Help Is Out There For Domestic Violence Victims: Prosecutor

The mother of an alleged domestic abuse victim and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office are reminding victims of abusive relationships that they have options.

Laura Bluestein, of Mount Holly, has been charged with with murder in the first degree, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree tampering with evidence in the death of 29-year-old Felicia Dormans.

According to Christina Dormans, Felicia’s mother, the two were involved in an argument earlier that day, and Dormans was considering leaving Bluestein.

On Wednesday, Christina Dormans said she now wishes she had been more insistent that her daughter leave the home that the married couple shared after her daughter told her that Bluestein had become abusive. She is encouraging anyone in a similar situation to reach out for assistance.

“People in abusive relationships are not trapped. They do not have to stay there,” Dormans said in a press release issued by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. “If you are in that kind of situation, please know that there is a way to get out before it gets to a point where somebody loses a life.”

A funeral was held on Monday for Felicia Dormans, who would have turned 30 in October. She will also be remembered at an upcoming vigil known as the Burlington County Silent Witness Project, which pays tribute to fatal victims of domestic violence and also honors survivors. That event is Friday, Oct. 6, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Rowan College at Burlington County’s Mount Holly campus.

“Our hearts go out to the Dormans family and we deeply appreciate Christina Dormans’ willingness to speak out at this most difficult time and encourage victims of domestic violence to seek help,” Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. “If anything good can come from Felicia’s tragic death, it would be for anyone caught in an abusive relationship to realize that resources are available to them, and to seek help before it is too late. I understand the fear that comes with reaching out for help. It is a very brave step, and it is crucial in order to escape a violent situation. There is immediate assistance available to those who are being abused, as well as their family members.”

He said his office is committed to prosecuting domestic violence offenders. There were 61,659 domestic violence offenses reported to police in New Jersey in 2015, the most recent year for which statistics are available. The number of offenses represents a 1 percent decrease compared to the prior year. However, the number of domestic violence-related homicides rose by 7, to 49.

In Burlington County, help for victims of domestic abuse and their children is provided free of charge by Providence House. The organization emphasizes that services are offered regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

Providence House can be reached through a 24-hour hotline at 1-877-871-7551 or 609- 871-7551. They can be found online at https://www.catholiccharitiestrenton.org/domesticviolence-services/.

Christina Dormans plans to volunteer her time at a non-profit organization near her home in Pennsylvania that offers services to domestic violence victims.

“If I can save someone else’s life, then that is what I want to try to do,” she said. “I don’t want to see someone else go through this. Felicia was a beautiful person and my best friend. I miss her so much. She kept saying ‘Maybe we can work it out,’ and I just kept telling her to come home.”

See related: Burlington County Woman Accused Of Killing Wife Detained Until Trial

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