O P I N I O N
THE SOAPBOX
Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.
HOW MANY more women have to die before we admit that the system is broken?
Marisol Fuentes should still be alive. Instead, just days after her estranged husband was released from custody she was brutally murdered in Berlin. This wasn’t just a tragic oversight; it was a preventable failure. And it exposes what too many of us already know: Our justice system is not working for victims.
This isn’t about a single case. It’s about a repeated pattern. We have a system that protects offenders while leaving survivors vulnerable and unheard.
What makes this even worse is the lack of accountability in our courts. The same magistrate who allowed Marisol’s killer to walk free is the one who previously released Kyle Bisson on personal recognizance after he allegedly stabbed a man multiple times in Manchester on Feb. 7, 2025.
That’s not justice. That’s negligence.
As both a state representative and a victim, I know the helplessness firsthand. I’ve left voicemails that were never returned. I’ve sent emails that vanished into the void. I’ve waited for updates that never came. And if this is what it looks like for someone who knows how to advocate for themselves, I can only imagine the frustration and fear for those who don’t.
Our state’s own Victim Bill of Rights is being ignored. Agencies like the Department of Corrections and the Department of Justice are not doing their jobs. The very institutions that exist to protect victims are instead compounding the trauma.
More than half of us in the New Hampshire House voted to begin impeachment proceedings against Magistrate Stephanie Johnson. But we didn’t reach the two-thirds vote needed to move forward. Once again, the system failed to act.
Victims shouldn’t have to live in fear while those who harm them are given second, third, or even fourth chances. Families shouldn’t have to brace for the next headline. And communities shouldn’t have to wonder whether the court system will choose public safety or repeat offenders.
This isn’t about politics. It’s about human lives. It’s about doing what’s right.
New Hampshire needs serious change. We need oversight on bail decisions. We need victim services that actually serve. And we need a justice system that stands with survivors, not against them.
Marisol Fuentes deserved better. So do all the victims who feel forgotten.
Let’s stop waiting for the next tragedy. The time to act is now.
I will continue to work for victims here in Manchester and across New Hampshire. I will be a voice for those who’ve been silenced, overlooked, or left behind by the system. And I hope other victims will find the strength to speak out too, because when we raise our voices together, we can create real change.
Rep. Kathleen Paquette, R-Manchester, represents Hillsborough District 25. She serves on the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee and is a candidate for alderman in Ward 5.
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