Intimate Homicide Research Articles

Intimate Partner Homicide: Comparison Between Homicide and Homicide-Suicide in Portugal.

Intimate partner homicide (IPH) is a tragic event. Studies involving the comparison between IPH and intimate partner homicide-suicide (IPH-S) are scarce, with few studies in Portugal about this issue. The current study aims to compare IPH and IPH-S perpetrators, the victim-perpetrator relationships dynamics, and homicide circumstances. The data was collected through the analysis of 78 judicial processes of IPH that occurred in Portugal, between 2010 and 2015. Of the cases, 51 were IPH, 20 were IPH-S cases, and seven were attempted suicide cases, being perpetrated in 84.6% (n = 66) for male perpetrators. Suicide after intimate homicide were all committed by men. All judicial processes analyzed refer to heterosexual relationships. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare the groups concerning perpetrator and victim sociodemographic characteristics, victim-perpetrator dyadic dynamics, and crime circumstances. The results show mostly common trends between the two groups with some differentiating factors when compared individually (e.g., perpetrator professional status, criminal records). Regression logistic analysis showed no differences between IPH and IPH-S.

ABANDONED AND FORGOTTEN? VIOLENT DEATHS OF PREVIOUSLY ABUSED FEMALE VICTIMS IN CROATIA

The paper is divided into two parts to facilitate a clearer understanding of different aspects of the violent death of previously abused female victims. The first part offers a brief overview of the most recent phenomenological conclusions on violence ending in death and explains the need to focus on gender differences in homicide victimisation. A bulk of research has confirmed that most women are more vulnerable to homicide within home and that the lethal outcome is an escalation of previously experienced abuse. In order to contribute to a more in-depth study of female intimate homicides, the authors focus on a variety of definitions and draw a clear line between the term femicide and the aggravated murder of a closely related person. In the second part of the paper, the authors have analysed the case-law of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia in which the perpetrators were found guilty of the criminal offence of aggravated murder of a closely related person (Art. 111, Para. 3 of the Criminal Code) in the period from 1 January 2013 to 1 June 2020. The research primarily focused on the circumstance of previous abuse, especially on the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, the duration and frequency of abuse, and the reaction of the environment and competent authorities in cases where they knew about the abuse or when it was reported.

Intimate partner homicide: victims and the dynamics of victim – perpetrator relationship

Introduction Intimate partner homicide is considered one of the most extreme forms of interpersonal violence, where one in seven homicides is perpetrated by an actual or former intimate partner. The aim of this study is to analyse the characteristics of the intimate partner homicide (IPH) victims as well as the dynamics of victim - perpetrator relationship. Materials and methods The data used in this study were obtained through the analysis of IPH criminal cases on Portuguese courts, that were finalised and handed down and/or sentenced between 2010 and 2015. The relevant authorizations were obtained from several courts, after the approval of this project by the Ethics Committee of Minho University —Subcommittee on Ethics for Social and Human Sciences (SECSH 060/2016). The criminal cases were consulted in several courts at national level – Lisboa and Vale do Tejo (n = 53), Vila Real (n = 5), Braga (n = 4), Vila do Conde (n = 3), Aveiro (n = 3), Ponta Delgada (n = 3), Póvoa do Varzim (n = 2), Viana do Castelo (n = 1) and Maia (n = 1). Our sample was composed by 75 cases, in which 63 (84%) IPH were perpetrated by men and 12 (16%) by women. From those, 19 were homicides-suicides (25%) and 5 homicides-suicide attempts (7%). Results IPH victims were aged between 30 and 50 years, mostly were professionally active (n = 40; 63%) and from undifferentiated profesisons (n = 43; 74%). Most of them did not present substance abuse (n = 61; 81%) or psychiatric history (n = 60; 80%). Only in 31% (n = 23) there was records danger perception. Regarding the relationship between the IPH perpetrator and the victims, it had an average duration of 13.4 years, with a difference of ages of 6.7 months. There were in total 66 children involved in these cases. The relationships were mostly current (n = 52; 69%) and formal (n = 68; 91%). Of all the analysed cases, although the majority (72%) presented previous history of intimate partner violence (IPV), there was a relevant proportion of cases (28%) without any reported or registered IPV. In 79% (n = 59) of cases, the men were the primary aggressors (five women and one man perpetrated IPH in sequence of an history of previous victimization). In 21% (n = 16) of cases the reported IPV was bidirectional. Regarding the types of IPV, in 91% (n = 68) of the cases registered the presence of previous psychological violence, 61% (n = 46) physical violence, 46% (n = 35) stalking and 44% (n = 33) control behaviours. In 83% (n = 62) there were co-occurrence of different types of violence. In 39% (n = 29) of the cases with IPV records there were only registers of psychological violence and/or stalking and/or control behaviours. Discussion and conclusions These results obtained allowed to conclude that intimate homicide victims don't have a stereotyped profile. Also, these data demonstrate that the victims do not have characteristics that allow them to anticipate their vulnerability. Although most cases of IPH occurred mainly as the culmination of a repeatedly history of prior violence and in situations in which physical violence was a common feature, there is a strong occurrence of psychological violence in IPH. Therefore, the results obtained allow us to identify some essential areas for prevention and intervention. The practical implications of the results are discussed in order to improve the professional practices of the various systems, Integrated in the technical and social systems that must intervene in IPV context.

