Murder in Families 7/10/94
This BJS Special Report, a survey of murder cases disposed in 1988 in the courts of large urban
counties, found that 16% of murder victims were members of the defendant's family: 6.5% were
killed by their spouses, 3.5% by their parents, 1.9% by their own children, 1.5% by their siblings,
and 2.6% by other relatives. Women were 45% of the victims in murders involving family
members but 18% of victims in other murders. Among family murder defendants, 35% were
female versus 7% among nonfamily defendants. Women were over half of the defendants (55%)
in only one category of family murder: parents killing their offspring. Firearms were used in 42%
of family murders, compared to 63% of nonfamily murders. NCJ 143498