Not an Ordinary Killer--Just an Ordinary Guy: When Men Murder an Intimate Woman Partner

• NCJ Number: 205982
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 10 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2004 Pages: 577-605
• Author(s): R. Emerson Dobash; Russell P. Dobash; Kate Cavanagh; Ruth Lewis
• Editor(s): Aysan Sev'er, Myrna Dawson, Holly Johnson
• Date Published: June 2004
• Length: 29 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Special issue on Lethal and Nonlethal Violence Against Women by Intimate Partners; for additional articles see NCJ-205981, 205983-986.

Annotation

Using select case files from a British study, this study compared two types of murderers: men who murder other men and men who murder an intimate female partner, exploring the conventionality of the two groups.

Abstract

In attempt to reflect on the notion that it is ordinary men who kill women partners, whereas those who kill other men fall into the stereotype more commonly associated with the criminal, this study used a subset of data from the Murder in Britain Study, the intimate partner (IP) murder group (N = 106) to compare to the men who murder other men (MM) murder group (N = 424). The two types of murder, IP and MM, were compared in terms of childhood backgrounds, adult circumstances, previous offending, circumstances at the time of the event, and various aspects of the murder event itself. It was hypothesized that no difference would be found between men who kill an intimate partner and men who kill other men in a variety of contexts. Findings about childhood backgrounds suggest that although both groups had more difficulties than might be expected in the general population, the IP group tended to be more conventional than the MM group in terms of problems within the family of origin and problems of the offender as a child. Similarly, as adults, both groups experienced more difficulties than might be predicted for the general population. However, the IP group was again more conventional in terms of the levels of education, employment, persistent criminal behavior, and general use of physical violence. The picture of conventionality of the two groups begins to alter when considering the stability of intimate relationships and violence to previous women partners. Comparisons of the murder event revealed little difference between the two groups in terms of overkill and previous violence by the victim to the offender. The findings add to the existing knowledge about lethal violence against women, however, they suggest the need for further exploration of the difference among men within the IP group. References