Inter-gender murder in NSW, 1901–1955: Reconsidering the laws of the fraternity

Contemporary studies that focus on intimate homicide assume that patterns of policing, prosecution and punishment were uniformly disadvantageous to women before feminist activists intervened in the 1970s. This article tests that assumption by drawing on the Prosecution Project’s digitisation of Australian criminal trial records. Using this resource, we selected all prosecutions ( n = 314) of men for murders of women and of women for murders of men in New South Wales, from Federation (1901) to 1955, the year the state abolished the death penalty. By coding victim–offender relationships and analysing them in relation to case outcomes, we found that men were far more likely than women to be convicted of murder, including seven men executed for intimate femicides. By contrast, women were more likely than men to be acquitted outright, rather than plead guilty to manslaughter of male intimates, a trend that feminist research has identified recently. This research provides new findings of use to critical appraisals of the charging and sentencing reforms that were meant to remedy ‘the laws of the fraternity’.

Narratives of Albanian female offenders who killed their intimate partners during 2010-2014. Case report series

Introduction: Most homicide perpetrators in Albania (according to data from Tirana Central Prison Directory, 2015) were males (n=1170) and only 20 were females. Intimate partner homicides comprise the largest category of female-perpetrated homicide, 8 out of 20 female offenders were convicted because of intimate partner homicide. Aims: The present study examined the life experiences of Albanian women, who are serving prison sentences for killing their male intimates between 2010 and 2014. “We are here due to a damned minute!” said one of the women blaming the triggering event. Several psychosocial factors that are hidden can interact in the chain of events that may extend back from a triggering event to long-term processes that began in their childhood. These case studies shed light on those direct or indirect factors contributing to the murder. Method: On July 2015 the convicted women responded to open-ended interview questions, providing narrative accounts of their personal experiences from childhood to the act of killing. Questions were related to childhood experiences, relations and possible support from their biological family, possible traumatic events, relations to former partners, family dynamics with the murdered partner and children, attitudes toward their duties in the family and children’s responsibilities, insight for the causes of murder, social systems they looked for help, their feelings, circumstances and motivational contexts of intimate homicide, as well as regret. Results: Our in-depth interviews revealed that there was a similar profile of female homicide offenders who killed their intimate partners: they were grown up in harsh psychosocial circumstances during their childhood, most of them having some type of trauma, economically disadvantaged families, victims of abuse, undereducated, with limited opportunities and unemployed in the long-term prior to being incarcerated. The findings suggest that those psychosocial factors have played a role in the commitment of the crime.

Descriptive Epidemiology of Homicides With Victim and Suspect Race or Hispanic Ethnicity Discordance in the United States: Analysis of National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) 2005-2015.

Cross-racial violence is a high-profile issue in the United States; however, there is little empirical research on the epidemiology of cross-racial homicides. The objective of this work was to use national-level data to evaluate the characteristics of homicides in which the victim and suspect are of the same or different race or Hispanic ethnicity. Victims and suspects from National Violent Death Reporting System data (2005-2015) were classified into seven-categories on the basis of race/ethnicity (six non-Hispanic races or Hispanic ethnicity), and 51,454 homicide events were classified as concordant (same race or ethnicity), discordant (different race or ethnicity), or unknown (missing race or ethnicity or no suspect information). While discordancy was observed to be similar across all race and ethnicity groups, it was less likely with relatives, romantic partners, and relatives of romantic partners; less likely to occur at home; less likely to occur in intimate partner violence-related homicides; less likely when the homicide was preceded by an argument over money or property; less likely when the homicide was associated with a family problem; more likely among rival gangs and strangers than other known person relationships; and more likely with drug-involved homicides. There were differences for victims of non-Hispanic Black race. Notably, discordance was more likely for justifiable self-defense and more likely with victim having used a weapon. These results suggest that discordant homicides may follow patterns of peer groups and close relationships in society regardless of victim race/ethnicity, that is, individuals may form closer relationships with individuals of the same race/ethnicity.

