Advocates say calls for help have surged by 130 percent amid coronavirus

The murder-suicide of a young couple shot and killed inside a Union Square hotel room is being investigated as an incident of domestic violence, police said Monday.

Julia Nguyen, 24, and 26-year-old Alex Kim, were found dead last Thursday at a hotel on Cyril Magnin Street between Eddy and Ellis streets, where the Parc 55 Hilton Hotel is located.

Police have since confirmed that Nguyen is believed to be the suspect in the shooting.

“This incident would be classified as domestic violence-related given the relationship between the male and female,” said Officer Adam Lobsinger, a police spokesperson.

Both Nguyen and Kim were residents of San Francisco. It’s unclear why they were at the hotel.

Beverly Upton, director of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium, called the incident a “tragedy.”

“My heart goes out to these two families, because in the middle of all this COVID crisis, can you imagine?” Upton said. “It must be awful.”

Upton said calls for help to the domestic violence crisis line run by W.O.M.A.N., Inc. have jumped upward by about 130 percent so far for the month of March.

“First there was a dip, and now they are skyrocketing, and this is happening all over,” Upton said, referring to an apparent rise in domestic violence around the nation.

Upton urged domestic violence survivors to reach out for help despite the pandemic.

“We want folks to know that the crisis line, shelters and legal services are up and running,” Upton said. “Mostly by phone, but help is there. No one is alone in San Francisco.”

Resources for survivors can be found here.

mbarba@sfexaminer.com

Crime

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