Domestic violence accounts for about two-thirds of homicides in Washington County over the past three years, District Attorney Kevin Barton said Tuesday, Aug. 25.
Barton spoke at a press conference on the Forest Grove quintuple killing held at the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Hillsboro. Two local advocates joined him, urging residents to recognize warning signs and seek help before abuse turns fatal.
Rachel Schutz, executive director of the Washington County Family Peace Center in Hillsboro, told reporters that the separation phase of an abusive relationship is often the deadliest.
"When an abuser feels like they're losing that control, that the survivor feels strong enough to leave … they are going to do what they can to maintain that," Schutz said. "And that may look like homicide."
Investigators said the Aug. 22 killings near Forest Grove began after Stella Jade Kimsey, 26, told her partner Benjamin Charles Parker, 36, to leave following a fight, according to The Oregonian. Parker killed Kimsey and four others before fleeing to Enumclaw, Washington, where he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Monday, Aug. 24, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
As we reported Tuesday, Aug. 25, a surviving family member asked the public for compassion in the aftermath.
Family Peace Center's first eight months
The Family Peace Center opened in Hillsboro in January and has served more than 3,500 people, Schutz told KOIN. Staff see 20 to 30 people walk in seeking help every day.
In response to rising domestic violence homicides in 2024, the center partnered with the Domestic Violence Resource Center, law enforcement, the courts and the district attorney's office to implement a lethality assessment tool during DV-related calls, Schutz said.
Shelter capacity strained
Amy Babcock, executive director of the Domestic Violence Resource Center, said the county's DV crisis hotline has fielded 3,237 calls since January. Seventy percent of callers need a safe place to go.
The center's high-lethality flee shelter serves only seven families at a time, KATU reported.
Babcock said rural parts of Washington County compound the problem: physical isolation, longer law enforcement response times, limited services and transportation barriers all make it harder for survivors to escape.
New mobile program planned
The Domestic Violence Resource Center is preparing to launch a program called MOVE (Mobile Outreach Victim Empowerment). Babcock said advocates will partner with law enforcement on DV-related calls to provide immediate services to survivors at the scene.
The Domestic Violence Resource Center is hosting drop-in sessions at 2114 Pacific Ave. in Forest Grove on Wednesday, Sept. 2, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 3, from 10 a.m. to noon. Staff will provide information on warning signs and available resources.
The Family Peace Center can be reached 24/7 at 503-430-8300. The Domestic Violence Resource Center crisis line is 503-469-8620. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