Aboriginal Women’s Experiences With Intimate Partner Sexual Violence and The Dangerous Lives They Live As a Result of Victimization

ABSTRACTConsiderable research has documented the seriousness of Intimate Partner Sexual Violence, which has been found to affect Aboriginal women disproportionally. In addition, rates of intimate homicides are five times higher for Aboriginal women than non-Aboriginal women. Intimate Partner Sexual Violence tends to have a particular capacity to attack the identity of victimized women because of the multiple forms of violence experienced at the same time. This study investigated the nature of violence experienced by a current or former intimate partner. Participants were adult females who identified as Aboriginal Australians. Findings indicated high levels of sexual victimization and potentially lethal violence. Aboriginal women reported to have been subjected to threats to kill, attempts of strangulation, having been threatened with a weapon, and frequent forced sexual intercourse. Fear and anger appeared to explain women’s resistance against the experienced violence. Frontline intervention policy developers and practitioners may implement specific protective measures in recognition of the increased danger Aboriginal women face. Barriers should be removed to address victimization in a culturally sensitive way. It is imperative to retain an empathic understanding, demonstrate cultural competency and openness when providing assistance and support.

Australian Media Messages: Critical Discourse Analysis of Two Intimate Homicides Involving Domestic Violence.

This study uses critical discourse analysis to examine news reporting of two cases of intimate partner violence in Australia. The fine-grained analysis of newswriting and news-editing practices focuses particularly on the lexical features and referential strategies used to represent the perpetrator and the victim, the crime, and the location of the crime. Findings show that reporting often omits social context, sensationalizes, and acts to shift blame in ways that do not increase public understanding of the nature of domestic violence. These results build on international findings and add to the evidence base about media reporting of violence against women.

Feminist Challenges to the Constraints of Law: Donning Uncomfortable Robes?

Legal judgment writing mobilises a process of story-telling, drawing on existing judicial discourses, precedents and practices to create a narrative relevant to the specific case that is articulated by the presiding judge. In the Feminist Judgments projects feminist scholars and activists have sought to challenge and reinterpret legal judgments that have disadvantaged, discriminated against or denied women’s experiences. This paper reflects on the process of writing as a feminist judge in the Australian Project, in an intimate homicide case, R v Middendorp. Drawing on the work of Judith Butler on intelligibility, iterability and the communality of violence and vulnerability, this article argues that feminist judgments necessarily require some uncomfortable compromises with unjust gendered institutions. While ‘donning the robes’ may be an uncomfortable process, a feminist re-articulation of the law’s carceral power serves to unsettle and challenge some aspects of gendered oppression, even though it cannot unsettle the operation of the institution. The article concludes that effective feminist interventions by members of the judiciary may require donning robes that are not entirely comfortable in order to persuade and advocate for change.

Mock Juror Gender Biases and Perceptions of Self-Defense Claims in Intimate Partner Homicide

Findings are reported from an experiment that examined mock jurors’ gender biases regarding intimate homicide case adjudications. Mock jurors were more likely to convict a man than a woman who had killed an abusive partner, which was partially mediated by sympathy toward both the victim and defendant. Analyses revealed an abuser height and abuser gender interaction such that conviction rates for women defendants were higher when her abuser was taller compared to when he was shorter than she; abuser height did not influence conviction rates for men. Findings also suggested that when given information about a child being present, mock jurors perceived the killing of the abusive partner as an act to protect that child. The results are discussed in relation to how extra-legal factors impact juror perceptions of domestic violence cases in the courtroom.

Replacing Provocation in England and Wales: Examining the Partial Defence of Loss of Control

In October 2010, provocation was abolished as a partial defence to murder in England and Wales. Through the introduction of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, a new partial defence of loss of control was implemented. This sought to overcome problems associated with the provocaton defence and the gendered operation of the law of homicide, particularly in relation to male‐perpetrated intimate homicides, and the inadequate response of the law to the contexts in which battered women kill. This article first provides an account of these developments, and then examines legal stakeholders' perceptions of them. Drawing from in‐depth interviews with criminal justice professionals, it considers their perceptions of the operation of the law of homicide during a period of transition, specifically considering the formulation of the new partial defence, the initial effects of its implementation, and the significant differences between the Law Commission's recommendations and the reforms implemented by the government.

