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Nevada ranks third highest nationally for women being murdered by men

A light purple graphic that reads, “Most female murder victims are killed by a man they know,” with a pie graph showing that the rate is 91 percent.  The data is from a 2019 study by the Violence Policy Center titled “When Men Murder Women.”
Violence Policy Center
According to the Violence Protection Center, where the victim-to-offender relationship could be identified, 1,476 out of 1,622 female homicide victims in 2019 were killed by a male they knew.

A yearly report shows several Western states have high numbers of women being murdered by men. Alaska is at the top of that list, followed by New Mexico, and Nevada ranks third.

The state’s rate is nearly double the national average, according to the Violence Policy Center’s annual study that reviews homicides between one female victim and one male offender.

In 2019, 35 Nevada women were killed by men. That includes 31 white women, three Black women and one Asian or Pacific Islander woman. All but two of those women were murdered by someone they knew, and more than half of them were in current or former relationships with the offenders.

Nevada has been in the top 10 states for the number of women murdered by men for eight years in a row.

Lucia Starbuck is a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project.

Lucia Starbuck is an award-winning political journalist and the host of KUNR’s monthly show Purple Politics Nevada. She is passionate about reporting during election season, attending community events, and talking to people about the issues that matter most to them.
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