Four different murder-suicides happened within two weeks in late November.
The ongoing holiday season could be part of the reason why, said Director of Survivor Services at Safehouse Denver Natasha Alder, as domestic violence incidents could increase as family stress mounts.
“This time of year can be stressful for a lot of reasons, and some of those stressors can exacerbate violence,” Adler said via phone call Tuesday. “A lot of alcohol can be involved in family gatherings, people are tight with money because they are buying presents … people are just spending time together, which could be consequential.”
At least three of the incidents in late November were deemed domestic violence or happened between family members.
On Nov. 18, Northglenn police officers responding to a call in the 11700 block of Delaware Court found an adult male and female dead inside a residence. According to a release issued about the incident, a preliminary investigation indicated that the two had a domestic relationship and that the man, Gardell Neal, killed the woman, Lucille Ruibal Rivera, before killing himself.
A few days later, three men were found dead in a residence in the 8400 block of Franklin Drive by Adams County sheriff’s deputies in an apparent murder-suicide on Nov. 21. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says that it is still awaiting lab results and reports from the coroner’s office, and that the investigation is still ongoing. It is not clear whether the men were related.
On Nov. 27, an apparent murder-suicide shut down part of Jefferson County with an overnight shelter-in-place order after police responded to a call of a father firing a gun at a mother, according to a release issued by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The release notes that after barricading himself inside the home, the father fired shots at his three children who had escaped outside, as well as responding officers. Officers eventually found the mother and father dead inside the home.
On the same day, two men were killed in a murder-suicide outside a Holiday Inn in Parker. Both had gunshot wounds when police arrived. According to the Douglas County Coroner’s Office, the men were brothers.
“Domestic violence is all about power and control,” Adler said Tuesday. “If there’s an incident that escalates to the point where an abuser loses power, their one leverage point against their partner is gone … that’s where we see suicide come in.”
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner.
Help for domestic violence survivors
- Safe House Denver’s 24-hour crisis and information hotline at 303-318-9989 connects victims with immediate support and emergency shelter.
- Family Tree‘s domestic violence hotline at 303-420-6752 connects families with child-focused resources.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233.
Help for people considering suicide
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day to assist people during a phone call to 988 or via text messages to 988. Help is available in English and Spanish.
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