American Homicide1. What Does the Evidence Mean for Theories of Violence and Society?

Randolph Roth’s American Homicide is an impressive book which has been long awaited among specialists in historical violence. It is based on an enormous research effort matched only by the amount of reading in secondary literature that has gone into this study. Even historians disagreeing with Roth’s overall thesis will learn much about American history or, for example about the character and circumstances of intimate homicide. All in all, his quantitative evidence, covering much of the terri...

Can Situational and Structural Factors Differentiate Between Intimate Partner and “Other” Homicide?

A large body of research has identified strong and consistent correlates of aggregated intimate homicide incidents; however, the bulk of these studies focuses on the influence of either case or neighborhood characteristics on homicide types, but not both. This study examines data collected from 739 homicides in two distinct metropolitan cities to determine which factors differentiate intimate and non-intimate homicide. Findings reveal that intimate partner homicides (IPH) are more likely to involve females both as victims and offenders when compared to non-IPH incidents. In addition, IPH homicides are more likely to be committed with weapons than non-IPH, but this finding only appears in Indianapolis homicides. Indeed, one of the stark contrasts between Indianapolis and Newark was the much greater prevalence of firearms involved in IPH homicides in Indianapolis. This suggests the need for future research that sorts out patterns of household gun possession, factors influencing community levels of household gun possession, and the use of legally- or illegally-possessed firearms in IPH homicide.

Death by domestic violence: preventing the murders and murder-suicides

Preface 1. Women and Families at Risk: An Overview 2. Risk Factors for Domestic Homicide 3. The Dynamics of Murder-Suicide in Domestic Situations 4. The Role of Alcohol and Other Drugs in Domestic Homicide Katherine van Wormer, Alissa Mallow, and Kelly Ward 5. Issues of Power and Control in the Death of a Loved One Kelly Ward and Carolyn Bradley 6. Portraits of Life in the Aftermath of Domestic Homicide Marilyn Armour 7. Domestic Homicide Worldwide Katherine van Wormer and Woochan Shim 8. Response of the U.S. Criminal Justice System 9. Personal Narratives of Women in Prison for Partner Homicide 10. Safety Plans for the Prevention of Intimate Homicide 11. Work with Dangerous Battering Men

Indigenous Sentencing Courts and Partner Violence: What Happens to Gender Power Imbalances During the Sentence Hearing?

This paper goes some way in mapping and assessing the processes of Indigenous sentencing courts when dealing with family violence offences. In particular this research focuses on intimate partner violence (rather than other forms of family violence) since it is the most frequent form of family violence in Indigenous communities. Rates of intimate partner violence and intimate homicide in Indigenous communities are widely documented as being much higher than that in non-Indigenous communities, despite the fact that measuring these rates is not straightforward. The use of the courts for sentencing family violence offenders has been supported and encouraged by many of the key players and Elders involved with the courts. However, others, including key players and Elders involved with the Koori Courts in Victoria, consider the dynamics surrounding the offence of family violence to be too complex for consideration by the Elders which sit on the Indigenous sentencing courts. The presence of gendered power imbalances in a hearing concerning domestic and family violence is often identified as being a particularly problematic aspect of alternative justice processes. Victims who are present at hearings held in alternative justice forums often lack proper support to counter the risks of further abuse and control continuing during such hearings. The main focus of this paper is the extent to which gendered power imbalances are present in sentencing hearings conducted in Indigenous sentencing courts and how such power imbalances are addressed by the presence of Elders. The research specifically focuses on the courts in New South Wales and Queensland, and on the views of Magistrates, Elders, court workers and domestic violence support workers associated with those courts. Feminist critical race theories that have explored the complexities involved in responding to family violence in Indigenous communities, are used as the theoretical framework from which to consider whether the processes of the Indigenous sentencing courts are suitable for dealing with offenders and victims of intimate partner violence. In particular, emphasis will be placed on studies that have focused on critiquing the different types of court processes that are used for resolving matters involving family violence. The paper firstly describes the different processes of the Indigenous sentencing courts in Queensland and New South Wales. Next, it outlines what feminist and critical race scholars have said about using alternative justice forums to deal with family violence offences and whether these alternative justice forums are able to rectify any gender power imbalances which exist during the hearing itself. Finally, findings from an analysis of data collected from 39 interviews and eight observations of intimate partner violence sentencing hearings in the courts is presented to discuss whether the presence of Elders in Indigenous sentencing courts is able to provide a buffer for the victim against experiencing gendered harms during the hearing.

