Family members tell newsnet5.com that the 46-year-old Cleveland man who died in a fatal duplex fire Saturday morning was also a victim of domestic violence by the suspect who allegedly started the fire.
Elizabeth Scott, 49, was arrested and charged with aggravated murder and aggravated arson after her boyfriend, 46-year-old Frank Salamone, died in a fire at the two-unit home on Platten Ave.
Family members and coworkers said that the couple had an abusive relationship and that Scott had repeatedly assaulted Salamone.
“I kept asking myself why didn’t he listen when we told him to get away from her,” Salamone’s sister, Lecia Presser, told newsnet5.com.
A police report obtained by newsnet5.com from November 2014 shows that Salamone called police after Scott allegedly assaulted him. Officers noted “lacerations/cuts to the nose” and Salamone stated that he’d been punched in the face.
Presser said the incident was one of very few assaults that Salamone actually reported.
“Over time, the beatings got worse and he got to the point where he wouldn’t make any more report,” she said. “He kept saying that he loved he didn’t want her to go to jail.”
While 85 percent of domestic violence victims are women, Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center CEO Linda Johanek told newsnet5.com that male victims are more common than people think.
“They are one in every seven men,” Johanek said. “People sometimes laugh at them or don’t believe them. It’s hard to believe so I think that can be pretty common for male victims.”
Johanek said they provide support for many male victims of domestic violence every year.
Are you or is someone you know affected by domestic violence? Find out how you can get help here.
