Advocates, lawmakers take a stance on rising domestic violence cases

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - Advocates and lawmakers are raising awareness against domestic violence after a disturbing number of incidents across the state.

There are more than a dozen bills that lawmakers are trying to get on Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk.

Those behind the bills said the intent behind is to protect victims and increase penalties for domestic abusers.

Earlier this month, police reported a murder-suicide involving a man and a woman inside their home in Bethel.

In December, police said a man killed his ex-girlfriend with an axe in Milford.

And just this past weekend in Middletown, officers said a man tried to light a woman on fire. It resulted in two trailers being burnt to the ground.

For those reasons, advocates and some lawmakers have been pushing for several domestic violence protections.

The bills include raising the penalty for an intimate partner murder to a class-A felony.

They would also prevent domestic abusers from receiving alimony.

Another bill proposes utilizing GPS monitoring to keep abusers away from victims.

The process for passing new legislation can be long, lawmakers warned.

While there’s no exact timeline, they said they expect a public hearing on many of them soon.

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