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Brooke Walker reporting As 2006 gets underway, several statistics emerge about 2005. This year the murder statistic stands out.
The homicide numbers are startling, partly because they're up from previous years.
In Utah last year, there were 50 homicides. It's a number that definitely grabs your attention, especially considering that's eight more deaths than the previous year. It's an increase authorities find puzzling and advocates find discouraging.
Police say drawing a comparison is difficult -- they can't seem to pinpoint a rhyme or reason as to why 2005 has not been as good as past years. Previously, the trend had been on the way down.
2004 brought 42 murders -- making the 50 murders that happened in 2005 the highest spike in about five years. And an even more startling stat -- almost half of those murders were a result of domestic violence.
2005 Murder Breakdown
- 50 murders
- 22 a result of domestic violence
- 6 murder suicides
- 3 child abuse homicides That means in at least 22 situations, the attacker was a spouse, boyfriend, son or a brother. Six of those domestic incidents ended in a murder-suicides and three were child abuse homicides. This rise comes despite the fact that 2005 brought a strong push for domestic violence awareness. According to the Utah Domestic Violence Council, in a typical year, between 26 and 34 percent of Utah homicides are a result of domestic violence. With this year's tally sitting just above that average, it's a trend they will look at and continue to try to curb. Advocates say while more people are recognizing the problem, there is still the perception that domestic violence is something that "can't happen to me." For more information, you can check out today's story in the Deseret Morning News.
