This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
Colorado’s homicides dropped in 2024 to a five-year low of 266, but the number of domestic violence fatalities rose to 72.
That's a 24 percent increase from the prior year, according to an annual report released by Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office Tuesday.
“This sharp increase against the backdrop of an overall decline in homicides underscores the unique and growing lethality of domestic violence,” the report reads in part. “It suggests that while broader public safety interventions may be reducing general violence, they are not having the same impact on domestic violence fatalities.”
“We know we have work to do on every single step of the process,” Weiser, who chairs the review board, said in an interview with CPR. “We need to make sure that we're learning more about victims, that they're getting help and that they're getting access to protective orders before it's too late.”
Of the domestic violence deaths in 2024, 38 were victims; 26 were perpetrators, some of whom died by suicide or were killed by police; and eight were considered “collateral deaths,” all of whom were children under the age of eight.
This is the highest number of children lost to domestic violence ever in the state of Colorado.
Five of the children were killed amid custody disputes between their parents, highlighting custody litigation as a high-risk period for families experiencing domestic violence, which was noted in last year’s report as well.
“We need to make sure that those involved in a custody dispute who are victims of domestic violence have access to protective orders and the protective orders work. One of the findings this year was that when you have a protective order and you're not allowed to purchase a firearm, the victims, the survivors are not being notified when those attempted purchases are happening. We're aware of that and we're continuing to work on how to address that,” Weiser said.
Victim domestic violence fatalities made up 17 percent of all homicides in Colorado last year, the highest proportion in the last five years.
When asked what might be behind the spike, Weiser said he believes there is a societal shift that has downplayed the significance of domestic violence in American culture on top of a system that suffers from loopholes in enforcement for the crime.
“One law that we're championing in the wake of this year's report is a law that exists in multiple other states, which is when someone is arrested for alleged domestic violence, any firearm that's in possession of the alleged perpetrator can be taken by law enforcement,” Weiser said.
Four out of five domestic violence deaths in Colorado from 2021 to 2024 involved a firearm, including every child fatality.
But weapons enforcement isn’t the only problem the state faces.
At least half of the perpetrators in 2024 had a documented domestic violence-related arrest or warrant. One-in-five had a prior conviction for domestic violence, and nearly one-in-five had a felony conviction.
In addition, more than 30 percent had been on probation or pretrial supervision and 13 percent were under supervision when the fatality occurred.
“We have to make sure that if a protection order ends, we're really confident that the danger has ended. And in this year's report, sadly, there were four cases where a protection order ended, the danger did not abate. We've got four murders because of a protection order that ended too quickly,” Weiser said.
The overall findings of this year’s report underscore that many perpetrators were already known to the criminal and legal systems, demonstrating breakdowns in prevention and accountability at the state and local level, he added.
Meanwhile, data show rural communities continue to be more vulnerable to domestic violence deaths, especially children.
“One of the challenges we have in Colorado is that rural communities often have fewer resources and fewer services to support victims,” Weiser said. “In rural communities, if someone is struggling and they're a victim of domestic violence, it's often not clear where to go or how to get help. We have got to develop strategies and solutions to support people all across Colorado.”
Overall, the Colorado Domestic Violence Review Board is recommending stronger safeguards for victims including:
- Requiring law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms during domestic violence arrests.
- Clarifying that third-degree assault domestic violence convictions bar firearm possession.
- Encouraging officers to provide resource materials when no arrest is made.
- Expanding fatality review teams to interview family members and perpetrators to identify missed warning signs.
If you need help, dial 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also reach the Colorado Crisis Services hotline at 1-844-493-8255 or text “TALK” to 38255 to speak with a trained counselor or professional. Counselors are also available at walk-in locations or online to chat.
