One “Two” Many: An Examination of Solo Perpetrator Versus Team Perpetrator Serial Homicides

The current study examines the offender, victim, and crime characteristics between solo perpetrators and team perpetrators of serial homicide. Cases on 1,137 solo perpetrators and 254 team perpetrators were collected from the Consolidated Serial Homicide Offender Database. Results showed team perpetrators were more likely to be older than those who committed serial homicides alone. Offenders who never confessed their crimes were less likely to participate in teams. In terms of victim and crime characteristics, team perpetrators were more likely to target employees or customers, have a lower victim count, and were more likely to exhibit sadistic behaviors compared to solo perpetrators. Theoretical and practical implications from this study are discussed.

National Culture and the Stream Analogy of Lethal Violence

This is the first study to explore the relationship between Inglehart and Baker’s national cultural measures and the stream analogy of lethal violence. Using data for 70 developed and developing countries, the regression analysis indicates that a country with self-expressionism or secularism is likely to have a high suicide rate relative to its homicide rate. In contrast, a country with a survivalism or traditionalism orientation is likely to have a high homicide rate relative to its suicide rate. This study suggests that national culture is related to the direction of lethal violence (i.e., suicide vs. homicide).

Homicide and the Opioid Epidemic: A Longitudinal Analysis

Recent cross-sectional research has disclosed a positive relationship between opioid-related death rates and homicide rates. The current study adds a longitudinal dimension to this research. We estimate fixed effects panel models of the temporal relationship between race-specific homicide rates and opioid-related death rates within U.S. counties and county clusters between 1999 and 2015. The results reveal a positive association between change over time in homicide and opioid-related deaths, net of multiple socioeconomic and demographic controls, in both the Non-Hispanic White and Black population. The association is stronger in the Appalachian counties, where the opioid epidemic has been particularly severe.

Preventing Intimate Partner Homicide: The Long Road Ahead

Intimate partner homicide (IPH) consists primarily of men killing women in the context of intimate partner violence. Researchers have described and identified risk factors associated with IPH; additional comprehensive data collection is needed to better understand IPH risk and to develop risk-informed prevention. Due to structural racism, available interventions within the criminal legal and social service systems may be eschewed by those—such as Black women—who are at the highest risk. Anti-racist research, practice, and policy are key to reducing IPH. Gender and racial equity, combined with fostering relational health leads, ultimately, down the long road to IPH prevention.

Mass Murder in America: Trends, Characteristics, Explanations, and Policy Response

Mass murder, especially involving a firearm, has been a subject of increasing interest among criminologists over the past decade. Lacking an existing and reliable data resource for studying these crimes, several organizations have launched their own database initiatives with, unfortunately, little consensus on definition. As a result, there is confusion regarding the nature and trends of such events. In this paper, we rely on the Associated Press/USA Today/Northeastern University Mass Killing Database, which provides the widest coverage of incidents in the U.S. with four or more victim fatalities, regardless of location, situation, or weapon. First, we present trends in incidents and victimization of mass killings from 2006 through 2020, followed by an examination of various incident, offender, and victim characteristics, distinguishing among the major subtypes. Next, we detail a motivational typology of mass murder and identify the common contributing factors. Finally, we consider the potential effects of certain policy responses related to media coverage, mental health services, and gun restrictions on the prevalence of mass killing.

Gun Homicide Research: What We Know and Where We Need to Go

Guns are used in the majority of homicides in the United States, making the problem of homicide largely a problem of gun violence. This article presents three types of gun homicide (mass shootings, intimate partner homicide, and community gun violence), and briefly discusses the state of knowledge on their risk factors and promising interventions. Future directions for research are presented, focusing on examining differential implementation and impacts of interventions by racialized groups and communities, as well as interrogating conventional approaches and methodologies.

Rethinking Older Adult Murder Victims: Looking Back at 25 Years of Homicide Studies to Inform Future Research Needs

Over the past 25 years, homicide researchers have largely ignored older adults. This pattern continues even in light of the ongoing demographic shift associated with the aging baby boomer generation. This article reflects on the current state of the literature and discusses areas in need of attention. Future research needs can be categorized into substantive and methodological issues. The insights gained by exploring these topics can generate nuanced explanations for fatal violence against older adults and support future evidence-based prevention policies.

The Father, the Son, and the Abuser: The Portrayal of Male Victims of Intimate Partner Homicide in the News Media

Media research on intimate partner homicide (IPH) has primarily focused on male perpetrators and female victims. This study analyzed 203 English-language news articles of IPH involving male victims and female perpetrators for the year 2019. Using thematic analysis, we identified two main themes: doubting the victim (who is the victim?) and victim recognition (“he didn’t deserve this”). The findings suggest that male victims of female perpetrated IPH tend to be blamed for their victimization and represented as non-ideal and illegitimate victims in the news media.

Differences in Mortality Rates of Gunshot Victims: The Influence of Neighborhood Social Processes

Firearm violence is considered a public health crisis in the United States. Firearm violence spatially concentrates within neighborhoods and is associated with community factors; however, little is understood about the geographic differences in gunshot wound mortality and associated neighborhood social processes. Applying a public health approach through the Haddon’s Matrix, the results demonstrate systematic differences in social and physical features associated with gunshot mortality. These findings have important implications to improve neighborhood physical and social conditions, police transporting gunshot victims, and police-public health partnerships to improve data collection on nonfatal shootings and shots fired.

Criminal Histories of Intimate Partner Homicide Offenders

This exploratory study investigates intimate partner homicide (IPH) offenders’ criminal histories to examine opportunities for criminal justice system intervention. Data were collected from the Michigan Violent Death Reporting System and Michigan State Police for the 117 IPHs committed in 2014 and 2015 in Michigan. Descriptive statistics on types of criminal charges and convictions for the 103 IPHs committed by aggressors (e.g., not in self-defense) are presented, with relatively few domestic violence charges or convictions. Twenty-nine percent of offenders had no criminal history. Findings highlight a need for more effective and greater implementation of interventions for both criminal justice system-involved and not-involved offenders.