'Fight is not over.' 114 lives lost in Ohio due to domestic violence in the past year

More than 110 people in Ohio — including 13 in Stark County — were killed during the last year because of domestic violence, according to a new statewide report.

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network released its annual fatality report on Wednesday, showing 114 domestic violence deaths throughout the state between July 2023 and July 2024 — an increase of two from the previous reporting period. Fifteen of the deaths were children and teenagers.

The nonprofit, which releases the report during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, compiled the number of fatalities from media reports and information from 76 member programs.

In nearly a quarter of the cases, the victim was ending the relationship, the nonprofit said. It also noted that 72% of the victims had been involved with the criminal justice or civil systems, including divorce or custody proceedings, and 56% of the killers had prior contact with the criminal justice system.

"We continue to see victims, particularly parents, reach out for help to protect themselves and their children and not receive what is needed to save their lives," Lisa DeGeeter, legal counsel for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, said in a prepared statement. "These victims were leaving, they were reporting, filing charges, requesting protection orders, but it wasn't enough to stop the violence."

The nonprofit highlighted the case of Leo Robinson, 4, of Dublin who was killed by his father in Virginia. His mother, Aubree Robinson, said she pleaded with police, prosecutors, lawyers and judges to protect her son.

“My son was very intelligent, strong, empathetic, happy, loving and was an amazing little boy,” Robinson said in a prepared statement. “His death was preventable.”

The nonprofit also noted that 23-year-old Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin was shot and killed responding to a domestic violence call. Six other law enforcement officers and one police dog also were shot responding to domestic violence cases and survived, it said.

Seventy percent of the deaths involved guns, the nonprofit said. Of those who died, 65 were women and 49 men, with 39% being people of color.

'We must raise our voices for all those who suffer in silence'

Julie Donant, CEO of the Domestic Violence Project Inc. in Canton, said Stark County had 13 deaths due to domestic violence and 2,927 total cases, with three of them being children. The year before, there were two deaths.

"The fight is not over, and we must raise our voices for all those who suffer in silence," she said.

Donant said there are many barriers when it comes to offering services for victims of domestic violence, with some of the biggest being housing, court costs and a lack of awareness.

"We as an agency try to reach out to the community and share our resources," she said. "Unfortunately, there's still people that don't know about our resources."

Donant said she hopes people will use its services, but she hopes that those struggling will look for help and support however they can.

"Reaching out to a local shelter is really important," she said. "Just seeing what your options are and safety planning is always step one."

The Domestic Violence Project Inc. can be reached at 330-453-7233.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: 'Fight is not over.' 114 lives lost in Ohio due to domestic violence in the past year