After latest murder-suicide, Lincoln police shed light on domestic violence trend
The Lincoln Police Department identified the two people killed in a murder-suicide south of the Nebraska state capitol last week.On Monday, LPD Chief Michon Morrow said officers found Sterling Jordan and Jennifer McCarther, both 51, dead on Friday during a call for service. Morrow said McCarther had multiple gunshot wounds and Jordan had one wound in the head.It's the third in a string of similar cases in Lincoln this year, something Morrow made clear was unacceptable as she underscored October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month."These are not isolated incidents," Morrow said. "They reflect a painful and urgent truth. Violence at the home, often behind closed doors, must stop."Morrow said LPD is looking at ways it can improve its services to survivors and invited survivor advocates to the press briefing on Monday. The department added a new domestic violence investigator in January 2024."Our duty is not only to respond, but to protect and ensure that every survivor feels safe coming forward," Morrow said.Morrow read a statement from McCarther's daughter: “My mother Jennifer Lynn was a beautiful soul, a mother of three, a daughter, a sister to seven and a grandmother to five amazing grandkids she’ll never get the chance to see as they grow up. Losing her has left a hole in our hearts that will never be filled, but her love and light continue to live on through all of us who are blessed to know her. Sometimes in the search for love we end up in places that bring us more harm than healing and too often it costs everything. I share my mom’s story not just to honor her, but to shine a light on the reality of domestic violence. If her story can help even one woman find the strength to leave before it’s too late, then her memory will continue to protect and inspire others.”Lincoln has seen a staggering almost 25% increase in violent crimes flagged as domestic in 2025, compared to the average from 2021 to 2024."More and more people are saying, 'I've experienced strangulation. My partner struck me with a weapon,'" Leah Droge with Friendship Home of Lincoln said. "Really intense levels of violence."And yet, advocates say the patchwork safety net sustaining supportive organizations is starting to wear. Voices of Hope's financial assistance from the Victims of Crime Act fell from $400,000 in 2022 to $160,000 in 2025, executive director Natalie Roberts-Day said. Roberts-Day said shake-ups in grant funding from the Trump administration also muddle the path ahead."It's hard to plan and it's hard to hope for future projects or programs when we're not sure about just being able to provide our direct service interventions," Roberts-Day said.
