Multiple Homicide Research Articles

The problem of post-conviction review in Australia

Kathleen Folbigg’s recent acquittals for multiple homicides have rekindled the debate over the adequacy of post-conviction review in Australia. This article explores the constraints of the finality principle and the appellate system in Australia in addressing potential wrongful convictions, including the impact of managerialist policies. The authors discuss the limitations of an independent criminal case review commission model. They argue that the debate should be centred on the inadequacy of legal aid as a significant risk factor for wrongful convictions, the need for less restrictive appeal criteria, and developing consistent and transparent processes for the retention and retrieval of evidence.

Multiple homicide: a descriptive study of serial homicide and mass murder in England and Wales

ABSTRACT Homicide involving multiple victims is relatively rare in England and Wales. When it does occur, mental illness is assumed to have played a significant role. However, reliable evidence to support this is often lacking. We aimed to describe the prevalence of multiple homicide and its subgroups: serial murder, mass murder and familicide and the presence of mental disorder. Data were obtained from the Home Office, HM Court Service, the Police National Computer and NHS Trusts. In England and Wales 470 killed multiple victims between 1997 and 2018. Most did not have evidence of mental health symptoms at the time of offence (85%) or a recorded history of mental disorder (69%). Mental disorder was also not found in most serial homicides (90%), mass murders (94%), or familicides (70%). A tenth of all multiple homicide perpetrators had been under the care of mental health services a year before the incident. This finding challenges commonly held views about mental disorders and the stigma that is perpetuated when multiple-victim homicides occur. Low prevalence and low levels of contact with mental health services make preventing multiple homicide difficult. Reducing violence across society by adopting a multi-agency public health approach is recommended.

Superhomicide offenders: Nosology, empirical features, and linkages to sexual and multiple murder typologies.

The nosology for criminals who murder multiple victims is at once well-established and controversial, perhaps because theorists have largely segregated such offenders from the broader criminal population. The current study introduces the superhomicide offender, an individual convicted of at least five murders, to locate multiple homicide offenders within the criminological and epidemiological science pertaining to the most pathological offenders, and statistically place them with other conceptualizations of severe offenders at the 95th percentile of the offending distribution. Relative to other capital murderers, superhomicide offenders have lengthier criminal history, greater conviction history, and coextensive psychopathology characterized by psychopathy, sexual sadism, homicidal ideation, cluster A and B personality disorders, and major depressive disorder. Superhomicide offenders are profoundly psychopathic with 20 of the 39 offenders reaching the clinical threshold of 30 or more on the PCL-R, and 19 of the 39 are sexually sadistic. Regarding extant typologies of sexual and multiple homicide offenders, 15 are serial murderers, 17 are sexual homicide offenders, 17 are mass murderers, and 17 are spree murderers. Twenty-four of the 39 superhomicide offenders (61.5%) met criteria for multiple typologies, suggesting the new prototype can help unify the study of those who perpetrate multicide and embed them within criminological and epidemiological models that specify pathological antisocial outcomes.

Surveillance for Violent Deaths — National Violent Death Reporting System, 48 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2020

Surveillance for Violent Deaths — National Violent Death Reporting System, 48 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2020

Immigrating to Unsafe Spaces: Unique Patterns of Homicide in Immigrant Victims Compared to Native-Born Citizens

IntroductionContrary to popular belief, immigrant enclaves produce less crime than other areas of the United States, yet that does not mean immigrants avoid violent crime altogether. The purpose of this project is to better characterize the victims of homicide in this population. Specifically, we sought to compare differences in victim demographics, injury patterns, and circumstances of violent death between the immigrant population and native-born victims of homicide. MethodsWe queried the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) from the years 2003-2019 for deaths in victims who were born outside of the United States. We extracted demographic information including age, race or ethnicity, means of homicide, and circumstances surrounding the event to compare immigrant to nonimmigrant deaths. ResultsImmigrant victims were less likely to be killed by a firearm and to have substance use or alcohol implicated. Immigrant victims were twice as likely to be killed during multiple homicide events that involved suicide of the perpetrator (2.1% to 1%, P ≤ 0.001) and to be killed by a stranger (12.9% to 6.2%, P ≤ 0.001). Immigrant victims were also more likely to be killed during the perpetration of another crime (19.1% to 15%, P ≤ 0.001), and more likely to be killed in a commercial setting such as a grocery store or retail outlet (7.6% to 2.4%, P ≤ 0.001). ConclusionsInjury prevention measures for the immigrant population require different techniques, focusing on distinct features of victimization centered on random acts in contrast to native-born citizens who tend to be victims of people they know.

