“I killed him”. Marital homicide commited by Portuguese women: a qualitative criminological analysis

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a qualitative study conducted with 14 women serving prison sentences in Portugal, for killing their (former) partners. Aiming to analyze the possible relationship between the practice of homicide and a previous history of domestic violence, among other factors, in-depth interviews were developed, and their individual files were examined. Results suggest that these women experienced several risk factors for domestic violence and marital homicide, although their motives for killing were varied. It was possible to verify that proven histories of domestic violence in court did reduce the dosimetry of the sentences.