Every year in the United States, approximately 1,300 to 1,800 women lose their lives at the hands of an intimate partner, with Black and Indigenous women facing disproportionately higher rates of violence (Violence Policy Center, 2023). Alarmingly, six out of ten female homicide victims in the U.S. are murdered by a current or former intimate partner (CDC, 2024; Kafonek et al., 2022; Violence Policy Center, 2023). In stark contrast, only about 6% of male homicide victims are killed by a partner. The grim reality is that leaving an abusive partner does not guarantee safety; in fact, women are most vulnerable to lethal violence in the weeks or months following their decision to leave or when they threaten to do so (Campbell et al., 2003). Intimate partner homicides (IPH) not only extinguish lives but also leave profound emotional and psychological scars on families and communities. While not every abusive relationship ends in death, recognizing the warning signs early and implementing effective risk assessments can save countless lives. This paper explores how current risk assessments function and where they fall short in preventing lethal violence within intimate partner relationships. Recommendations for changes to create a more comprehensive vulnerability index of risk are also provided.