Man arrested but not charged with murder in girlfriend’s death

SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane child is dealing with the shock of finding her mother dead, the apparent victim of domestic violence in an incident that happened last Saturday. While police have arrested the woman’s boyfriend, he hasn’t been charged with murder.

On Saturday, Brianna Folsom’s daughter went upstairs in their North Addison home to check on why her mom had overslept and found her mother was dead. After calling 9-1-1 that child told detectives that her mother’s boyfriend assaulted her mom on a weekly basis, yet Folsom never reported the incidents to Spokane police.

“They feel like they don’t have an out, they don’t have a way to get out of that relationship and if they leave, they are not going to have any support left,” Spokane Police Officer Teresa Fuller said.

It’s not clear what restrained Folsom from leaving her allegedly abusive boyfriend, but according to her daughter, that boyfriend – Aaron Coman – physically fought with her mom all the time.

Police wish in hindsight that Folsom had gone to the YWCA’s Family Justice Center and asked for help.

“They have a 24 hour crisis line that they can call, that is not law enforcement, it’s the advocates and they people who work for the YWCA, and hopefully they can get most victims to a point where they do feel comfortable talking to law enforcement,” Fuller said.

Coman is suspected of strangling Folsom last week but insists he left her very much alive inside their home when he went to work Saturday. Police still don’t know what caused her death, but think, given the chance, the domestic violence unit could have prevented it.

“That is exactly what the Family Justice Center is for, and the people at the YWCA that we partner with, to make sure that those victims get the help that they need,” Fuller said.

Given the alleged history of domestic violence in this case the court has ordered Coman be held on a $250K bond.

Coman may have been the last person to see Folsom alive, but he hasn’t been charged with murder because Spokane’s medical examiner has not ruled her death a homicide. More tests are needed to determine how she died.

If you need help, or know someone who does, the domestic violence hotline number is (509) 326-2255. Services are free and confidential.