Citation

Wormer KV, Odiah C. J. Crim. Justice 1999; 27(4): 361-370.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0047-2352(99)00008-2

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

To understand the dynamics of individuals who seek or are attracted to the death penalty as a form of suicide, one must first probe the dynamics of a related matter, the so-called murder-suicide syndrome. Following a review of the literature on murderers who killed themselves shortly after committing murder, a sketch of twenty-two cases of murderers in the United States who killed in hopes of getting themselves executed, is provided. In recognition of the primacy of suicide in some forms of homicide, the term suicide-murder is used instead of murder-suicide.