Assemblywoman Aura Dunn says the Legislature is 'obligated to act and act swiftly' after the Aug. 1 double homicide in Franklin Township. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor)
By MORGAN LEASON
Reprinted with permission of NJ Monitor
Less than two weeks after authorities say a state trooper killed his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in a jealous rage, a New Jersey lawmaker is calling for passage of a bipartisan bill that would expand the definition of domestic violence to include psychological abuse.
Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R-Morris) conceded in a statement that it’s unknown if a change in the law would have saved the victims — Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb — but Dunn added that the Legislature is “obligated to act and act swiftly.”
“This young woman feared for her safety and the system failed her in the worst way,” Dunn said.
Authorities believe Ricardo Jorge Santos, a lieutenant with the New Jersey State Police, shot Semanchik and Webb at Semanchik’s Franklin Township home and then took his own life in Piscataway (the victims’ bodies were found Aug. 2). Semanchik’s family has said she feared for her safety after ending her relationship with Santos and tried to get Franklin police involved but officers did not help her. Last week, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office took over control of the Franklin Township Police Department, saying the murder investigation “raised serious concerns about FTPD’s operations and effectiveness.”
Dunn’s bill aims to add psychological and economic abuse to the legal definition of domestic violence. She introduced it in January 2024 with Assemblywoman Lisa Swain (D-Bergen).
“Psychological abuse isn’t currently included in the definition of domestic violence, but it can be just as damaging as any physical assault and needs to be taken just as seriously. It is often the precursor to a violent incident,” Dunn said.
The Legislature is on a summer recess and will likely not reconvene until after November’s election, when all 80 Assembly seats are on the ballot.