Decrease in Mexico's life expectancy due to multiple homicides: the murder of women adjacent to the homicide of one or more men

The objective is to analyze the effect of multiple homicides on male and female life expectancy and to provide empirical evidence of the temporal and spatial associations between male and female homicide rates by age group during the period 2002-2020. Using data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) and population projections from the National Population Council (CONAPO), mortality rates due to homicide from 2002-2020 were estimated for both men and women, and the adjacency of homicides of men and women was analyzed, along with the spatial proximity between multiple homicides of men and women, along with changes in life expectancy due to homicide. Individual homicides have caused the greatest decrease in life expectancy for both men and women. The negative impact of multiple homicides on both female and male life expectancy began to draw attention in 2008. By analyzing the murders of women adjacent to the homicides of one or more men questions are raised about whether these crimes are primarily the result of criminal violence, and to a lesser extent the role of gender.

Murder of Two or More Persons: what did the Supreme Court Mean?

The article is devoted to the problem of excessive qualification for multiple homicide crimes. The author shows the evolution of the attribute “murder of two or more persons”, carries out its correlation with related circumstances aggravating criminal liability, explores controversial issues of criminal legal assessment of attempted murder and murder under aggravating circumstances as independent acts.In conclusion, a new version of the provisions of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation regarding the murder of two or more persons as a completed crime is proposed.

Intimate partner homicides in Denmark 1992–2016

Intimate partner homicide is one of the most common types of homicide and a significant contributor to domestic homicides worldwide, especially affecting females. We focus on the intimate partner homicides in Denmark during 1992–2016. Though gender identity data was unavailable, sex data from official documents enabled critical analysis. Of the 1417 homicides in the period, 26.5% were intimate partner homicides, i.e., 55.6% of female and 8.9% of male victims. The annual intimate partner homicide rate was 0.28 per 100,000 (0.44 for female victims and 0.12 for male victims), declining at a lower rate than other types of homicide. Most victims of intimate partner homicides were females (79.3%). The demographics of the victims and the characteristics of the homicides were markedly different depending on victim sex. Female victims were killed by more varied methods, with more severe injuries and followed by suicide in 26.5% and with multiple homicide victims in 8.1%.

Violence, crime, and psychiatry in the Spanish punk imaginary; General portrait

Previous findings suggest that the mass media depictions of people with mental disorders emphasize violence and criminality, unpredictable behaviour, and social incompetence. Our overall objective was to draw a general portrait of subcultural representations of criminal and violent behavior in the context of psychiatry. The content analysis of 190 song lyrics from a sample of 7777 outlined the elements composing the depictions of crime and violence and their connections with mental disorders in Spanish punk music (1981–2010). Two approaches were identified: one group of songs emphasized descriptions of violent and criminal behavior, while the other focused on psychiatric symptoms, syndromes, or diagnoses (appearing the violent or criminal behavior as epiphenomena of mental health problems). Quantitatively, songs with themes alluding to homicidal behavior predominated, with multiple homicide being widely portrayed. Regarding psychiatric disorders, substance use prevailed and, to a lesser extent, antisocial personality traits and psychotic symptoms. The depictions found are closely related to the connotations expected in the general population. Thus, we found a predilection for violent crimes and frequent allusions to the perpetrator as ‘mentally disturbed.’ It is consistent with the greater frequency of descriptions of violent crime in the media, despite its relative infrequency to other types of crime. Likewise, it coincides with the cultural interest in homicide and how it nourishes the current entertainment industry. However, some distinctive features in punk music included positive connotations for social deviance, and even antisocial traits, as a form of identity affirmation and opposition to the social order. On the other hand, violence and crime serve fundamentally punk provocativeness rather than a mythification or aesthetic enjoyment of crime. The portrayal of crime in the punk narratives was constructed around different non-exclusive sources whose contribution varied between compositions. It included the contents learned from and transmitted through the mass media, mainly the press, films, and television. These media provide both factual and fictional content (intertextuality). Other artistic manifestations can equally contribute to the interdiscursive ambit. The influence of crime news from abroad was relevant in depictions of mass murder (particularly, mass shootings), the same as intertextuality (mainly based on non-Spanish productions) for the subcultural portrayals of serial killers. Generally, the medical and criminological sciences have limited influence on the opinions of the general population, which continue to rely mostly on biased reports from mass media. This is a pending task for the scientific, academic, and clinical fields, hence the relevance of a dialogue between art, culture, media, and psychiatry.

