Yes, unless they are held accountable and undergo serious intervention, abusers who strangle will repeat this behavior—and it often escalates to even more extreme violence.

Why Do They Escalate With Each New Partner?

🚩 They Test Boundaries & Learn What They Can Get Away With

• If there were no serious consequences after strangling their last partner (no legal action, no long-term accountability), they become bolder.
• They learn how to manipulate better—what excuses work, how to keep a victim silent, and how to control someone more effectively next time.

🚩 Each Relationship Becomes More Extreme

• Some abusers become more violent over time, pushing further with each new victim.
• What was once “just” strangulation may escalate to weapons, prolonged torture, sexual violence, or eventual murder.

🚩 Strangulation is Often a Step Toward Homicide

• Many domestic homicide cases show a pattern: the abuser strangled previous partners but didn’t kill them. Then, in a later relationship, they finally crossed that line.
• A study found that women who have been strangled by their partner are 750% more likely to be killed later.

🚩 Abusers Don’t Just “Grow Out of It”

• If strangulation is not addressed with serious psychological intervention, they will do it again.
• Many abusers even justify or minimize past violence, blaming their exes or claiming, “She made me do it.”

New Relationships Don’t Change the Abuser—They Just Change Their Tactics

• At first, they may act like the perfect partner to gain trust.
• Once the new partner is emotionally invested, they begin isolating, manipulating, and using violence.
• If they strangled in a past relationship, they will likely strangle again—but possibly even worse.

What This Means for Survivors & Future Partners

1. Survivors Must Recognize That Leaving Doesn’t Mean They Were “Wrong” About the Person—It Means They Saved Their Own Life.
2. Future Partners Are at Serious Risk if They Aren’t Aware of the Abuser’s Past.
3. Holding the Abuser Accountable (Legally & Socially) Is Critical to Stopping the Cycle.

Final Reality Check

If someone strangles once, they will likely do it again. And next time, they might not stop. Strangulation is one of the clearest warnings that this person is capable of lethal violence.

⚠️ An abuser who has strangled before is not just dangerous to future partners—they are a walking time bomb.