How are the homicidal women in Spain? A case series

Abstract

IntroductionHomicides committed by women are of special scientific and social interest. In forensic literature, common characteristics differentiating women’s homicide of those committed by men have been observed. These characteristics concert the act of homicide itself, and also the victims and aggressors characteristics. Our objective is to find if in Spain, homicides committed by women present such characteristics or substantial differences exist. Material and methodWe analysed a case series (n=18) of homicides committed by women. We evaluated their biography, homicide characteristics, previous mental illness history and drug use, and data of interest concerning the legal procedure. ResultsIn our sample, as highlighted differences between our study and others, we found less traumatic events in the biography of women who have a homicide conviction. We also found less history of previous aggresions and threats to the women by their victims. Final ConsiderationsMore studies are necessary to confirm these findings.