Domestic Violence Homicides Down In County, Lowest In 30 Years

SAN DIEGO, CA — Domestic violence-related homicides in San Diego County decreased by 50% from 2022 to 2023, with last year marking the lowest amount of domestic violence killings locally in three decades, officials said Tuesday.

The findings were announced in conjunction with a ceremony honoring domestic violence survivors Tuesday in Balboa Park to mark the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Last year in the county, there were five domestic violence homicides, defined as when the suspect was a current or former intimate partner of the victim, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.

The DA's Office says its efforts to combat the crime include coordinating training for professionals in a variety of fields on how to recognize the signs of domestic violence.

The office also prosecuted defendants in 1,892 domestic violence cases last year and manages One Safe Place in San Marcos, which provides resources for victims of violence and abuse.

"Domestic violence does not discriminate and does not know borders," San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement. "Anyone who is living with any type of violence at home, especially intimate partner violence, needs to know they do not have to live this way."

Anyone who is or knows someone being abused by a current or former partner was advised to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799- 7233. Other local domestic violence-related resources can be found at www.sdcda.org/helping/domestic-violence.

— City News Service