Murder-suicide victim’s family advocating for stronger domestic abuse penalties

BEATRICE, NE — The family of a southeast Nebraska woman killed in an apparent murder-suicide last week is sharing her story.

“Brooke was amazing,” her sister Amanda Johnsen said. “She was beautiful, she was a good mother, friend, aunt, nurse.”

“Always positive,” her brother Josh Malchow said. “Most positive person that I knew.”

Brooke Koch died April 6th south of Beatrice. Police say her ex-boyfriend, Jason Arnold, shot her, then turned the gun on himself.

There was an active domestic abuse protection order against Arnold outlawing him from being near Koch. He was scheduled to appear that morning on stalking and terroristic threats charges related to his alleged actions against Koch.

Her family says the court system could have handled her case differently in order to better protect her.

“I think counseling, he needed a psych eval,” Malchow said.

“Drug programs to help him with that issue in his life,” Johnsen said.

Specifically, Koch’s siblings, Josh Malchow and Amanda Johnsen, think Arnold should have had to post a higher bond. His bond was set at $50,000 and he had to pay 10 percent, or $5,000, to be set free.

They say law enforcement did what it could but the law needs to be better.

“If we’re going to have a restraining order, there needs to be some teeth to it,” Malchow said. “It can’t just be a piece of paper and then you walk away and hope. Somebody that does something like this doesn’t care about a piece of paper and that’s glaringly apparent.”

While Brooke’s family mourns, they’re also looking to the future. Her siblings say they don’t want the same thing to happen to anyone else. Their efforts to enact change started Friday by meeting with state senator Tom Brandt.

“Whether that be changing what happens with the laws with maybe an ankle monitor or something like that, because 30 seconds could have made all the difference in a case like this. I just don’t want to see it happen to anybody ever again,” Malchow said.

One idea the family is suggesting is giving the option for accused domestic abusers to lower their bond amount if they’re willing to wear an ankle monitor. They plan to continue to advocate for additions to current law.

“We want to see change so this doesn’t happen to another family and three kids don’t have to live without their mother,” Johnsen said.

Note clarifying last week’s story: Brooke Koch had no criminal history.

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