Man kills pets, himself as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month kicks off
That a man shot two pet dogs and killed himself after a domestic dispute with his former girlfriend in Phoenix Saturday is another example of how animals can become a component in the domestic violence arena. “In the United States last year, we had over one million animals that were either hurt or killed due to domestic violence,’’ said Laura Escapule, a Domestic Violence Advocate with the Mohave County Attorney’s Office Victim/Witness program. “Usually if there’s some type of abuse in the home, there’s usually a direct correlation of abuse of a pet as well.” Escapule said pets sometimes simply…