Fatal stabbing of Lincoln mother brings to light domestic violence

Every minute, 20 people in the United States are physically abused by their intimate partner every day.

Two recent cases in Lincoln were domestic violence related. One being the stabbing death of 21-year-old Dijah Ybarra on New Years Eve.

In September, Davonnis Wilkinson was shot in the head. Police say it was by her boyfriend. She’s facing injuries that will last a lifetime.

For 45 years, Voices of Hope has been empowering survivors in the Lincoln community.

“Every individual deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, everyone deserves to feel safe,” Voices of Hope’s Sexual Assault Services Coordinator, Marla Sohl said.

Sohl says the most dangerous step for a person involved in an abusive relationship is leaving that partner.

In a situation of domestic violence, there doesn’t have to be violence to call for help.

“As soon as someone starts to identify that their partner does not treat them as an equal participant in the relationship and has to have control over them and is displaying jealousy and those kinds of things, it’s a good idea to talk to some one,” Sohl said.

The non profit wants to remind people that it’s never the victims fault.

“No matter how it works out in the end, this is not the victims fault. There is nothing that the victim did to cause for this kind of situation to happen, this is a reflection of the person who committed this act,” Sohl said.

Voices of Hope provides 24/7, free and confidential services. The 24 hour crisis line is (402) 475-7273