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Combined Homicide-Suicides: A Review

NCJ Number
158070
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 40 Issue: 5 Dated: (September 1995) Pages: 846-857
Author(s)
A R Felthous; A Hempel
Date Published
1995
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the literature pertaining to homicide- suicides.
Abstract
Statistics on age, sex, social status, and ethnicity of those who commit homicide-suicide are summarized. The article presents two classifications, one based on psychopathology and one on the nature of the relationship between perpetrators of homicide-suicide and their homicidal victim, i.e., consortial homicide-suicide, physically ailing consort subtype, adversarial homicide-suicide, filial homicide-suicide, and cult homicide-suicides. The review suggests a three-dimensional analytical approach to understanding this criminal phenomenon: psychopathology and ego deficits of the perpetrator, cumulative and precipitating factors, and motivation and vector of destructive urges against self and the other victim. 12 tables and 40 references

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