Regarding your article “Murder-suicide victims mourned’’ (Metro, Jan. 21): Authorities say that Kevin O’Connor, a retired Waltham police detective, murdered his wife, Jeannine O’Connor, by shooting her multiple times. You begin your article on Kevin O’Connor’s domestic violence with a vivid description of how he “was honored for his bravery in thwarting an attempted armed robbery’’ in 2001, as “friends, family and fellow officers crowded a City Hall chamber for the ceremony.’’

Instead of leading by focusing on the life of Jeannine O’Connor, a restaurant worker, devoted mother, and loving grandmother, you first introduce her murderer as a hero. Instead of exploring how research suggests that police officers are more likely to commit domestic violence than the general population, you valorize the bravery of a perpetrator.

This choice sends a clear message to victims of domestic violence and police brutality: Even if it is undeniable that they have been unjustly killed by police officers, their murderers will be remembered first as heroes.

Rosa Greenberg

Jamaica Plain