APPLETON – When four Appleton area women were killed in apparent incidents of domestic violence over the course of just 10 months, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin took a close look at the cases.
In one case that ended in a murder-suicide, the news network took the unusual step of detailing family dynamics because of community concerns and because the details helped build a better understanding of domestic violence, wrote Alison Dirr of the Appleton Post-Crescent. The network reviewed documents, including criminal and civil court records and investigation reports obtained through a public records request, to piece together what happened.
The records shed a light on how Robert Schmidt’s violence toward his wife, Sara, escalated in just a matter of weeks — and the danger victims can face at the hands of their abusers, Dirr reported.
