The death of Ross, who worked for the state Department of Insurance, has prompted lawmakers to mount a push to overhaul and strengthen Kentucky's domestic violence laws. House Speaker Greg Stumbo has called for monitoring bracelets to be placed on domestic violence offenders in the most serious cases. …
The fact is, Ross turned to a system that is supposed to protect her and the thousands of other victims of domestic violence. She tapped into all available resources, and in the end, the man she feared is now charged with her murder.
Lawmakers will face a daunting task as they attempt to put more authority and power into the protections the state can provide for domestic violence victims. …
The emotions caught up in domestic disputes make it difficult for the courts or police to sort through the facts and get to the truth. Ross and Nunn offered different stories about her accusations of abuse. …
Legislative changes proposed after Ross's death won't be the first.
Among the proposals offered during recent sessions were to automatically bar someone subject to a DVO from possessing a gun, expanding DVOs to apply to people who are dating and to speed the process through which DVOs are issued. None of those proposals was acted upon.
Ross' death is a reminder of the flaws in a system that had offered the promise of protection.
There may be no way to provide absolute protection to victims of domestic violence, and the programs that help these victims will always need more support and resources. But the growing list of murdered victims of domestic violence is reason enough to keep working to fulfill that promise.
— Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, Sept. 19
