Trading Places: Microlevel Predictors of Women Who Commit Intimate Partner Homicide

Abstract

Intimate partner homicide (IPH) research has established the importance of the offender’s gender regarding motivations, situations, and structures present in the offense. However, little is known about female IPH perpetrators’ microlevel characteristics, despite research indicating female IPH offense numbers are closer to males’ than in other homicide types. To fill this gap, the current exploratory study assesses the likelihood of female-perpetrated IPH by the couples demographics, weapon type, relationship status, and regional location of the homicide. Using data from the Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR), results show microlevel gender-specific differences. Female, compared to male, IPH perpetrators more often kill in intraracial, compared to interracial relationships, and are more likely to kill in dating rather than marital relationships.

Can Justice System Interventions Prevent Intimate Partner Homicide? An Analysis of Rates of Help Seeking Prior to Fatality

“…In this study, 55.1% of intimate partner femicides were committed with firearms (compared to 43.3% of intimate partner homicides with male victims). This study's findings are generally consistent with previous research on firearms (Cooper & Smith, 2011;Petrosky et al, 2017;Smith, Fowler, & Niolon, 2014) as well as research indicating that men are more likely to use firearms and women are more likely to use knives to kill an intimate partner (Szalewski, Huff-Corzine, & Reckdenwald, 2019). It should also be noted that homicidesuicides, multiple and mass murders committed in the context of IPV are more likely than single homicide incidents to involve firearms (Zeoli, 2018;Zeppegno et al, 2019).…”

“…In doing so, comparisons can be made between men and women killed in intimate partner homicide cases. Previous research has indicated that the proportion of femicides committed by an intimate partner is higher than the proportion of murdered men killed by an intimate partner (Campbell et al, 2007;Catalano, 2013;Fox & Fridel, 2017;Petrosky et al, 2017;Szalewski, Huff-corzine, & Reckdenwald, 2019). Similarly, in this study, many more men than women were killed in this jurisdiction during this timeframe; however, the proportion of women killed by an intimate partner or ex-intimate partner (39.6%) was approximately 10 times higher than the proportion of men killed by an intimate or ex-intimate partner (3.9%).…”

Correlates of Intimate Partner Homicide in the Rural United States: Findings From a National Sample of Rural Counties, 2009–2016

“…However, IPH female victims in rural areas are more likely to be killed with a firearm than female victims in metropolitan areas (Reckdenwald et al, 2019). Although the majority of offenders use firearms regardless of sex, female IPH offenders are more likely to use a knife than male IPH offenders (Szalewski et al, 2019). Firearm-related IPH may be of particular concern in rural areas because of the high accessibility of firearms.…”

“…Older trend studies indicated that both Black men and women were killed by intimate partners at higher rates than their peers (Catalano et al, 2009; Paulozzi et al, 2001); however, more recent data indicate that non-Hispanic White women and Hispanic women are more likely victims of IPH than Black women (Petrosky et al, 2017). Victims and perpetrators of IPH are more likely to be of the same racial/ethnic group, and female offenders are more likely than male offenders to kill an intimate partner of the same race (Szalewski et al, 2019).…”

“…The majority of IPH perpetrators kill partners of the same age cohort (Allen et al, 2018; Fridel & Fox, 2019), and middle-aged and older adults (30s and older) are more likely to be victims of IPH than victims in early adulthood (20s) (Allen et al, 2018; Garcia et al, 2007). Women compose the majority of homicide victims in older age, a trend that is driven by IPH (Allen et al, 2018), and older men are more likely to perpetrate IPH than older women (Szalewski et al, 2019). In summation, based on our current knowledge of sociodemographic correlates of IPH, victims of IPH are more likely female, of the same race as their perpetrator, and older than victims of non-IPH.…”