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"Cases like these are, you know, very shocking and unsettling for the community. But there are things that we can do. And that is to continue talking about these issues and, you know, be aware that sexual violence can happen anywhere," said Pamela Keilig, from the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
She added that this is a chance for potential bystanders to understand what they can do, even if these situations are more rare compared to those in which the victim knows their attacker. "It's really important that communities recognize, and take action to ensure that these public spaces are safe, and that people feel supported in their communities when something like this happens," Keilig said. WMUR September 19, 2025 The Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee aims to take a close look at many cases of domestic violence, such as the death of Marisol Fuentes in Berlin.
The goal is to identify areas of improvement in the hope of preventing future deaths from domestic violence. "More than half of homicides in New Hampshire are directly related to domestic violence," said Meg Chant of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. "Those cases don't just impact the direct victims, whether they're deceased or not, but also impact children, families and our whole communities.” WMUR September 3, 2025 Joi Smith, the program director at the coalition, said that having the perspective of a health care worker at the table is invaluable, explaining that when sexual assault and domestic violence occur together, it signals an extremely high-risk situation where the survivor could face a potentially fatal outcome.
“The hospital, that’s often a first point of contact for a lot of folks that are in a highly vulnerable situation,” Smith said. “It’s really imperative that every member of that team, including all of the other multidisciplinary teams, the crisis centers, the law enforcement, paramedics, that everyone is aware of how dangerous these situations are.” Concord Monitor September 2, 2025 N.H. Attorney General John Formella on Tuesday named 17 people, including Assistant Cheshire County Attorney Shanna O’Rorke, to the state’s newly established Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee.
The panel, which was created this year under N.H. Senate Bill 140, will examine cases in which somebody died through domestic violence. The goal will be to determine best practices that might be employed to prevent such violence. “Fatality review committees have shown us time and again that domestic violence is preventable and that lives could be saved if systems communicated better, assessed risk more consistently, and held offenders accountable,” Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the N.H. Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, said in a prepared statement Tuesday. Keene Sentinel September 2, 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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