Homicidal Ideation in a Sample of Capital Murderers: Prevalence, Morbidity, and Associations With Homicide Offending

Homicidal ideation is an important, but understudied construct in criminological research. Unfortunately, previous investigations into homicidal ideation are limited by reliance on small convenience samples, larger correctional samples with limited access to the most serious and violent criminal offenders, and single-item measures of the central construct. The current study improves and extends existing research by examining the link between three unique measures of homicidal ideation spanning its frequency, chronicity, and severity on murder and attempted murder among an enriched sample of death-sentenced prisoners in California. Many individuals in these data have extensive criminal careers and multiple homicide offenses. Homicidal ideation frequency and severity were significantly associated with both murder and attempted murder convictions, homicidal chronicity had null effects. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Tetrahydrozoline: Death by Eyedrops

Tetrahydrozoline (THZ) is an alpha-adrenergic receptor agonist most commonly used in eyedrops to reduce redness. Reported plasma concentrations are less than 1 ng/mL after normal use. Adverse effects following oral ingestion include drowsiness, tremors, irregular heartbeat and respiratory depression. Several cases of individuals surviving accidental THZ exposure and drug facilitated crimes victims rendered unconscious by the drug have been reported. The purpose of this study is to summarize THZ concentrations from cases submitted to a reference laboratory and examine its role in death cases. Data were extracted from NMS Labs’ (Horsham, PA, USA) Laboratory Information Management System for all cases received from December 2010 to December 2021. Cases with a reported blood THZ concentration were classified as postmortem (PM), driving under the influence of drugs (DUID), drug facilitated crime (DFC) or unknown. The mean, median and concentration ranges for each group were determined. The number and types of other drugs reported were also examined in cases which underwent comprehensive testing. 129 cases were positive for THZ. The reported concentrations are summarized below: – Case Type N Mean (ng/mL) Median (ng/mL) Range (ng/mL) – PM 112 20 1.7 0.19–290, – DUID 1 0.64 0.64 -, – DFC 3 0.35 0.35 <0.10–0.52, – UNKNOWN 13 18 1.2 0.27–130. Comprehensive testing was performed on approximately 100 cases. The most commonly detected other drugs were ethanol, Delta-9 THC), diphenhydramine, fentanyl, amphetamine, and morphine. THZ concentrations ≥100 ng/mL were reported in 10 cases. One case (THZ = 100 ng/mL) was from a living individual and the status of the patient could not be determined in another case (THZ = 130 ng/mL). The remaining cases included a dual suicide, one sudden death, one “suspected poisoning”, one homicide and one case still under active investigation. A woman admitted to lacing her boyfriend's water with tetrahydrozoline on multiple occasions from 2009–2012 to get him to pay more attention to her. The man, who survived, sought medical attention for trouble breathing, irregular blood pressure and nausea and had a blood THZ concentration of 49 ng/mL. The THZ concentration in cardiac blood from a decedent whose death was originally believed to be due to natural causes was 68 ng/mL. THZ, an uncommon finding in toxicology testing, has been reported in multiple homicide, suicide and drug facilitated crimes highlighting the importance of its inclusion in comprehensive post-mortem toxicology testing.

Surveillance for Violent Deaths - National Violent Death Reporting System, 42 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2019.

Surveillance for Violent Deaths - National Violent Death Reporting System, 42 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2019.

Surveillance for Violent Deaths - National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2018.