Intimate Homicide Between Asians and Non-Asians

This study tests two competing hypotheses regarding the social structural dynamics of intimate homicide: backlash versus collective efficacy. This study also examines the role of race in how social factors specified in each hypothesis affect intimate homicide. Data are from the California Vital Statistics and Homicide Data, 1990-1999. Results from a negative binomial regression partially support both hypotheses. In terms of magnitude, social deprivation is more important than both the backlash and collective efficacy factors. Asian intimate homicide is susceptible to the ability of communities to resolve commonly identified problems, whereas non-Asian intimate homicide is vulnerable to the depletion of socioeconomic resources. Implications of these findings are discussed in this article.

Battered Women Charged With Homicide: Advancing the Interests of Indigenous Women

This article examines legal responses to women charged with a homicide offence arising from killing an abusive partner and reviews Australian cases over the period 1991–2007. We focus on cases involving Indigenous women, due to their very substantial overrepresentation as victims and offenders in intimate homicides in Australia. We find that the Australian case law to date has not developed principles adequate to reflect battered women's interests. Our analysis of cases involving Indigenous battered women indicates that the battering they had experienced and their disadvantaged circumstances were commonly read as indicators of personal deficits, and any evidence of structural disadvantage was muted. This research suggests that the limited impact of battered women's litigation in Australia is in part attributable to the psychological individualism of the criminal law identified by Norrie (2001, 2005), which is not confined to the trial stage but also shapes prosecutorial discretion and sentencing. We urge future research to shift the focus beyond battered woman syndrome and the trial process to examine plea bargaining and sentencing, and we suggest that advocates on behalf of battered women cannot rely on case law developments to deliver change but need to pursue multiple strategies.

Correlates of the Victim–Offender Relationship in Homicide

Using a classification of homicides based on the victim-offender relationship, this research analyzes individual-level data from a local prosecutor's office in Taiwan with multinomial logistic regression to locate the more precise correlates of three different homicide relationship types. The results of the analyses provide further support for the hypothesis that such partitioning of homicides is fruitful in revealing the relationships otherwise obscured. They indicate that both sociodemographic variables and situational variables are important correlates of three different homicide relationships, but their strengths vary based on the particular homicide relationship type. Age and crime premises correlate with homicide differently based on the victim-offender relationship. Premeditation is related to acquaintance homicide but not to intimate homicide. In contrast, previous conviction is associated with intimate homicide but not with acquaintance homicide. The implication of the findings is discussed within the limitation of the data.

Exploring the Difference Between Male and Female Intimate Partner Homicides

This research examines the role of situational factors in differentiating between male- and female-perpetrated intimate partner homicide. Applying concepts from Luckenbill’s theory of homicide as a situated transaction, an intimate partner homicide is seen as an amorphous event where the role of offender and victim emerge during the transaction. When adopting this framework, it is possible to treat the sex of the offender as a dependent variable and examine situational factors that may differentiate between male and female intimate partner homicide offenders. The data used in this analysis come from the lethal sample of the Chicago Women’s Health Risk Study, 1995 to 1998. These data consist of records for 85 heterosexual intimate homicide incidents that occurred in Chicago in 1995 and 1996. Logistic regression analyses indicate that the presence of a prehomicide injury and whether the offender used a knife differentiate between male and female offenders. Implications for future research are discussed.

Bargaining in the Shadow of the Law: Divorce Laws and Family Distress

Over the past thirty years changes in divorce law have significantly increased access to divorce. The different timing of divorce law reform across states provides a useful quasi-experiment with which to examine the effects of this change. We analyze state panel data to estimate changes in suicide, domestic violence, and spousal murder rates arising from the change in divorce law. Suicide rates are used as a quantifiable measure of wellbeing, albeit one that focuses on the extreme lower tail of the distribution. We find a large, statistically significant, and econometrically robust decline in the number of women committing suicide following the introduction of unilateral divorce. No significant effect is found for men. Domestic violence is analyzed using data on both family conflict resolution and intimate homicide rates. The results indicate a large decline in domestic violence for both men and women in states that adopted unilateral divorce. We find suggestive evidence that unilateral divorce led to a decline in females murdered by their partners, while the data revealed no discernible effects for men murdered. In sum, we find strong evidence that legal institutions have profound real effects on outcomes within families.