SAN ANTONIO – The Texas Governor’s new Family Violence Criminal Homicide Prevention Task Force is digging into each of the top ways victims lose their lives.
The 21-member group is legally mandated to address how domestic violence victims are killed and make recommendations to the state legislature. It comprises survivors, law enforcement officials, advocates, health professionals and other experts, each with unique input.
KSAT reported on the new task force in February, promising to follow through on the process at every step.
The first subject the task force addressed was stalking, which is rampant in abusive relationships.
“Someone said that it can be described as homicide in slow motion, and that was one of those moments that stopped me in my tracks,” said Texas Advocacy Project CEO Heather Bellino.
Bellino said stalking is incredibly difficult to address because it can look different for each abuser.
For example, the Texas Council on Family Violence laid out an explainer on stalking laws: “Receiving flowers to a new home address might be viewed as a lovely gesture to someone who has never been stalked; however, if a survivor receives those flowers at an address they worked hard to keep secret from their abuser, the gesture becomes terrifying.”
“That pattern might not look as frightening if you don’t know what they’re saying between the lines,” Bellino said.
Technology has played a huge part in the way stalking has developed.
“We’ve had so many victims come to us that say, ‘I don’t know why or how he knows where I am,’” Bellino said. ”There could be a tracker in your car, there can be a tracker on your phone.”
A new law that went into effect in September 2023 made the consequences of stalking harsher and expanded the types of actions that can be considered stalking.
The crime of stalking under Texas’ Penal Code is a third-degree felony unless “the actor has previously been convicted under this section,” making it a second-degree felony. That increases the maximum potential prison term for a conviction from 10 to 20 years.
While the new law also lowers the threshold for evidence, Bellino said it could go further, because proving stalking can be difficult and burdensome.
“If you’re being stalked, you need to keep a log of it. You need to be able to show proof. All of it is the onus on the victim,” Bellino said. ”We want to create easier ways for victims to be able to document the harm that they are feeling, and wouldn’t it be great if we just stopped people from stalking?”
Bellino also said that because the survivor knows the situation best, community members need to believe survivors immediately when they say they’re being stalked. Early intervention is what saves lives.
One solution the task force came up with was an awareness campaign.
“It can prevent future violence from occurring,” Bellino said. “We need to be able to recognize signs, we need to be able to understand for stalking that it’s pattern-based abuse.”
Bellino said the obvious but necessary solution will end up being money.
“Apply the funding and the allocation of resources,” she said.
The task force is now discussing strangulation, then will move to firearms, before putting together a report full of recommendations they will present to state legislators in late 2027.
Bellino said she feels real change could come from this group.
“I think that there’s a lot of promise that we can really move the needle and prevent future homicides,” she said. “We’ve all been in this work for quite a long time, and yet there’s still the aha moments that occur where we see there’s a gap in service.”
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence, there is so much help for you. KSAT has a list of resources on its Domestic Violence webpage, which also explains how to identify different types of abuse.
If it’s an emergency, text or call 911. For wrap-around services, including the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter, call Family Violence Prevention Services at 210-733-8810.
You can also contact the Bexar County Family Justice Center, which also provides wrap-around services at 210-631-0100.
For legal and social services across Texas, call the Texas Advocacy Project at 800-374-HOPE or apply for help online at any time.
Read also: