Women who kill: the impact of abuse

Only 12% of all homicides in the United States are committed by women (Browne & Williams, 1989; Jones, 1981), and the majority of these women are killing their abusive and violent partners. The woman who has killed her partner is now a criminal defendant, which adds a very complicated dimension to her plight. The battered woman who kills her assaulter is additionally handicapped by a legal system that lacks consensus concerning the proper legal response to her case. Maguigan (1991) estimates that there are about 750 men killed each year by wives, girlfriends, and lovers, and argues that the female homicide defendant is almost always a battered woman. When a battered woman becomes a defendant in a criminal case it becomes crucial for the introduction of psychological information about the dynamics of her circumstances to be presented in a court of law so that her actions can be understood by those judging her behavior. Nurses, particularly psychiatric nurses, may be in critical positions as expert witnesses, therapists, and crisis counselors to assist the battered woman and her legal representative in developing a comprehensive understanding of her response to her violent partner. Psychiatric nurses are well aware of violence against women, and this article provides another level of understanding of the effects of violence and trauma on a woman who kills in response to violence.