NH Judicial Branch Probes Why Restraining Order Was Denied Before Salem Shooting
CONCORD, N.H. (CBS) – A review is underway by the New Hampshire court system following the shooting of a woman in Salem, Mass. this week. Court documents show 33-year-old Lindsay Smith was denied a restraining order just weeks earlier against the man who allegedly pulled the trigger.
Police believe Smith was shot in the head Monday night by 55-year-old Richard Lorman of Wilton, New Hampshire. Lorman then killed himself, investigators said.
The 33-year-old remains in the ICU but her condition is improving. The owner of the company Smith works at released a statement Thursday saying she is "doing miraculously well."
Smith's coworkers say the two had previously been in a relationship and she was working to get a restraining order against Lorman. Smith had told the New Hampshire judge that Lorman was vengeful and had threatened her life.
The judge granted a temporary order on September 21, but denied the restraining order a month later, on October 20, saying according to New Hampshire state law, it wasn't considered abuse.
In a statement on Thursday, the New Hampshire Judicial Branch said that state Supreme Court Justice Gordon MacDonald had called for an internal review into the matter, led by Circuit Court Judge Susan Carbon.
That review is expected to be completed by next week. After the review is submitted to the Supreme Court, the results will be made public.
The Judicial Branch also said it is "creating a multidisciplinary task force to conduct a systemic review of domestic violence cases in the court system." New Hampshire Supreme Court Associate Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi will chair the task force.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said previously that following the incident in Salem he contacted the judicial branch and "confirmed this matter is being reviewed to the fullest extent possible."
