Police respond to yet another homicide linked to domestic violence in Seattle

NORTHGATE -  It’s a pandemic within a pandemic.

Domestic violence is up this year and it’s deadlier than previous years.

Tuesday morning, police rushed to yet another domestic violence homicide in Seattle.

Police got a call around 8:30 a.m. and when they arrived to a home on NE 105th Street, they found a woman dead inside.

They also found a young man, a juvenile, sitting on the stairs and police say he told them he was involved in the tragedy.

Neighbor Cathy Fuller has lived in the Northgate neighborhood for more than five decades.

“Watching the news you don’t want it on your block but you know it’s around,” Fuller said.

Domestic violence can be a silent killer and now neighbors feeling the shock of it firsthand.

“They didn’t hear gunshots so I don’t know the rest,” Fuller said.

“We actually got a call from the suspect who stated saying there was a domestic violence assault and we needed to get here,” Seattle Police Spokesperson Patrick Michaud said.

Although detectives are not releasing the relationship between the suspect and victim as of Tuesday, the victim’s ex-boyfriend telling Q13 News that the woman lived with her teenage son.

“That part was shocking that a son would do that to his mother but look at everything we are seeing,” Fuller said.

Across our region, domestic violence cases are up.

In King County alone there have been 15 homicides related to domestic violence this year so far compared to seven homicides last year.

“This past month we are doing more protection orders than we did this time last year it’s really a testament to an entire legal system shifting and going virtual,” David Martin with King County Prosecutor Office said.

Martin leads the domestic violence unit and he is disturbed to see domestic violence homicides spiking after seeing a downward trend in previous years.

But if there is one positive aspect this year, Martin says court filings are easier to do.

Before, victims had to physically come to court if they were seeking things like protective orders but that barrier is gone.

“You can do it online and for those who you can’t do online you can do it over the phone,” Martin said.

There are different types of protective orders that the court can provide. Martin says they are helping thousands of people with protective but he knows it won’t work in some cases. That is why Martin says it’s important to seek advice and proper intervention tailored to your situation if you are dealing with domestic violence in your life.

“We want to connect them to an advocate, talk to them about risks, talk to them about is this the right thing for you to do right now, safety plans with them, connect them with services,” Martin said.

In many cases when a protective order is granted the court can also remove firearms in a house if it presents a danger.

Every case is different but the hope is always that it never ends like the one in Northgate.

“Nothing was wrong at that house and then boom,” Fuller said.

For more information you can go to these sites.

http://www.protectionorder.org/

https://www.kingcounty.gov/how-do-i/domestic-violence.aspx