In wake of high profile death, new report on domestic violence in NH proposes changes

A group working to improve the state’s response to domestic violence incidents is proposing nearly a dozen recommendations for how the state can better protect victims — including harsher penalties for repeat offenders and training 911 dispatchers on the dynamics of domestic violence.

The New Hampshire Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee was established by state law after the death of Marisol Fuentes-Huaracha, who was shot by her estranged husband in July 2025 in a case that a state review committee later found was mishandled. At the time of her death, lawmakers had already approved legislation — Senate Bill 140 — to establish the committee modeled after similar groups convened in the past. Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed it into law later that month. The committee was tasked with reviewing specific deaths with the goal of determining what lessons the state can learn. Fuentes-Huaracha’s was the first death the committee reviewed, and members released their first report this week.

From 2022 through 2025, 44 out of the 68 homicides in New Hampshire were related to domestic violence, according to the committee. In 30 of those 44, a firearm was used. Twenty of the perpetrators were romantic partners and 22 were family members; in two, the victim and perpetrator were neither intimate partners nor family, but the death was connected to domestic violence. (For example, an estranged husband killing his wife’s current partner, or a bystander being killed during a domestic violence incident.)

“This report creates hope that systems will change to intervene in domestic violence situations sooner, both to protect victims and to hold offenders accountable,” Lyn Schollett, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said. “This report demonstrates a true commitment by a wide range of professionals to do things differently, and that’s groundbreaking.”

Three of the committee members represented the coalition or organizations involved in the coalition. The committee also includes members of the judicial branch, law enforcement and prosecutors.

To better respond to these tragedies, the committee proposed 11 policy and practice changes in its report.

“Create an enhanced level of offense for subsequent domestic violence convictions.”

The committee wants repeat domestic violence offenders to be charged with felonies. In New Hampshire, a domestic violence conviction alone is a class A misdemeanor unless the person uses or threatens to use a deadly weapon (in which case it is a class B felony). Under the committee’s proposal, the first offense would remain a misdemeanor, but subsequent offenses would become felonies. In the report, the committee said the Department of Justice, which is represented on the committee, would coordinate with state lawmakers to work on this goal.

“Explore domestic violence compliance efforts within the court system.”

The committee wants the judicial branch to assess its practices and consider creating a specialized process to monitor whether someone is complying with court orders, such as protective orders. A protective order is issued by a judge to keep a potential perpetrator from traveling within a certain distance of or contacting a potential victim, for example.

“Explore evidence-based risk assessment tools or guides to be used by judges in both civil and criminal cases.”

The committee also proposed creating tools or guides that can be used by judges to evaluate the level of danger for a potential victim. This might look like a rubric designed to assess the risk that an offender commits more violence against their partner or family, or to assess the likelihood they kill their victims. The committee said that the judicial branch may look to tools already created by domestic violence prevention organizations.

“Assess the disparities between counties for accountability for offenders, including but not limited to pre-trial and post-trial services.”

Different counties have different resources and infrastructure in place for law enforcement, prosecutors and judges to respond to domestic violence. The committee wants the New Hampshire Department of Justice to assess those disparities with a focus on what stakeholders believe is working, what they believe is failing and what they think might help. The report also outlined domestic violence-related homicides by county:

• Hillsborough and Merrimack counties each saw 10 such deaths from 2022 through 2025.
• Rockingham and Strafford counties saw six during the same time period.
• Coös County saw five.
• Cheshire and Carroll counties saw four each.
• Grafton County saw three.
• Sullivan and Belknap counties saw none.

“Increase knowledge on domestic violence protective order violations and appropriate charges.”

The committee wants the Department of Justice and the Police Standards and Training Council to develop or identify training that can help law enforcement officers better understand what constitutes a violation of a protective order and what criminal charges to bring. These trainings are particularly important when state law or case law change, the committee noted. It wants the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and law enforcement agencies to be involved in this.

More from this section

Octobers with the most precipitation in New Hampshire since 1895

“Train dispatchers and call takers on the dynamics of domestic violence.”

The committee reviewed the recordings of dispatch and 911 calls as part of its work. It believes the New Hampshire Emergency Dispatchers Association should create statewide standards for training dispatchers and call takers — an effort the association is already working on — that incorporates the dynamics of domestic violence. It encouraged the association to collaborate with the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence on the content of the training and standards.

“Strengthen organizational responses to compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress among law enforcement and prosecution personnel.”

The committee defined compassion fatigue as “the cumulative physical, emotional, and psychological toll experienced by professionals who regularly work with people in pain, trauma, or distress,” and noted that law enforcement and prosecutors are vulnerable to the phenomenon. The committee wants state lawmakers to broaden required training for emergency response and public safety workers to cover compassion fatigue for law enforcement and prosecutors. It also wants prosecutors to be defined under state law as emergency response and public safety workers. Additionally, the Police Standards and Training Council should include protocols for addressing compassion fatigue in its model law enforcement protocols, the committee said.

“Explore the creation of Domestic Violence High Risk Response Teams.”

The Domestic Violence High Risk Team Model, created by the Massachusetts-based Geiger Institute, is a nationally recognized approach to domestic violence intervention. It involves creating teams across law enforcement, prosecution, probation/pretrial services, parole and corrections. The teams try to identify the most dangerous cases early, increase access to support services for victims, and better monitor offenders and hold them accountable. The committee plans to research what it would take for the state to create such teams.

“Promote system-based victim advocacy for criminal cases handled in Circuit Court.”

Every county attorney’s office has victim advocates who help the victims of a crime navigate the criminal justice system as their alleged perpetrator is prosecuted. The committee wants the state to explore grant opportunities that might provide funding for police departments to start their own similar programs as well.

“Revive domestic violence coordinating councils.”

In the 1990s, New Hampshire established domestic violence coordinating councils designed to identify and address domestic violence-related issues specific to their local community. The committee suggested re-establishing these committees.

“Expand ACERT teams to additional communities where appropriate.”

Adverse Childhood Experience Response Teams seek to respond to traumatic events occurring to children before age 18, such as abuse, neglect or household dysfunction. The state currently has nine such teams serving 17 communities. The committee thinks the state should create them in more communities.

On the committee are Attorney General John Formella; Cristina Brooks with the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office; Deanna Campbell, a New Hampshire public defender; Janet Carroll with the SANE Program and New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence; Ellen Christo with the New Hampshire judicial branch; Mike Donati with the Division for Children, Youth and Families; Jennie Duval, the New Hampshire chief medical examiner; Jessica Erazo, with New Hampshire Legal Assistance; Katja Fox, director of the New Hampshire Division of Behavioral Health; Amanda Grady Sexton with New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence; Ryan Grogan with the Portsmouth Police Department; Scott Hampton with Ending the Violence; Michael Mosher with the Jackson Police Department; Kevin O’Meara with the Manchester Police Department; Peggy O’Neil with WISE; Shanna O’Rorke with the Cheshire County Attorney’s Office; and Sean Smarz with the New Hampshire State Police. 

The committee will continue meeting and is required to release a similar report in October 2028.

“It is critical that we improve protections for victims of domestic violence so that our state never sees another tragedy like the murder of Marisol Fuentes in Berlin,” Ayotte said in a statement. “… I look forward to working together to implement these recommendations and strengthen our laws so we can prevent future tragedies and ensure victims have the protection they deserve.”

Read the full report below.