1. Homicide Victims
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2. Homicide affects not only the immediate victim whose life is cut short, but it has a lifelong impact on the victim’s family and friends.
Survivors of homicide victims are those individuals who had special ties of kinship with the person murdered, and who were, thereafter, victimized not only by the loss of someone close to them but also by the horrific circumstances of that untimely death.
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3. Nature and Extent of the Problem
The FBI defines murder as the willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human by another. This definition does not include deaths caused by negligence, suicide, or accident, nor does it include justifiable homicide or attempted homicides.
There was a sharp increase in homicides in the late 1980’s, with a sharp decline after Since 1999, the homicide rate has remained stable with approximately 5.6 per 1,000,000 persons. In 2003, the number of persons murdered was 16,420.
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4. Types of Homicide
Spousal homicide - the killing of one’s legally married partner
Parricide - the killing of one’s parents
Mass murderer - the killing of several persons at one time in the same location
Spree killing - the killing of several persons at two or more locations with very little or any time break between the killings
Serial murder - the killing of several persons over a period of time which can range from weeks to years
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5. Types of Serial Murderers
Holmes and DeBurger identified four types of serial killers:
Visionary type
Mission-oriented type
Hedonistic type
Power/control-oriented type
Hickey classified serial killers into three distinct groups based on mobility:
Traveling serial killers
Local serial killers
Serial killers who never leave their home or place of employment
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6. Characteristics of Murderers
Statistical facts drawn from arrest records indicate:
Age ……………………… %+
Sex ..………………………88% male
12% female
Race ………………………46% White
51%
Relationship ………… % Acquaintance
17% Family
20% Stranger
12% Unknown
Weapon of Choice Firearm
Source: Snyder, H., Finnegan, T., Wan, Y., and Kang, W. (2002). “Easy Access to the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports: ” Online:
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7. Drinking, Driving, and Homicide
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 16,694 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in This equals almost one death every half hour. These alcohol-related fatalities constituted approximately 39 percent of the 42,636 total traffic deaths that year.
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8. Responding to Special Needs
Family Relationships
Mental and Emotional Responses
Notification
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9. Family Relationships
The murder of a child is one of the least expected incidents in life.
The murder of a spouse will affect the surviving spouse in a variety of ways.
The murder of a parent may leave young children worrying about their own life and stability.
The murder of a sibling may leave the other brothers and sisters neglected by the professional caregivers.
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10. Mental and Emotional Responses
Unexpected financial consequences
Criminal justice system adds stress
Impact on ability to function at their job or work
Not uncommon for marriages to break up when children of that marriage are murdered
Children within the family of survivors of homicide are also affected by the killing
Religious faith may be weakened
Scrutiny of an insensitive press adds stress
May be revictimized by professionals within the criminal justice system
May have mystical experiences
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11. Notification
One of the most traumatic moments in a survivor’s life is receiving notification of their loved one’s death.
Notification teams including a law enforcement officer and a crisis intervention worker can ease the pain of the survivor
Have as much information regarding the death as possible for the notification
Never, if possible, make notification by telephone
Don’t take victim’s personal items at time of notification
Should be done inside home, sitting down with appropriate relative(s)
Be clear, direct, and simple
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007