Domestic Violence Homicides Spike in Oklahoma, Fatality Review Board Releases Annual Recommendations

Domestic homicide numbers spiked 16 percent from the previous year with a total of 122 victims in 2023. The board, which works to reduce the number of domestic violence-related deaths by identifying gaps in prevention and protection systems, began collecting data in 2002.

“Tragically, domestic violence deaths have been on the rise in Oklahoma, especially across the last five years,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond said. “We must continue strengthening our statewide efforts to hold abusers accountable and to provide protection and support for victims in order to turn the page on this epidemic.”

The report notes that Oklahoma averaged 115 domestic violence homicide victims annually between 2019 and 2023, up from an average of 90 between 2014 and 2018.

In 2023, 30 victims were killed in murder-suicides and 50 were killed in intimate partner homicides, which is the highest ever recorded. Notably, women comprised 82 percent of intimate partner homicide victims. This continues a trend for Oklahoma consistently ranking in the Top 10 states nationally of women being murdered by men in single-victim-single-offender incidents. The board also found that, on average, 59 children witness the violent death of a family member as a result of domestic violence every year.

The board makes recommendations to the state Legislature annually to improve prevention and protection systems in Oklahoma. This year’s recommendations include:

• Establishing a fund for a statewide program focused on providing direct trauma-informed services to children, adolescents and their caregivers who have been impacted by family violence-related homicide and near-fatal intimate partner violence;
• Enacting a domestic violence-specific hearsay exception to bolster evidence-based prosecution;
• Strengthening areas of state Victim Protection Order laws; and
• Amending state statutes to eliminate discrepancies related to domestic violence crimes.

The board recommended the Legislature appropriate $850,000 to fund the program that will support children exposed to family violence-related homicide and near-fatal intimate partner violence.

Current legislative bills related to the recommendations include:

• HB 1591 authored by Rep. John George and Sen. Darrell Weaver, would add domestic abuse by strangulation, domestic assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault and battery upon a law officer to the list of convictions required to be served for no less than 85 percent of completion;
• SB 541 authored by Sen. Todd Gollihare and Rep. Nicole Miller, would allow prosecutors to file domestic assault and battery with a deadly weapon charge if any deadly weapon is present. It also would make domestic assault and battery subsequent offenses and domestic assault and battery on a pregnant person statutorily considered violent crimes;
• SB 813 authored by Sen. Ally Seifried and Rep. Stan May, would clarify that law enforcement must make every effort to serve a protective order but would ensure that petitions are filed with the district court the following day, regardless. It also would repeal the statute requiring law enforcement to provide a Stalking Warning Letter to the accused whenever a stalking complaint is made and the law enforcement agency determines that stalking has occurred;
• SB 607 authored by Sen. Brent Howard and Rep. John George, would declare that statements related to domestic abuse are admissible in pre-trial and post-trial criminal and juvenile delinquent hearings, merit hearings, probation revocation hearings and deferred judgment hearings; and
• HB 1413 authored by Rep. Josh West and Sen. Bill Coleman, would make pleas and findings of guilt for stalking or violations of a protective order constitute a conviction for sentencing purposes related to domestic violence where a prior conviction is relevant.

Read the full report.