Gaston County woman’s death highlights large problem in domestic violence

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A woman’s life was cut short by domestic violence, police say, but her death is highlighting a large problem among victims.

Channel 9′s Ken Lemon went through court records for Phillip Byers, who’s now charged with murdering his girlfriend, Jalan Houston.

But Byers had eight prior charges for assault on a female dating back to 2009. All were dropped, mostly by the witness or victim.

Prosecutors say Byers shot Houston in the chest last week and then staged the scene to throw off investigators. He eventually confessed.

“It breaks my heart,” said Kristin Rowland, a friend of Houston’s. “[She] had a smile that could light a room, big smile, beautiful.”

Rowland told Lemon she has also been a victim of domestic violence in a past relationship. She, too, filed charges like some of the women in previous cases with Byers.

“Drop the charges and right back the next day; I have done that,” Rowland said.

She said she had two children and didn’t think she could leave him.

Workers at Hope United have heard the same thing. They help domestic violence victims in Gaston County, and they say the police have been seeing more serious cases lately.

“We are seeing the trend going up. We are seeing a definite increase in the severity in Gaston County,” said Andrea Wyant with Hope United.

Police use a system on each domestic violence call to determine people most likely to be at high risk for danger to their mate or officers.

About 30% of calls nationally involve high-risk offenders, on average. But Gaston County is about 7% above that.

“The odds are we are much higher because survivors are going to underreport those risks,” Wyant told Lemon.

That means women in more violent cases in Gaston County are at a higher risk for bad outcomes.

Rowland said she left her bad relationship before it got worse. She wishes her friend could have gotten out early too.

“There are people that will help you,” Rowland said.

Law enforcement, the DA’s office, and Hope United have launched a plan they hope will help cut into the growing number of high-risk cases. They now meet regularly to try to intervene early and keep high-risk suspects locked up.

If you or someone you know is living with domestic violence, there are resources available. In Gaston County, Hope United Survivor Network has a hotline that’s staffed 24 hours a day, seven days per week. You can also contact them through email. Their services are free and confidential.

Hope United Survivors Network

Hope United: 704-862-6783

24/7 Crisis line: 704-852-6000

Click here to send an email.

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