4 Minnesota women killed by domestic violence in 3 weeks
Lyuba Savenok was the seventh victim of deadly domestic violence in Minnesota this year. She was killed by her husband of six years at their home in Eden Prairie on Saturday.
(KMSP) - The murder of 23-year-old Lyuba Savenok in Eden Prairie, Minn. Saturday was the fourth case of domestic violence homicide in the state in past three weeks, according to the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women.
Lyuba, a mother of two, was stabbed and killed by her husband of six years, Eugene Savenok, 30. According to the criminal complaint, Lyuba was 26 weeks pregnant. Eugene was set to go on trial next week for misdemeanor charges related to domestic abuse. He is now being charged with two counts of first degree murder.
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Homicide is the leading cause of death during pregnancy and domestic violence is the leading cause of injury during pregnancy, according to MCBW. Up to 20 percent of women experience domestic violence during pregnancy.
Kyle Benjamin Allers, 23, allegedly strangled his girlfriend, Tasha Lynn Hanson, 24, to death on or around May 12. Her body was found in the woods near Lewiston on Saturday. Allers and Hanson had two children together, a three-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter.
Hanson and Lyuba were the sixth and seventh victims of domestic violence homicide in Minnesota so far in 2016. MCBW documented 34 cases of domestic violence homicide in 2015.
“These deaths are tragic and they are preventable,” Liz Richards, executive director of the coalition, said in a statement.
The MCBW is conducting the Live Free without Violence flag campaign to raise awareness about the lethality of domestic violence. More than 500 agencies, universities, business and homes will raise the flag this week to honor the lives of Hanson and Lyuba.
“Please, don’t wait to speak out against domestic violence,” Richards said. “Raise the Live Free without Violence flag, start a conversation, and share resources with people in your community.”