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Amanda Grady Sexton, public affairs director for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said it’s typical for domestic violence cases to move quickly with high-stakes proceedings across multiple courtrooms, but the state still struggles with “huge gaps in information sharing” and other challenges.
The magistrate’s bail decision in this case bore tragic consequences, but it occurred “within a network of systems” that failed to prioritize safety for survivors of domestic violence, Grady Sexton said. “The focus shouldn’t be only on one person losing a job, but on how the state will prevent the next tragedy,” she added. Boston Globe August 27, 2025 Amanda Grady Sexton, public affairs director for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said even if the behavior at issue in this case didn’t constitute criminal conduct, it demonstrated a serious ethical violation that betrayed the public’s trust and marred the credibility of civilian and military institutions alike.
“Positions like these come with a degree of authority, and with that comes responsibility, especially when people in these positions are interacting with individuals who might be younger or subordinate,” she said. “If you’re implying self-harm in order to access sex, that’s not benign in any way,” she added. “That’s using manipulation, and it’s really important that institutions recognize that as a problem and a pattern.” Boston Globe August 27, 2025 Reacting to the report [published Monday], Lyn Schollett, executive director of the Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence said the court system needed broad improvements.
“The defendant in this case was ordered four times to relinquish his firearms and still had access to a gun that he used to kill Marisol,” Schollett said in a statement Tuesday. “This is unacceptable and New Hampshire has a responsibility to do better. Internal reviews of domestic violence cases should be conducted routinely, not just when there has been a tragic outcome resulting in death or injury.” NH Bulletin August 26, 2025 Advocates against domestic violence are calling for the courts to routinely review their decisions on domestic violence cases in response to an internal review that determined the courts released Michael Gleason Jr. on bail despite evidence that he was dangerous.
“I think this report shows that survivors are credible witnesses to their own experiences,” Schollett said. “When a survivor indicates that they are in danger and expect their risk of harm to increase, it’s very important that be taken seriously.” Concord Monitor August 26, 2025 “The fact that there were so many indicators that told us that something like this could happen — we believe there are solutions that should build on those indicators,” said Lyn Schollett, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Coalition against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
The red flags in the lead-up to Fuentes-Huaracha’s murder included the seriousness of the aggravated felonious sexual assault charge and the fact that a second woman had filed a stalking restraining order against him days before the murder, Schollett said. Many of those conditions correlate with murders in domestic violence cases, she said. “This is a pattern,” Schollett said. “We know what the pattern is. We need to intervene and stop the pattern.” NH Bulletin August 25, 2025 Concord Police Watched 'John' Blow Kiss as He Drove Away, Arrested Two Women Workers at Spa Instead8/20/2025
“It’s important to recognize that trafficking victims are often forced or coerced into criminal activity during the course of their trafficking,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, with the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. “Many victims are initially identified as offenders in these complex cases and that’s a common occurrence.”
The Coalition said it supports greater transparency regarding anyone who is charged with or has committed a crime in these cases. “These are not victimless crimes, and if people are paying for sexual activity with potentially coerced victims, they should absolutely be charged,” Sexton said. Concord Monitor August 19, 2025 Former Pinkerton Academy Security Guard Indicted for Allegedly Sexually Assaulting a Student8/11/2025
Pamela Keilig of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence said the organization stands with the victim involved. She noted that every school needs proper vetting policies, rules, and ways for students to more easily report incidents like this one.
Schools don't plan for these types of situations, she said, which is why coming forward is so important for those involved or aware of these types of situations. "The more that someone can get the help they need immediately, the more likely we're able to mitigate those long-term impacts and ensure that this child is able to grow up and be a happy, healthy adult, and someone who can support others in their community," Keilig said. WMUR August 9, 2025 Advocates said the new law aims to refocus the blame for human trafficking.
"Really what this bill is about is holding buyers accountable and protecting vulnerable people from exploitation in New Hampshire," said Pamela Keilig, of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. Advocates say there is no one-size-fits-all victim. They are of all backgrounds and often in extremely vulnerable situations, living in fear of their traffickers. The Coalition said it has helped 213 victims in the past two years, but there are many more it isn't aware of. Advocates said those are the people the new law is trying to protect. WMUR August 6, 2025 |
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The 12 member programs of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence provide services to all victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, stalking, and child abuse.
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Funding for this website was provided by The Corporate Fund.
New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
PO Box 353, Concord, NH 03302-0353
(603) 224-8893
New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
PO Box 353, Concord, NH 03302-0353
(603) 224-8893
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