Two-thirds of the homicides in Maine last year were connected with cases of domestic violence, a greater percentage than previous years. In 2012 and 2013, about half of the homicide cases in the state were related to domestic violence.
That's according to Maine Deputy Attorney General Lisa Marchese, who chairs the state's Domestic Violence Homicide Review Panel. Marchese says of the 21 homicides in Maine in 2014, the killer was a close family member in 14 of them.
"And what was astounding in 2014, was that there were eight children killed," Marchese said, in an appearance on MPBN's Maine Calling program Thursday. "That's the highest number that I can recall of children being killed during domestic-violence."
The number went up by one last week, after police charged Danny Adams of Lewiston with the December murder of his three-month-old son.
