Women Account For 88% Of Domestic Violence Deaths In Orange County
IRVINE (CBSLA) — A study from the University of California Irvine discovered that within a decade of data almost all of the domestic violence deaths in Orange County were women.
"Let's not let these losses of life in our county be a loss," said UCI Law Domestic Violence Clinic Director Jane Stoever. "Let's ensure our county learns all that it can from these tragedies."
Researchers used homicide and homicide-suicide case files in Orange County from 2006 to 2017 to make their conclusions. According to the study, in that time period, out of the 113 domestic violence deaths, 88% of the victims were women and 12% were men. Out of the 113 deaths, 72% involved firearms.
"Oftentimes what we need to understand is that domestic violence is about power and control," said CEO of the advocacy group Human Options, Maricela Rio-Faust. "And that power and control show up in a variety of different ways. It's emotional psychological, physical and it's economic."
Advocates said that intervention is key in domestic violence situations and point to the death of Michelle Marie Fournier.
"He got 50%. Michelle's husband got 50%," said Fournier's sister Bethany Webb. "But that wasn't enough."
Scott DeKraai, Fournier's ex-husband, unhappy with their recent divorce, walked into Fournier's Seal Beach hair salon with three loaded handguns and opened fire.
"What we know by the people there is he walked up to Michelle and said this what you wanted," said Webb. "Somewhere along the way in two minutes he killed 8 people and shot my mom. My mom would be the sole survivor."
The shooting, which happened in October 2011 would become the deadliest in Orange County history.
