Intimate femicide followed by suicide: examining the role of premeditation

Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2005 Feb;35(1):76-90. doi: 10.1521/suli.35.1.76.59261.

Abstract

People who kill others rarely kill themselves afterwards. When they do, they are more likely to have killed someone with whom they were intimate. Two broad types of suicidal killers have been identified in research that presumes varying degrees of premeditation. Using data on over 700 intimate femicides, the role of premeditation in cases of intimate femicide-suicide compared to killings that do not culminate in a suicide was examined. My results show that premeditation is more likely to occur in cases involving the offenders' suicide, but that evidence of premeditation varies depending upon the type of suicidal killer.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Demography
  • Female
  • Homicide / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Life Change Events
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Spouse Abuse
  • Suicide / psychology*
  • Thinking*
  • Time Factors