The tragic case of a man who shot and killed the mother of his child at a Hallandale Beach resort is an example of a disturbing trend over recent years.
According to the CEO of Women in Distress, there's been about a 22% increase in domestic violence cases across Broward County.
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“At one point, we were taking phone calls every two minutes on the hotline," Linda Parker said. "That’s an unprecedented amount of phone calls coming in for domestic violence."
Before Davon Hilton died by suicide as U.S. Marshals were about to take him into custody, police said he shot and killed his ex-girlfriend Valerie Cepeda and shot her new boyfriend in the valet area of a beach resort.
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But before that, Hilton had been previously arrested three times on domestic violence charges.
Police records show Hilton’s violence was escalating. In one case, he punched Cepeda and dragged her by the hair. She declined to press charges, but she did obtain two separate court injunctions against Hilton.
In her own handwriting she described the same incident: "He closed the door to my house and punched me on the right side of my head with a closed fist while I had (our child) in my hand, causing us to both fall on the ground, and even after that, he kept dragging me by my hair…"
Instead of taking care of her toddler, Cepeda is now the subject of a GoFundMe page to pay for her funeral. Parker wonders how Hilton knew where Cepeda was, and suspects he might have placed a tracking device in her car or could see her location through her phone.
“Because that’s a lot of what we’re seeing right now — this ability to track people using technology in a way that we’ve never seen before," Parker said. "...when it’s a case where someone is battering you and they keep stalking you and they keep contacting you, we really need to do everything we can both with your cellphone and with your car to make sure that you can safely get where you need to go without being accosted.”
Hilton had been arrested on charges including burglary and battery in the incident, and had posted bond in January, records showed.
“Honestly tired of having to watch my back everywhere I go,” Cepeda wrote. “I want to be able to live a normal life without having to deal with someone crazy questioning my every move … he told me that if he can’t have me, nobody will.”
According to the court records, Hilton and Cepeda had been dating since 2019 but had started living separately some time in the middle of 2022.
"We want to support you and we want to be able to give you the resources in order to keep you safe," Parker said.
Police departments will sweep your car for tracking devices. Women in Distress can help those experiencing domestic violence with an emergency shelter and a wide range of services — its 24-hour hotline number is 954-761-1133.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
