Seventeen Magazine Profiles Alexandra Kogut Murder For Story On Abusive Relationships

It is more common than you might think.  Abusive relationships start young and Seventeen Magazine is using a local story to draw attention to an issue that affects many relationships.The murder of Alexandra Kogut brought the issue of domestic violence in relationships between teens to the forefront.

Kogut and her boyfriend, Clayton Whittemore, were college students with what appeared to be bright futures awaiting both.  The light of Kogut's future was extinguished on September 29, 2012 when Whittemore allegedly beat her to death.

The Kogut case was tragic but unfortunately not isolated.  According to Seventeen one in ten young men say they are capable of hitting their girlfriend.  The reverse is true as well, and there are obviously cases where young women act abusively toward men.  However, those cases, by most standards, appear far less often.

Seventeen interviewed several young men who have served jail time for beating the women in their lives.  They say there are definite warning signs that should never be ignored.  In the article they discuss those signs as well as what they "look for" in a girlfriend, even subconsciously.  Control, they say, is a key issue, and even girls who appear outwardly gregarious sometimes suffer from insecurities on which "time bomb boyfriends" prey.

The article includes a link to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800.799.SAFE).  Those who ave questions about their own relationships are encouraged to seek out counseling.

The full article appears in the March 2013 issue which hit newsstands yesterday.