WIVES ARE THE MOST FREQUENT VICTIMS IN FAMILY MURDERS U.S. Department of Justice ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST BJS SUNDAY JULY 10, 1994 202-307-0784 WIVES ARE THE MOST FREQUENT VICTIMS IN FAMILY MURDERS WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Wives are the most frequent victims of fatal family violence, according to a study of family murder made public today by the Justice Department. In a study of more than 8,000 homicides in large urban counties, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) said 16 percent involved murder inside the family, in four out of ten of them a spouse killed a spouse. Offspring were killed by their parents at twice the rate that offspring killed their parents. A male was the assailant in about two-thirds of family murders. However, among black marital partners, wives killed their husbands at about the same rate as husbands killed their wives--47 percent of the black spouse victims were husbands and 53 percent were wives. Among white victims murdered by their spouses, 38 percent of the victims were husbands and 62 percent were wives. Most murders inside the family happened at night--62 percent. Alcohol was often part of the fatal scenario. Nearly half of the killers and a third of their victims had been drinking at the time of the family homicide. The study, based on murder cases disposed of in 1988 in the 75 largest U.S. counties, determined that family murder victims were related to their assailants as follows: Husband or wife of murderer . . 40.9% Offspring . . . . . . . . . . . 20.9 Parent . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.7 Sibling . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 Other type of family member . . 17.1 Other data developed in the study included: --Six percent of family murderers killed more than one person. Among spouse murderers, 2 percent committed multiple murders and among persons who murdered their own mother or father (or both parents), it was 13 percent. --Fourteen percent of family murderers had a history of mental illness. Among spouse murderers, 12 percent had such a history, and 25 percent of persons who murdered their mother or father had a history of mental illness. --Fifty-six percent of family killers had a history of arrests or convictions. Among those who killed a spouse, 51 percent had a prior criminal record (not necessarily for spouse abuse), and among defendants who killed one or both of their parents, 67 percent had been previously arrested or convicted. --Seventy-six percent of the family murderers were convicted of murder or some other crime, 6 percent were acquitted, 9 percent were not prosecuted, 4 percent were dismissed by the court, 3 percent were found not guilty by reason of insanity and the remainder were still pending. --Eighty percent of the spouse murderers were convicted of murder or some other crime, 6 percent were acquitted, 7 percent were not prosecuted, 4 percent were dismissed by the court, 1 percent were found not guilty by reason of insanity, and the remainder were pending. --Seventy percent of defendants charged with killing their parents were convicted of murder or some other crime, 6 percent were acquitted, 6 percent were not prosecuted, 5 percent were dismissed by the court, 9 percent were found not guilty by reason of insanity, and the remainder were pending. --Eighty-eight percent of convicted family murderers were sentenced to prison with an average sentence of 13 years. Corresponding figures for convicted spouse murderers were 89 percent prison and an average sentence of 13 years, for convicted parent murderers, 95 percent prison and a sentence average of 13 years. --Thirteen percent of convicted family murderers received a sentence to life imprisonment. For convicted spouse murderers, it was 13 percent and for convicted parent murderers, 18 percent. --Seventy-nine percent of those younger than 12 years old who had been killed by a parent had been previously abused by their assailant. --Eleven percent of all victims who were 60 years old or older were killed by a son or a daughter. Single copies of the BJS special report, "Murder in Families" (NCJ-143498), as well as other BJS statistical reports may be obtained from the BJS Clearinghouse, Box 179, Annapolis Junction, Maryland 20701-0179. The telephone number is 1-800- 732-3277. Fax orders to 410-792-4358. # # # After hours contact: Stu Smith 301-983-9354