Male and Female Juvenile Homicide Offenders: An Empirical Analysis of U.S. Arrests by Offender Age

Abstract

Almost all of the clinical and empirical literature on female parricide victims focuses on mothers killed, with only little information available on stepmothers murdered. This study is the first to compare the victim, offender, and case correlates in incidents when mothers and stepmothers were killed. Supplementary Homicide Report Data for 1976-2007 were used to investigate similarities and differences between the two female victim types in the United States. Similarities between stepmothers and mothers included that more than 70% were White and killed in single victim, single offender incidents. Their killers were adult sons in between 67% and 87% of incidents. Several significant differences emerged with respect to age, involvement in multiple offender incidents, and weapon use. Stepmothers and their stepchildren, relative to mothers and their offspring, were significantly younger. Sixty-four percent of stepchildren, compared with 35% of biological children, were under age 25 at the time of their arrest for murder. A higher percentage of juveniles than adult killers was involved in multiple offender (MO) incidents involving mothers. Relative to their male counterparts, higher percentages of female juveniles were involved in MO incidents involving the deaths of mothers and stepmothers. A higher proportion of female adults, relative to their male counterparts, were involved in MO matricide incidents. Offenders who killed stepmothers, relative to those who killed mothers, were significantly more likely to use guns. Juvenile matricide offenders were significantly more likely to use firearms than their adult counterparts. Possible reasons for the differences are discussed in the conclusion.

Characteristics of Canadian Youth-Perpetrated Homicides

“…Moreover, girls and boys in the present sample did not differ in their preference for committing accomplice-assisted homicide. it is important to note that, although our sample of girl offenders was small, the sample is proportional to the Statistics Canada 10-year average for 1997 to 2006 (li, 2008) and to supplementary homicide research data in the united States for homicides occurring between 1976 and 2007 (Heide et al, 2011). in addition, our results mirror that of roe-Sepowitz (2009), who demonstrated that two thirds of homicides perpetrated by american girls occurred concurrent to another crime.…”

Juvenile and Adult Offenders Arrested for Sexual Homicide: An Analysis of Victim–Offender Relationship and Weapon Used by Race*

“…For example, to what degree do other factors, such as intelligence, personality, psychopathy, and sexual sadism, play a role in weapon choice and victim–offender relationship? Given that juvenile homicide offenders are more likely than adults to kill in groups (10), further research might examine single offender versus multiple offender sexual homicides. Additionally, future studies might investigate whether gang involvement is a possible dynamic in sexual homicide when committed by juvenile SHOs.…”

“…This study, unlike the others using SHR data, analyzes single-victim cases. Analyses of SHR data are best suited for single-victim cases (see [10]). In addition to methodological issues, there is some evidence to suggest that the psychological makeup of single-victim SHOs may differ from those who sexually murdered more than one victim (11).…”

Girls Arrested for Murder: An Empirical Analysis of 32 years of U.S. Data by Offender Age Groups

“…Several national studies have used Supplementary Homicide Report data to examine differences between male and female JHOs. During the last 25 years, seven studies have investigated gender differences between juveniles aged 6 or 7 through 17 (Heide, Solomon, Sellers, & Chan, ; Heide et al, ; Loper & Cornell, ; Rowley, Ewing, & Singer, ; Sellers & Heide, ; Snyder & Sickmund, , ). In recognition of developmental differences between younger and older youths, one study explored gender differences between JHOs aged 6–12 (younger JHOs) and JHOs aged 13–17 (older JHOs) (Heide et al, ).…”

“…Child development experts have long recognized that fundamental differences exist between younger school‐age children (ages 6–12) and older schoolchildren (13–17 years old) (Erikson, ; Heide, Solomon, Sellers, & Chan, ; Hess, Magnuson, & Beeler, ; Piaget & Inhelder, ). Youths aged 12 and younger are sometimes referred to in the professional literature as children , preadolescents , or preteens to distinguish them from adolescents or teenagers (see, e.g., Sellers & Heide, ; Shumaker and McKee, ; Shumaker & Prinz, ).…”