Surveillance for Violent Deaths - National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2018.

Homicides of American Indians/Alaska Natives - National Violent Death Reporting System, United States, 2003-2018.

Problem/ConditionHomicide is a leading cause of death for American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). Intimate partner violence (IPV) contributes to many homicides, particularly among AI/AN females. This report summarizes data from CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) on AI/AN homicides. Results include victim and suspect sex, age group, and race/ethnicity; method of injury; type of location where the homicide occurred; precipitating circumstances (i.e., events that contributed to the homicide); and other selected characteristics.Period Covered2003–2018.Description of SystemNVDRS collects data regarding violent deaths obtained from death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports, and law enforcement reports and links related deaths (e.g., multiple homicides and homicide followed by suicide) into a single incident. This report includes data on AI/AN homicides that were collected from 34 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin) and the District of Columbia.ResultsNVDRS collected data on 2,226 homicides of AI/ANs in 34 states and the District of Columbia during 2003–2018. The age-adjusted AI/AN homicide rate was 8.0 per 100,000 population. The homicide rate was three times higher in AI/AN males than females (12.0 versus 3.9), and the median age of AI/AN victims was 32 years (interquartile range: 23–44 years). Approximately half of AI/AN homicide victims lived or were killed in metropolitan areas (48.2% and 52.7%, respectively). A firearm was used in nearly half (48.4%) of homicides and in a higher percentage of homicides of AI/AN males than females (51.5% versus 39.1%). More AI/AN females than males were killed in a house or apartment (61.8% versus 53.7%) or in their own home (47.7% versus 29.0%). Suspects were identified in 82.8% of AI/AN homicides. Most suspects were male (80.1%), and nearly one third (32.1%) of suspects were AI/ANs. For AI/AN male victims, the suspect was most often an acquaintance or friend (26.3%), a person known to the victim but the exact nature of the relationship was unclear (12.3%), or a relative (excluding intimate partners) (10.5%). For AI/AN female victims, the suspect was most often a current or former intimate partner (38.4%), an acquaintance or friend (11.5%), or a person known to the victim but the exact nature of the relationship was unclear (7.9%). A crime precipitated 24.6% of AI/AN homicides (i.e., the homicide occurred as the result of another serious crime). More AI/AN males were victims of homicides due to an argument or conflict than females (54.7% versus 37.3%), whereas more AI/AN females were victims of homicides due to IPV than males (45.0% versus 12.1%). For homicides related to IPV, 87.2% of AI/AN female victims were killed by a current or former intimate partner, whereas approximately half (51.5%) of AI/AN male victims were corollary victims (i.e., victims killed during an IPV-related incident who were not the intimate partners themselves).InterpretationThis report provides a detailed summary of NVDRS data on AI/AN homicides during 2003–2018. Interpersonal conflict was a predominant circumstance, with nearly half of all AI/AN homicides precipitated by an argument and for female victims, 45.0% precipitated by IPV.Public Health ActionNVDRS provides critical and ongoing data on AI/AN homicides that can be used to identify effective and early intervention strategies for preventing these deaths. When possible, violence prevention efforts should include community-developed, culturally relevant, and evidence-based strategies. These efforts should incorporate traditional native knowledge and solutions, implement and possibly adapt evidence-based IPV and other violence prevention strategies, and consider the influence of historical and larger societal factors that increase the likelihood of violence in AI/AN communities.

Estimación del feminicidio en México con base en homicidios en solitario

Las mujeres de México enfrentan dos guerras que atentan contra su vida; por un lado, la violencia de machismo y misoginia, y por el otro, la violencia generalizada por la guerra contra las drogas. Mientras que parte de la violencia criminal se manifiesta usualmente en eventos de homicidios múltiples, los feminicidios suelen tener lugar como acciones específicamente dirigidas a ellas de manera individual. Este artículo es-tablece las limitaciones de las herramientas metodológicas empleadas por otras inves-tigaciones en la delimitación del feminicidio y plantea una nueva propuesta. El análisis de asesinatos múltiples revela que la muerte de una importante proporción de mujeres se vincula con la muerte de hombres y, simultáneamente, el análisis de homicidios en solitario manifiesta una reconfiguración de espacios de riesgo para las mujeres no necesariamente asociados a la violencia criminal.

