A Victim of Domestic Violence Sues a Prosecutor for Publicly Identifying Her
A New Jersey woman who killed her abusive ex-fiance can proceed with a lawsuit that claims her rights as a domestic violence victim were violated when a county prosecutor publicly identified her, an appeals court ruled Tuesday.
The suit alleges the woman’s civil rights were violated in 2016 when former Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke identified her after a grand jury declined to indict her. A lower court had dismissed the suit, saying the prosecutor was informing the public about the completion of a criminal investigation.
According to court documents, the woman’s ex-fiance drove from Florida to New Jersey to confront her, armed with a handgun, knives, zip ties and duct tape. After sexually assaulting her, tying her up and threatening to kill her, he allegedly told her to kill him with his own gun or else he would shoot her. She shot him in the shoulder and he died at the scene.
