editorials

Minnesotans were justifiably horrified this fall by the murder of Pam Taschuk, a Lino Lakes woman who sought every possible safeguard against her abusive husband yet still died violently at his hands.

Taschuk's death sparked outrage and calls for tougher laws, but less than four months later the system fatally failed again. On Sunday, another battered Minnesota woman was gunned down by a murderous ex-partner whose abuse continued despite several arrests and a no-contact order. Ashley Sullivan, 25, and her stepdad died when her former boyfriend Shawn Haugen opened fire on them in the basement of the family's Watonwan County farmhouse. Haugen then turned the gun on himself.

The murder capped several months of violent behavior by Haugen after Sullivan, a spunky small-town waitress and mom of two, ended their relationship last fall. Haugen sat and sulked in his truck near Sullivan's house in Lewisville and drove in figure-eights around her neighborhood. On Dec. 20, he trashed Sullivan's house and then disappeared with their toddler son, something that earned him a domestic abuse charge and a no-contact order. Since Christmas Eve, he'd been arrested twice for violating that order, but he was somehow released both times. On Sunday, he tracked Sullivan to her family's farmhouse and brought a gun.

Why was Haugen free to kill? Why wasn't Haugen, who had a previous burglary conviction, still in jail after his arrests for the no-contact order violations?

In fairness, this is certainly not a problem unique to Watonwan County. Domestic abusers in Minnesota and across the nation far too often get the proverbial wrist slap for continuing to harass and intimidate their victims. That's the legacy of a criminal justice system still reflecting archaic notions about domestic abuse -- that it's a private crime best handled by families. The sheer volume of domestic violence also plays a role. Courts are flooded with these cases. Judges setting bail have no crystal ball to zero in on the one abuser out of thousands who intends to commit murder.

Still, there are ways to better protect domestic abuse victims. A reminder of the need to do so came Tuesday, when another domestic murder-suicide occurred in Hugo. Agencies around the state need to embrace a new Minnesota-based guide on how to respond. It's known as "The Blueprint," and it's the result of pioneering work led by the St. Paul Police Department, the nonprofit Praxis International and the St. Paul Domestic Abuse Intervention Project.

The guide, funded by a 2007 grant from the Minnesota Legislature, took a fresh look at how the criminal justice system handled domestic abuse cases, starting with the first 911 call. Instead of calling for tougher laws, it offers practical suggestions on how to more smartly use existing laws.

One of its key recommendations: using national guidelines to help judges assess an abuser's future risk of committing serious violence. Judges in turn could set higher bail for these offenders -- something that could have kept Haugen in jail and potentially saved the life of Sullivan and her stepdad. The project also calls for authorities to help domestic abuse victims better understand the danger they're in and, perhaps, seek shelter elsewhere temporarily. Sullivan "was 25 years old. How is she going to know that this guy is going do this?'' said Ellen Pence, executive director of Praxis International.

The Blueprint is expected to be implemented this spring in St. Paul. The rest of the state should follow its lead. There's an upcoming training session on Feb. 18 and 19 in St. Paul for Minnesota agencies interested in implementing it in their communities. The room should be jampacked after this week's latest horrific and needless tragedies.