Crystal Parker was found in her upstairs bedroom, dead with a gunshot to her head. Charged in her killing is her ex-partner, Danielle Parker.
Crystal Park was a corporal with the East Point Police Department and her death made headlines across the nation. But what exactly led up to the killing over the July Fourth weekend will only be known to the two women, who, according to their friends, had recently broken up.
The Fulton County Police Department is being tightlipped about the investigation and will only say the two were roommates, without acknowledging they were a couple at press time on July 30.
New data released by the CDC on Jan. 25 shows what LGBT domestic violence educators already know: intimate partner violence is as big a problem for our community as for heterosexuals, though it is often not taken as seriously by the media or mainstream advocacy groups.
“We know that violence affects everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. This report suggests that lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in this country suffer a heavy toll of sexual violence and stalking committed by an intimate partner.” said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden in a press release about the report. “While intervening and providing services are important, prevention is equally critical.”
Today's report marks the first time the CDC has released national data about intimate partner violence, sexual violence and stalking broken down by sexual orientation.