Which of the following is a red flag indicating lethality risk?

• A. Prior strangulation
• B. A calm, non-violent history
• C. Stable finances
• D. No weapons access

Answer: (A)

Prior strangulation signals a high lethality risk because it shows the perpetrator is willing and able to use extreme violence that can cause death, even if the act doesn’t always end in fatality. Strangulation is one of the strongest predictors of imminent homicide in intimate partner violence, reflecting escalation, intent to control, and dangerous capacity for harm. It signals a pattern that safety planning must treat as urgent. The other factors don’t carry the same immediate warning: a calm, non-violent history suggests lower immediate danger; stable finances don’t indicate imminent lethal risk, and not having weapons access reduces some risk but doesn’t negate the high danger indicated by prior strangulation.