BATON ROUGE - In August, the Capital area had a rise in murders and suicides, and according to District Attorney Hillar Moore, it’s the most he’s seen since the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were constantly in their homes.

At the start of the month, Alanna Singleton was killed by her boyfriend, Paul Varnadol, and a day later, Kyra Hayes was killed by her boyfriend, Brendon Ely. Then on Aug. 13th in Baker, Mirtalarellana Ramierez was shot by her boyfriend, Guadalupe Reyes Vasquez.

Amid this trend, B.J. Pons knows the pain of domestic violence well, after years of surviving a violent relationship.

“I was like every other young woman who's been through some type of abuse,” Pons said. “They tend to marry someone abusive. So the man that I married was abusive for 15 years.”?

Years later, Pons says she wants to help other women out of abusive situations.

“I wish I had some of the tools we're trying to provide to women, understanding what verbal abuse is, what emotional abuse is,” she said.

For about five years, Pons says she’s hosted retreats in St. Francisville for people who have experienced or are trying to leave abusive relationships.

During the retreats, Pons says she connects women with various organizations and ministry services that can provide support during their transition and help them navigate domestic violence.

Pons says she has plans to grow the program across the state.

To learn more about the program, click here.