,and I serve on TESSA’s board ofdirectors. I travel throughout Coloradoand around the country sharing my storyto raise awareness, educate andhopefully prevent others from goingthrough what I went through. I havegone from victim, to survivor, to thriver, and I have learned there is life after abuse.

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Today, Tara Loo says she is in a healthy and supportiverelationship and has grown closer to her daughters, who helpadvocate for domestic violence awareness. “I have gone fromvictim, to survivor, to thriver, and I have learned there is lifeafter abuse.”

Submitted by Tara Loo


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12/21/18, 1'05 PMWinning protection often comes down to evidence, whose story is more believable | Colorado Springs News | gazette.com

Page 1 of 3https://gazette.com/news/winning-protection-often-comes-down-to-ev…e-whose-story-is/article_39186aba-f4d2-11e8-bb53-773be500aac0.html


Winning protection often comes down to evidence,whose story is more believableBy: Kaitlin Durbin Dec 18, 2018 Updated Dec 19, 2018

Caption +

Civil Protection Order forms can be picked up at the El Paso County courthouse, 270 S. Tejon St., room S101.

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During an August contested protection order hearing a woman filed against the father ofher child, winning safety came down to whose story was more believable.

The man had never left physical evidence of his abuse, but for an hour, she outlined abinder filled with hundreds of texts from her ex that she said proved he was stalking,harassing and threatening her. She wanted an El Paso County judge’s order mandatingthat he stop.

The request was a battle from the beginning.

The couple separated in February, but the woman said three months later her ex was still


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sending her aggressive text messages. Once when she didn’t respond to the messages, hethreatened to send her a picture of his genitals “at the wrong time,” until she replied.

THE SERIES

Follow along with The Gazette's four-part "Shattered Lives" series on domesticviolence in El Paso County.






Later, the woman said he threatened to fight her new boyfriend and “stick him dead inhis face,” and said he had a gun.

She clutched the binder as proof that in the last three months she’d asked him to stoptexting her about anything other than their daughter 48 to 52 times.

While she spoke, her ex scoffed, smiled or shook his head at her allegations. “Is all thisnecessary?” he asked her before El Paso County Magistrate Marcus Henson deemed thequestion inappropriate.

The man admitted to texting the woman but denied sending lewd or harassing messages.Perhaps someone took his phone and sent the messages without him knowing, he said.He accused her of being “spiteful,” considering their child custody case, and said he’dnever sent inappropriate messages, she just “interpreted” them that way.

When confronted with an email in which he reportedly called her weak and otherderogatory names, and criticized her parenting, he said, “she just doesn’t like what I’msaying.”

The man’s denial nearly crumbled the woman’s case.

Despite the binder texts, she couldn’t prove the messages came from him. The programshe used to print the text exchanges only listed the phone number on the first page,which she didn’t have because she said it would have required her to print years worth ofconversations.










Without the phone number, Henson would not allow the binder to be entered intoevidence, but he did allow the woman’s comments about the texts and how they made herfeel to stand.

It’s the only thing that won the woman’s case. Henson called her ex’s threats ofretaliation and “quite scary” perceived threats of gun violence concerning enough togrant a permanent order. He also ordered the man to relinquish firearms he ownedwithin three days.

“I don’t presume this is going to be an end to the issues you’re dealing with,” Henson toldthe woman, referring to their fights over parenting differences.

“But this order is entered to prevent something from happening.”




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domestic violence in el paso county: records show we're ...ejfi.org/pdf/gazette dv in el paso...

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