Rausch, Needham Resident Push for Domestic Violence Legislation

October 29, 2025
• The bill, An Act addressing staged suicides, aims to strengthen law enforcement training and procedures around potential domestic violence deaths.

It took seven years, but Susan Altman and her family got the justice they were seeking. Her sister Stacy died in 2015 after what appeared to be a medical episode, and the autopsy report labeled her cause of death as undetermined. But the marks on her body told a different story.

Altman, who lives in Needham, became her sister’s advocate. In 2022, Stacy’s husband was sentenced for first-degree murder after he was found to have staged her death to appear like an accident.

“I knew in my heart that her murderer was walking free, and I couldn’t rest until he paid the price,” Altman said. “Most families are not as lucky as we are. Since I began doing domestic violence advocacy work, I have met far too many families whose cases were not appropriately investigated and whose cases are now closed.”

Altman spoke at a press conference Wednesday morning in support of a bill, filed Tuesday by state Sen. Becca Rausch, that would bolster police training around potential domestic violence-related deaths and allow close friends and family the ability to request records and a second opinion.

The bill, SD3336, also establishes rules around how law enforcement handle “a suspicious death case,” including interviews with the victim’s family and friends to ascertain any history of domestic violence or evidence to suggest so. A suspicious death case, according to the bill, could be one in which the victim died at home and was found by the abuser, the victim indicated a desire to end the relationship, or abuser could have tampered with the crime scene.

At the press conference, Rausch, D-Needham, said her focus on investigators provides a “starting point” for additional discussions. Her scope may expand to include medical examiners, she said.

The bill, if made into law, would apply to such suspicious death investigations opening July 1, 2027 and beyond. That timeline allows officers to establish, implement and standardize appropriate training, Rausch said.

“Intimate partner violence is real,” she said, “and the escalation of this violence to homicide happens with tragic frequency.”

It’s unclear how many deaths may be impacted by the bill as currently drafted, though Rausch estimates that between 800-1,200 homicide cases are staged to look like an accident or suicide every year.

Jane Doe Inc., a Massachusetts-based advocacy organization, has recorded six domestic violence homicide incidents in the state in 2025, as of last month. Jane Doe recorded 33 DV deaths in Massachusetts in 2024, which accounts for one in four homicides.

In her remarks, Rausch noted the death of Sandra Birchmore, a 23-year-old Canton woman whose passing in 2021 was first ruled a suicide before law enforcement accused a Stoughton police detective of staging her death to look like a suicide.

Of the approximately 200 abuse survivors she meets with annually, Elizabeth Schön Vainer said many feel people don’t believe their experiences. Schön Vainer, director of the Journey to Safety domestic abuse program at Jewish Family and Children’s Services, said abusers, for their part, are “skilled manipulators.”

Police require specialized training “to see past that manipulation and uncover the truth over time,” she said, and victims and their families have the right to a “thorough investigation.”

“The bill before you today is common sense,” Schön Vainer said. “This bill ensures that the voices of those tragically murdered by their partners will be heard clearly and powerfully, leading to justice, accountability and healing for their families.”

Rausch and legislative staff wore purple in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.

Dorothy Altman, Susan and Stacy’s mother, also attended the press conference, where she expressed gratitude for her daughter’s advocacy.

“I’m sorry for the other families that don’t have an advocate to speak for them, and how many of these horrible people have gotten away with these crimes,” she said.