Women who kill their mates

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychology
• Criminology
• Sociology

Background:

• Spousal homicide research predominantly focuses on male perpetrators.
• Characteristics of female spousal homicide offenders remain under-researched.
• Understanding female perpetration is crucial for comprehensive domestic violence and homicide studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To delineate the characteristics of women who commit spousal homicide.
• To compare female and male spousal homicide offenders.
• To examine factors such as mental illness, domestic violence, and homicide-suicide in female-perpetrated spousal homicides.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective clinical review of coroners' files.
• Analysis of spousal homicides in Quebec over a 20-year period (1991-2010).
• Comparison of female (n=42) and male (n=234) spousal homicide offenders.

Main Results:

• Only 28% of female offenders reported prior victim violence, contradicting self-defense or abuse reaction theories.
• Most female offenders did not have a diagnosed mental illness; one-fifth were acutely intoxicated.
• Few warning signs or predictors of lethal behavior were identified in most cases of female spousal homicide.

Conclusions:

• Female spousal homicide is distinct from popular perceptions and often lacks clear indicators of risk.
• Findings challenge the assumption that most female-perpetrated spousal homicides are reactive to abuse.
• Further research is needed to identify potential risk factors and prevention strategies for spousal homicide committed by women.