In Brevard County, Florida, over half of the women killed by intimate partners had in the last three years turned to the police or the domestic violence courts for assistance, in the form of arrests or restraining orders.

In many of those cases, the abuse victim did not follow through, recanting or simply not appearing in court to testify.

Too often, such victims fall through the cracks.

Abusers can exert a powerful control over their victims, causing them to stay with their abuser year after year.

And, unfortunately, the most dangerous time for a victim can be the time when they do try to break away.

Read more in this [Brevard County] Florida Today article: Homicides can follow years of abuse.