Citation

Stürup J, Caman S. J. Crim. Psychol. 2015; 5(3): 177-187.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing)

DOI

10.1108/JCP-01-2015-0002

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

PURPOSE - Although homicide-suicide (H-S) offences are rare, they have remarkably tragic consequences. The purposes of this paper are to: examine the background characteristics of H-S offenders (including previous offending history and psychiatric elements); describe the crime-scene behavior and examine the motivational aspects of the offences; and to establish the reliability in the outlined typologies.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH - The study consists of case series of all H-S offenders in Sweden, January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2009 (n = 13), and data was collected from medico-legal autopsy reports, police investigations and three national databases.

FINDINGS - Of all Swedish homicides, 5.5 percent consisted of H-S cases, and the rate of H-S was 0.05 per 100,000 inhabitants. Seven of the offenders had had previous contact with a psychiatric service, however, the average time between the last contact and the offence was slightly more than four years. Three of the offenders had previously been convicted of a violent crime and nine of the 13 offenders were involved in serious marital conflicts during the time of the offence. In conclusion, the study supports the notion that cases of H-S are mainly associated with intimate partner homicides, rather than suicide or other homicides. However, the offences were not always directly aimed toward the (former) spouse, but instead carried out through a proxy (such as a common child).

ORIGINALITY/VALUE - The study adds in-depth knowledge by using a qualitative approach in an otherwise scarce area of research. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Language: en

Keywords

Homicide; Suicide; Victimization; Homicide-suicide; Murder-suicide; Intimate partner homicides