Domestic violence in Colorado: What makes a story national news?
Most of us in Colorado know who Shanann Watts and Kelsey Berreth are, but they’re only two of 40 people who were killed during domestic violence incidents in the state last year.
Those two women’s stories gathered national attention with their photos being shared all over social media.
But according to the Denver Metro Domestic Violence Review team, there are 38 other cases from 2018 in Colorado that resulted in deaths.
Five of those cases happened in El Paso County and after digging into the topic, we found the Colorado Springs Police Department responds to about 40 domestic violence calls a day.
Jeremy Loew, a defense attorney in Colorado Springs, says he’s dealt with these sorts of cases for years, and while it’s rare that a domestic violence case turns deadly, it can happen.
“The number of cases of domestic violence in El Paso County would be shocking to the average person,” Loew said.
The 4th Judicial District has an extremely high number of protections orders with nearly 2,000 every year.
Loew is no stranger to cases that have gathered national media coverage. Most recently, he defended Patrick Frazee, the man accused of murder in the disappearance case of his fiance Kelsey Berreth.
So why did Berreth’s case get so much attention while others were comparatively ignored last year?
Though he would not comment on Berreth’s specific case, Loew says there could be some reasons as to why a case gets more attention in the news.
“Whether there is some mystery behind the case, that’s what really defines whether or not the case will go national or international,” Loew said. He added, “If the family and friends of the victim are calling police or calling the news and making a buzz on social media and it goes viral.”
And specifically to Shanann’s case, he believes it could have been in the spotlight because she was pregnant. He declined to answer why Kelsey’s case could have gained attention.
Loew says there are some different factors for local media attention.
“If someone is involved with Fort Carson, or one of the military bases, it tends to pick up press locally,” he said.
In Colorado, domestic violence isn’t a crime in and of itself, but a charge enhancer.
