If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TTY 1-800-437-1220. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.
Of the state’s 18 homicides last year, more than half were from domestic abuse, according to Maine’s 15th Biennial Report of the Domestic Abuse Homicide Review Panel released on Monday.
Maine homicides have been cut in half over the past three years, but the number of domestic abuse killings has steadily increased.
In 2023, domestic abuse accounted for about a quarter of the state’s 53 homicides, and in 2024, nearly half of 34 homicides. From January through November 2025, 58% of Maine’s 18 homicides were domestic violence related.
The Domestic Violence Abuse Homicide Panel has been monitoring domestic abuse homicides for more than two decades. This year’s report examines 2021 through 2024.
In its detailed review of 17 cases with 20 homicides, stalking, strangulation, suicidality, sexual abuse and serial battering continue to be unreported and undocumented, panel chairwoman Lisa Bogue, deputy attorney general, said.
“This report encourages members of the public, the media, and the justice system to avoid minimizing abuse and prioritize careful attention to high-risk offenders,” Bogue said.
The Maine Domestic Abuse Homicide Review Panel meets monthly to review and discuss domestic abuse homicide cases. The panel coordinator works with the prosecutor and the lead detective to present data about the homicide to the panel.
The panel reviews these cases to identify potential trends in domestic abuse and recommend systemic changes that could prevent future deaths from occurring in Maine.
Domestic violence involves manipulation and secrecy, and while it’s important for people in the victim’s world to recognize abuse, knowing how to access help may save lives, the report said.
In 88% of the cases reviewed, friends and family of the victims tried to assist them by talking with them about protection from abuse orders, calling law enforcement, encouraging or helping them to move out, assisting victims with retrieving belongings, and following up with victims after witnessing abuse.
But many still believe that hotlines are only for victims, according to the report.
Among the 17 cases reviewed, nine victims were intimate partners, meaning directed at a current or former romantic partner.
Still, this year’s report reviews nearly as many intrafamilial homicides, which is violence directed at parents, siblings and children, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said in the report.
“Misconceptions about who may be a victim or a perpetrator of domestic abuse can impede recognition, timely intervention, and even the prevention of deadly harm,” Frey said.
Eleven of the 17 homicides reviewed were intrafamilial, including brothers killing brothers, parents killing children and children killing a parent.
The review panel found that dangerous and abusive behaviors by people who are on probation following convictions for domestic violence related crimes are often considered “technical violations” of probation, meaning they generally don’t result in jail time and are not identified as new crimes.
Nonetheless, the panel recommends that when probation officers are aware of multiple technical violations, they should consider making a referral and coordinating with law enforcement to determine whether these technical violations could, taken together, constitute the new crime of stalking.
Additionally, the panel observed that defendants charged with domestic violence related crimes, who pose a high risk of continued violence, are typically released into community pre-trial with no structured supervision, according to the report.
Recommendations include that all district attorney’s offices refer a high-risk response team when a person deemed at a high risk of continued violence is released on bail.
The panel also observed that a murder/suicide of an older, long-married couple is often seen as a tragic act of love rather than a lethal act of domestic violence.
Family members, neighbors, friends and media often frame domestic violence homicide and suicide cases involving older adults as tragic for both people in equal measures, sometimes with speculations of a pact that both people wanted, the report said.
“The human rights of the person who is murdered are erased; the man committing the homicide may even be praised for doing the right thing for everyone, or at least that ‘he had no idea what else to do,’” the panel said.
“This report challenges prevailing assumptions about the nature of domestic abuse and encourages a more detailed examination of the circumstances surrounding an allegation to better protect victims,” Frey said in the report.