Murder-Suicides Climb to Highest Rate in a Decade

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Murder-Suicides Climb to Highest Rate in a Decade

David Chanen

As he was strangling his wife with an extension cord, James Bloomfield told her that they should stay together and that he would be reunited with her soon.

The couple, married for less than a year, had been arguing for two days before Roxanne Bloomfield died Jan. 4 in their home in Zumbrota, Minn. She had been the victim of repeated domestic violence, but on New Year's Day she called her sister and said that the relationship was going well and that 2000 was going to be a good year.

Four months later and hours before he was going to plead guilty to killing his wife, James Bloomfield hanged himself in his jail cell. They would become one of 11 homicide-suicides in the state so far this year, already the highest total in the past decade.

National statistics aren't collected on this type of crime, but several crime experts believe that Minnesota has a higher than normal rate of homicide-suicides for a state of its population size. The jump in this year's numbers created concern and caused debate among local professors, law enforcement officials and advocates for victims of domestic violence.

"We talk around the office that there seems to be a rash of homicide-suicides," said John Fossum, who oversees agents who investigate deaths for the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). "Each case is so individualized that it's hard to tell if this is a trend or an anomaly."

In the 1990s, the highest number of homicide-suicides were seven each in 1992, 1995 and 1999. But two years ago, the BCA reported only three cases.

Several characteristics of homicide-suicides outlined in a study by Prof. Donna Cohen of the University of South Florida are evident in many Minnesota cases. The person who kills usually has psychiatric problems and can't let the victim go. Homicide-suicide rarely involves strangers, and the victim is usually shot.
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Patterns emerge

Each passing month hasn't eased the pain Brenda Riehl feels about the death of her sister Roxanne Bloomfield. Riehl knew about the abuse, but Roxanne always said she loved him. "Some days she would say they were getting a divorce, but they kept going right back to it," Riehl said.

Roxanne Bloomfield, 32, called the cops on her husband several times, including the time he tried to hit her with his car, authorities said. She sought counseling from a minister, and her husband attended domestic abuse classes on several occasions, Riehl said.

"She thought Jim would change, so she stuck it out," Riehl said. "I wish there was something I could have done."

James Bloomfield, 33, who suffered from depression, tried to kill himself twice after killing his wife before hanging himself in jail. James A. Fox, a professor of criminal justice at Northeastern University in Boston, said many people who kill themselves after a homicide are overwhelmed by guilt and realize they don't want to spend their lives in prison.

Fox and Cohen said 11 cases in a year appear to be a high number for Minnesota, which has a population of 4.7 million. Florida has had 15 homicide-suicides this year, but has a population of 18 million, Cohen said. In her study, she estimated that 1,900 such crimes happen in the United States each year.

"What's happening in Minnesota? I don't know. The state has a pretty good economy, good social service agencies and good police organizations, but relationships [everywhere] have become more stressful," she said.
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The most common factor in homicide-suicide is that the man needs to control the relationship, said Jacquelyn Campbell, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. If a wife or girlfriend tries to leave, the man will often threaten to kill himself, she said.

It's a manipulative move, but family physicians, nurse practitioners, members of the psychiatric community and family members need to take his words seriously, she said.

"He shouldn't be assessed for the potential of suicide, but possibly homicide-suicide," Campbell said. "The two have different patterns that can be evaluated."

The homicide victims in such cases are almost always female. But residents of Kingston Township in Meeker County were shocked to learn that Brenda Clifford killed her husband, James, and her 7-year-old nephew, Chad Pautzke, before killing herself in April. The three were fatally shot, but it took investigators three months to solve the crime because she set their home on fire as part of a plan to end the increasing pressure in her world.

Relatives and friends of the Cliffords said they didn't appear to have marital problems and were "very good people who weren't immune to problems." Authorities said there was no evidence of mental illness, physical abuse or an extramarital affair, which are common factors in homicide-suicides.
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Rural factors

Rural areas of central Minnesota have seen an increase in homicide-suicides in the past several years, said Cathy Hartle, executive director of Hands of Hope Resource Center, which serves abuse victims in Todd and Morrison counties. Brian Helt shot his wife, Katherine, before setting fire to his house in Browerville in May. A month earlier, Ivan Watkins shot his partner, Alberta Johnson, 59, in their home in Cold Spring.

Hartle said the isolation of rural living is a significant barrier facing somebody dealing with domestic violence. The person may not have a telephone or transportation, and the closest neighbor may be a mile away, she said.

"There is also a strong sense of wanting to take care of your own problems," she said. "In a smaller town, you may not go for help because you don't want everybody knowing your business."

Hartle agrees with experts who say a high-profile homicide-suicide can prompt copycat cases. She had been told by several women that their partner threatened to do a "Sarff" on them, referring to James Sarff, who has been convicted of abusing and kidnapping his wife from Long Prairie in February. She was found alive near the Mexico border.
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While intimate-partner homicides are declining nationwide, a report recently released by the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women says more than 30 women have been killed by a current or former boyfriend, husband, partner or family member in the state this year. The fact that 10 of the 11 homicide victims in the state's homicide-suicides were women is chilling, said Debbie Anderson, the group's spokeswoman.

"Murder is the ultimate act of power and control," she said. "This is unacceptable and intolerable behavior, and we all have to speak out against the increasing violence. It's happening all across the state."
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Police efforts

Minneapolis police Lt. Larry Doyle, head of the domestic assault unit, said 570 domestic disturbance calls in 1999 involved a weapon. Another 10,900 involved a domestic disturbance or violation of a protection order.

Of those calls, officers wrote more than 8,000 reports, he said. Beginning this year, they are required to have eight hours of training to learn what to put into reports that will help improve prosecution of domestic violence cases, he said.

During the past 2� years, Duluth police officers have gone through similar training. Chief Scott Lyons said that it's hard to evaluate the success of the training, but that he has heard from domestic violence workers that their reports have supported higher bail and stricter release conditions.

"We have no control over what the system does after we do our job," he said. "It's gut-wrenching sometimes. Maybe the woman is hiding out or doesn't want to pursue a case. You just cross your fingers that something tragic doesn't happen."

� Copyright 2000 Star Tribune. Republished here with the permission of the Star Tribune. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the express approval of the Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

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