'I never thought I was a victim’: Las Vegas woman shares domestic violence story
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Jennifer Klinefelter never thought of herself as a victim of domestic violence, even as she says control over her life slowly escalated into physical abuse.
“No. Never,” Klinefelter said when asked whether she recognized at the time that she was experiencing domestic violence. "I was in that category before this happened to me of thinking a survivor looks a certain way."
Klinefelter worked in finance and said her relationship with her now ex-husband did not begin with violence.
“The foundation was really great. He was really attentive,” she said.
Klinefelter said she and her former husband met in 2016, married in 2019, and bought a home in Las Vegas in 2021. She said the relationship gradually changed after that purchase. Klinefelter described increasing control over her friendships, work, phone, and finances. She said her former husband wanted to know her work schedule, who she spoke with and where she went.
“It was like a light switched,” Klinefelter said. “It was just an alternate reality.”
She said the behavior left her increasingly isolated, but she still did not identify herself as a domestic violence victim. Instead, Klinefelter said she blamed herself and continued hoping the relationship could improve.
“He was my husband, and we were together many years before we got married,” she said. "I blamed myself, that I just wasn't supporting him enough. I wasn't loving him the way he deserved. I was taking it as triggers to work on me versus he's the problem."
By early 2024, Klinefelter said the abuse became physical.
She described Aug. 1, 2024, as the final day of their relationship. Klinefelter said her former husband repeatedly hit her during an attack at their home.
“Our last day together was so violent,” Klinefelter said. “I'm lucky to be alive.”
She said an argument started in their backyard.
"He came and wanted to accuse me of stealing money and cheating, which is always, as I've talked to survivors over the years, it's always a common accusation of loyalty," Klinefelter said. " I went inside, and it was just absolute hell for 90 minutes."
She accused her husband of hitting her multiple times in the face.
"He was slapping me, and again I'm bleeding, so like the blood's going everywhere, and then accusing me of cheating, and I kept saying no, and that's when he would hit me harder. I'm not cheating. He would hit me harder, and then I finally goes, 'I have to lie to save my life.'"
Klinefelter said a brief break during the attack gave her enough time to contact family members, who called 911. Police responded to the home, and Klinefelter went to a hospital.
She said she still has scars from the attack on her face as she pointed to them while sitting down with News 3.
“I have a scar here that I have to cover every day with makeup, and an MRI revealed I do have some brain damage, but thankfully it did not impact me, like my decisions and my work. “
Klinefelter said an officer gave her information for SafeNest, a Southern Nevada organization serving domestic and sexual violence survivors. She later joined a survivor group through the organization. The experience also exposed her to statistics she said she knew little about before the attack.
“I had no idea that it was so common,” Klinefelter said.
Elizabeth Abdur-Raheem, CEO of the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, said the organization had documented 43 domestic violence-related deaths statewide through the end of August, compared with 45 during all of 2025.
The coalition also counted 33 deaths in Clark County through August, compared with 40 during all of last year.
Abdur-Raheem said the coalition is also seeing more people affected in deadly incidents.
“We're also seeing that each of the incidents involve more people, and that more people are being killed in each incident,” Abdur-Raheem said.
The coalition plans to release its fourth annual domestic violence homicide report using 2026 data in early 2027.
For Klinefelter, those numbers now carry a personal meaning.
“Not only did I go through it, but how many other women and men are going through similar situations that might die,” she said.
Klinefelter said she hopes speaking publicly will help others recognize forms of abuse that can emerge before physical violence, including controlling, financial and psychological behavior.
Looking back, she said she wishes she had left sooner. But she also wants survivors to know support can continue after separation.
“The people that have decided to stand up and stick with me, there is so much hope post-separation,” Klinefelter said.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available.
Southern Nevada Organizations Hotlines:
- SafeNest: 702-646-4981
- S.A.F.E House: 702-564-3227
- The Shade Tree: 855-385-0072