After a judge denied a permanent protective to a Hampton woman who was fearful of her ex-boyfriend, Richard Lorman stalked her and shot her in the head after she left her job in Salem, Mass.
The incident in November 2021 led the state Supreme Court to order an internal review of the case. Within weeks, a report found the judge properly followed state law and the court hearing was conducted properly. The review also included recommendations to improve court practices related to domestic violence protection orders, update the legal definition of abuse and increase access to legal representation for domestic violence survivors.
To implement those recommendations, a state domestic violence task force was created to better protect victims and survivors by changing internal proceedings and policy.
More than a year later, the rate of homicide as a result of domestic violence has increased despite a decrease in the number of victims filing for permanent protective orders.
The same year that Lorman shot his ex-girlfriend and then killed himself, eight homicides were investigated by the Attorney General’s office, which was up from five in 2020. This past year, the office investigated nine.
The 20-person task force, which was appointed by Gov. Chris Sununu in 2021, considered how the court system handles domestic violence cases, including examining the court’s procedures and laws around domestic violence and educating judges and court officials about how to respond to victims of physical violence.
“It was confounding that she was not granted the protection she sought from the courts,” said Lyn Schollett, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. “Many of the recommendations focused on resources for victims and survivors in the courthouse and making sure we can provide them with as much support and information that they might need.”
The coalition, which provides 24/7 response to victims of human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual violence, works with 15,000 victims annually while providing education and resources to victims, writing public policy to protect victims and advocating for survivors and working together with the task force to implement these services into courthouses across the state.
Schollett has noticed obtaining a protective order at times has become more difficult for victims. When the law was first written, victims could access protective orders without the help of a lawyer but, over time and through changes in procedures, victims lost their access to the relief and protection they deserved, she said.
“There is an enormous unmet need for data collection and analysis in New Hampshire, and we need more data on the prevalence of these crimes, the response to these crimes and the outcome of the court rulings,” Schollett said. “We also need to look at other states and the best practices around evaluations to ensure the courts are as trauma-informed as possible when responding to a case of violence.”
As part of the task force, members were given 41 recommendations that varied from the need for additional training of court staff, more collaboration between the courts and services like the coalition, additional funding, better access to resources for victims and online access to criminal court orders, all of which have been completed, said Dianne Martin, director of the administrative office of the courts.
After issuing a list or recommendations to the state, the task force was disbanded and Sununu signed an executive order in April to reconvene a dormant Commission on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking, which Martin now chairs.
“Over the past year, we completed every single one of the internal recommendations and we have a few that are in progress, but they will always be in progress,” Martin said. “We are proud of the work we have been able to accomplish. It’s important work.”
Over the next year, the 18-member commission will continue its work to connect victims with crisis centers, provide resources and work to educate judges and court faculty on domestic violence, she said.