SAN ANTONIO -- According to the Texas Council on Family Violence, 136 women in Texas were killed by an intimate partner in 2008. The numbers reflect a 30 percent jump over the previous year.

"There's no overnight fix to it," Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed said about the problem. "Wish there were, but unfortunately, there isn't."

Reed said that the control factor plays a big role in domestic violence cases.

"It escalates over time," she said. "And the more someone tries to loosen that control, the worse the violence gets." Reed added that the economy also plays a role. Unemployment and fears of losing a job contribute to tension between couples.

Of the 136 females killed in Texas, the youngest was 14 years old. The oldest was a 74-year-old woman killed by her common-law husband.

The Texas Council on Family Violence report was issued on Wednesday, the day before the beginning of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.