Domestic violence is a serious issue in Texas.
Nationwide, three women are killed by their husbands or boyfriends every day, according to the National Institute of Justice. Locally, in 1999, there were 12,244 incidents of domestic and family violence reported in Tarrant County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The Texas Council on Family Violence reports that at least 87 women were killed by their intimate male partners in Texas in the year 2000. Three children were killed and 39 children witnessed or were in the same house when the killings occurred. Eleven of these victims were killed in Tarrant County.