An Unnecessary Death: An Analysis of Homicide-Suicide Incidents

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

Homicide-suicide incidents are most often associated with mass killings such as spree killing and domestic homicide. Homicide-suicide incidents are not studied often for two main reasons; it is not a common occurrence and researchers who study homicide do not typically study suicide. In 1983, Coid found that in places with high homicide rates, the homicide-suicide rates tended to be lower. The inverse was found to be true as well and the same pattern was found with suicide. This study attempts to show the differences between homicide-suicide incidents and homicide incidents and suicide incidents. Data was gathered from the 2005 National Violent Death Reporting System dataset. This data is cross-sectional data gathered by the Center for Disease Control. The data is gathered from death certificates, coroner and medical examiner records, police reports, crime lab data and child fatality review records. A chi-square analysis was performed in which the independent variable was the incident type. The first analysis compared homicide-suicide incidents with homicide only incidents and the second compared homicide-suicide incidents with suicide only incidents. Factors such as race, sex, relationship to the victim, weapon choice, number of deaths, and where the incident took place were analyzed as dependent variables.

Author

• Kayla Ward, University of Central Florida