is it true that if your boyfriend hits you he's more likely to kill you

i'm really nervous to make a post like this but i just need to know. the way my boyfriend hits me is weird and i can't tell if it's just me justifying it in my head or not. but i've been with him for five years and he's always hit me once in awhile. the first time, i remember it was because i wasn't talking because we were in the car and he was driving and i was scared because he was angry. he reached across and kept hitting me in the face. most recently, maybe about a month ago, he beat me pretty bad and left a lot of bruises on my arms as i was covering my head and he left a pretty big knot on the back of my head.

will he kill me one day? he's never strangled me (that i remember, my memory has gotten pretty bad).