Linda Oberhaus interview with Fox 4 News – Marco homicide

NAPLES, Fla. – While the violent death of a Marco Island resident – allegedly at the hands of his live-in girlfriend – has shocked many in Southwest Florida, it’s another sad statistic that a local domestic violence expert says could have been avoided.

A Collier County Sheriff’s Office report says that Lisa Troemner, 24, fatally stabbed her 30-year-old boyfriend Trevor Smith in their condo early Tuesday. Troemner entered a nearby 7-11 covered in blood, and allegedly confessed to the crime.

Linda Oberhaus, executive director of the Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples, says she isn’t surprised by the weapon Troemner said she used.

“In the majority of domestic violence homicides, what we know is the victims are female,” Oberhaus said. “In cases where victims are male, a knife is typically used as happened in this case.”

Troemner’s Facebook page showed her and Smith as a happy couple. She has posted numerous photos of plants on the page. It seemed a stark contrast to the distraught appearance she showed Wednesday, when she made her first court appearance.

The sheriff’s office report reveals that Troemner told detectives that she tried to kill herself after stabbing Smith.

“A high percentage of cases actually attempt suicide,” Oberhaus said. “Some are successful, some not successful.”

Oberhaus says that while Troemner and Smith’s relationship had a tragic outcome, domestic violence fatalities have decreased since domestic abuse shelters began to spread in the 1970’s. She says she hopes both men and women who find themselves in violent relationships seek help to avoid situations that can turn deadly.

“The best thing they can do is just get help at their local domestic violence center,” she said.

Anyone needing help with a domestic violence situation can call a 24-hour hotline: 239-775-1101.