The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports that the city of Seattle has only seen three homicides over the last five months. So far, the number is the lowest set to be the lowest annual number of homicides since the 1940s. In 1940, there were seven reported homicides. In 1941, there were eleven homicides, and then six in 1942. Last year, Seattle saw 20 homicides, which was the lowest number in 53 years. In 2009, there were 22, and in 2008, there were 29.

The bad news is that there has been an increase in aggravated assaults in Seattle, about 70 percent of which are felony domestic violence cases.

Police say that the low number of homicides is indicative of hard work on the part of officers, increased citizen crime reporting, and good medical care which saves the lives of assault victims.

While there have officially been three homicides reported so far this year, the exact number counted depends on the source. A Belltown woman who was strangled to death last December was counted by Seattle police as a fourth homicide, but the King county Medical Examiner counted her in last year's numbers.

Some feel the increase in domestic violence cases has to do with the economy, which has forced some women to remain in abusive relationships longer than they otherwise would.

Relationships involving domestic violence can easily get out of hand, leading to serious injury and fatality. Among the risk factors for domestic violence homicide are using or threatening to use a weapon on a partner, threatening to kill or injure a partner, attempting to strangle a partner, constant or violent jealousy, and forcing a partner to have sex.

Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer, "After five months, Seattle has only three homicide cases," Casey McNerthney, 6 June 2011.