Examining differences between mass, multiple, and single-victim homicides to inform prevention: findings from the National Violent Death Reporting System

BackgroundMulti-victim homicides are a persistent public health problem confronting the United States. Previous research shows that homicide rates in the U.S. are approximately seven times higher than those of other high-income countries, driven by firearm homicide rates that are 25 times higher; 31% of public mass shootings in the world also occur in the U.S.. The purpose of this analysis is to examine the characteristics of mass, multiple, and single homicides to help identify prevention points that may lead to a reduction in different types of homicides.MethodsWe used all available years (2003–2017) and U.S. states/jurisdictions (35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico) included in CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), a public health surveillance system which combines death certificate, coroner/medical examiner, and law enforcement reports into victim- and incident-level data on violent deaths. NVDRS includes up to 600 standard variables per incident; further information on types of mental illness among suspected perpetrators and incident resolution was qualitatively coded from case narratives. Data regarding number of persons nonfatally shot within incidents were cross-validated when possible with several other resources, including government reports and the Gun Violence Archive. Mass homicides (4+ victims), multiple homicides (2-3 victims) and single homicides were analyzed to assess group differences using Chi-square tests with Bonferroni-corrected post-hoc comparisons.ResultsMass homicides more often had female, child, and non-Hispanic white victims than other homicide types. Compared with victims of other homicide types, victims of mass homicides were more often killed by strangers or someone else they did not know well, or by family members. More than a third were related to intimate partner violence. Approximately one-third of mass homicide perpetrators had suicidal thoughts/behaviors noted in the time leading up to the incident. Multi-victim homicides were more often perpetrated with semi-automatic firearms than single homicides. When accounting for nonfatally shot victims, over 4 times as many incidents could have resulted in mass homicide.ConclusionsThese findings underscore the important interconnections among multiple forms of violence. Primary prevention strategies addressing shared risk and protective factors are key to reducing these incidents.

Survival of the Recidivistic? Revealing Factors Associated with the Criminal Career Length of Multiple Homicide Offenders

Relying on a sample of 1,381 US-based multiple homicide offenders (MHOs), we study the duration of the careers of this extremely violent category of offenders through Kaplan–Meier estimation and Cox Proportional Hazard regression. We investigate the characteristics of such careers in terms of length and we provide an inferential analysis investigating correlates of career duration. The models indicate that MHOs employing multiple methods, younger MHOs and MHOs that acted in more than one US state have higher odds of longer careers. When controlling for career-based attributes, female MHOs are also correlated with longer careers.

Forensic Behavioral Science of Serial and Mass Murder with an Addition of Leisure Research: A Descriptive Synthesis

Prevalence rates of multiple homicide are statistically rare and vary across nations, yet such cases create substantial suffering for victims and can generate widespread fear among the general population. Despite extreme rarity, it remains important for forensic experts and professionals to be prepared when extremely violent events occur. This review summarizes contemporary behavioral science of serial and mass murder, then highlights the application of recent leisure research to add new motivational and behavioral insights. Research on the application of leisure science to homicide research is in its infancy, yet in conjunction with other related behavioral science disciplines, appears to hold promise in understanding, and perhaps helping to prevent, future violence.

Homicide concentration and retaliatory homicide near repeats: An examination in a Latin American urban setting

Despite numerous attempts to decrease homicides in the Latin American region, high homicide levels have persisted. Examining four cities in Rio de Janeiro, the research reveals the intense geographic concentration of homicides in each city, but illustrates differences in the extent of homicide concentration when using a variety of crime concentration measures. Single events involving multiple homicides and a homicide near repeat pattern are observed, with almost all these incidents taking place in areas of homicide concentration. The findings suggest that programmes targeted to areas of homicide concentration, including interventions that suppress the likelihood of future incidents, could decrease homicides.

Surveillance for Violent Deaths - National Violent Death Reporting System, 34 States, Four California Counties, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2017.

Surveillance for Violent Deaths - National Violent Death Reporting System, 34 States, Four California Counties, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2017.