A Deseret News/KSL NewsRadio analysis of Utah domestic violence data
Pallbearers move the caskets of Consuelo Alejandra Haynie, and three of her children — Alexis, Matthew and Milan — following their funeral at the Grantsville Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grantsville on Jan. 24, 2020.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Editor’s note: This story is part of a package on domestic violence issues in Utah following months of reporting by the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio. The package includes stories about those involved in the crisis, a dive into the numbers in the state and the nation and possible solutions state leaders are considering.
A University of Utah track star killed by her ex-boyfriend; a 4-month-old girl beaten by her mother’s boyfriend; four members of a Grantsville family shot by their 16-year-old family member.
That’s a small window into the 109 domestic violence homicides that happened in Utah from 2018 to 2022.
The Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio analyzed all 109 homicides during the five-year span to answer a few simple, yet grim questions: Who is dying of domestic violence in Utah, how are they dying, and who is killing them?
The analysis does not include 19 homicides where a perpetrator was killed by police in the act of committing domestic violence, four homicides where the perpetrator was killed by a civilian and one homicide where the perpetrator killed a responding police officer.
The analysis also doesn’t include the 22 domestic violence homicides in 2023 that have occurred as of July.
The victims are often women, and the perpetrators are overwhelmingly men
From 2018 to 2022, 66 women were killed in a domestic incident, compared to 43 men.
The analysis also found 88 men killed someone in a domestic incident, compared to 15 women. There are two incidents where police have not yet released details on the perpetrator, and four where both a man and woman both killed a child.
A member of the University of Utah track team reacts during a vigil for Lauren McCluskey at the Park Building on Oct. 24, 2018. McCluskey was shot on campus by a former boyfriend.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Firearms a common theme
The majority of domestic violence homicide victims in Utah were shot, with 59 of the 109 deaths caused by a firearm.
An additional 26 victims were beaten or asphyxiated, 19 were stabbed, two were killed by a vehicle, one was killed from an intentional drug overdose and one was abandoned.
The analysis found one homicide where police have still not released a cause of death.
Shot by a restricted person
A search of both state and federal court records found that 18 domestic violence gun homicides were carried out by a restricted person, meaning state law intended to prevent them from purchasing, transferring or possessing a firearm.
In Utah, an individual can be designated a restricted person if they are convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving domestic violence, or if they have a protective order filed against them.
In total, 45 of the 109 homicides were carried out by a perpetrator whose relationship with their family was known in some way by the legal system, whether they had a prior felony or misdemeanor, failed to pay child support, or had a protective order filed against them.
This analysis does not include instances where police were called but charges were not filed, or investigations conducted by the Utah Division of Child and Family Services.
Family annihilation
The analysis found that in 22 of the 109 homicides, the perpetrator also took their own life.
An additional four appear to be failed suicide attempts.
Who are the perpetrators?
During this five-year span, most of the homicides were committed by a man who had a romantic relationship with the victim, whether current or past.
The analysis found that 35 of the homicides were committed by a current boyfriend or husband of the victim; an additional 12 were carried out by an ex-husband or boyfriend. However, it’s difficult to decipher how many of these 47 male perpetrators were estranged from their victim.
By comparison, there were six killings by a wife or girlfriend of the victim, and one where a woman killed her ex-husband.
The Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio found seven incidents where the homicide was carried out by a mother, stepmother or foster mother, and nine where the perpetrator was a father, stepfather or foster father to the victim. In four separate incidents, both parents appeared to kill their child.
There were five incidents where a male killed their sibling, 12 where a male killed their parent, stepparent or in-law, and six where a male killed a grandparent.
The analysis also found one instance where the perpetrator was a daughter or stepdaughter to the victim, and one where the perpetrator was the victim’s uncle.
Domestic violence isn’t confined to an intimate partner or family member, either, and the analysis found eight homicides where a male killed their roommate.
The perpetrator’s relationship to the victim is unclear in the remaining two homicides, though police have indicated it was a domestic incident.
Where are the murders?
Most of the homicides analyzed occurred along the Wasatch Front in northern Utah, the lion’s share — 54 — in Salt Lake County, the state’s most populous county.
Utah County saw nine domestic violence homicides, Tooele had eight, Washington and Weber counties had seven, and Davis and Cache had four each.
Uintah and Iron counties had three domestic violence homicides, Beaver and Sanpete had two, and Box Elder, Duchesne, Juab, Millard and Rich counties each had one.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or dating violence, resources are If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or dating violence, resources are available. If there is an immediate danger, call 911. The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition number is 1-800-897-5465. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
