NCJ Number
133345
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: (Summer 1991) Pages: 159-168
Date Published
1991
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study of homicides with female victims and male perpetrators in Detroit, Mich., focuses on the offender, th victim-offender relationship, and the circumstances of the offense.
Abstract
Data were obtained on 131 homicide arrestees who killed females during 1982 and 1983 as well as on their victims and the circumstances of the killings. The offender profile is that of a locally born black man in his early 30's who is a Protestant and an unmarried (legally or by common law) parent living in a family setting. He is undereducated, unemployed, and has an arrest record. The women whom they killed had a similar socioeconomic status. The killings typically occurred in the context of a domestic argument or confrontation. Data suggest that alcohol may have played a role in many of the incidents which usually occurred in a bedroom or the living room of a private residence on a weekend. Compared to other homicide perpetrators, those who killed females were less likely to use firearms and more likely to beat, strangle, or suffocate their victims. Approximately 8 percent of these cases were victim precipitated according to police records. This proportion is low when compared with data from studies of general homicide populations. 6 notes and 27 references