Homicide–suicide in Hong Kong, 1989–1998

In the Name of Love or Hatred: a Systematic Comparison Between Filicide-Suicide and Mariticide/Uxoricide-Suicide in Hong Kong

While much of work on homicide-suicide (HS) arises out of the USA and the UK, there is a paucity of research on HS outside of the Anglo-American sphere. This paper investigates HS in Hong Kong (HK), comparing the subtypes of filicide-suicide (FS) and mariticide/uxoricide-suicide (MUS) in that context as a means of testing the generalizability of past studies. Data from the HK Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the HK Police Force reports retrieved 156 cases from 2000 to 2019. In that timeframe, HS resulted in 261 deaths, with MUS being the most prevalent type of HS. Male offenders and female victims are more commonly seen. Offenders are generally older than their victims, and over half of offenders are married. FS and MUS display distinct characteristics in terms of offender and victim demographics, relationship dynamics, motives, and mode of killing. Depressed mothers tend to victimize their sons in FS as a means of saving their sons from a perceived miserable future, whereas male offenders aggress upon their female partners in MUS to alleviate their own frustrations, subsequently dying by suicide out of sorrow or a fear of consequence. MUS offenders are more hostile towards their victims and tend to kill with aggressive means, whereas FS offenders are more likely to kill with altruistic motives and with minimal force. These results match patterns of MUS and FS in the Anglo-American sphere, but with some important differences in terms of the use of guns and the presence of altruistic killing.

Analyzing two decades of intimate partner femicide-suicides in Türkiye

Intimate partner femicide-suicide (IPF-S) is an understudied subgroup of homicide-suicide deaths. Limited research has been conducted on IPF-Ss in the Eastern Mediterranean region. This study thus aimed to evaluate the characteristics of IPF-Ss that occurred in Türkiye between 2000 and 2019. IPF-Ss (n = 226) were extracted from electronic news stories. Data on victims, perpetrators, their relationships, and incidents of murder and suicide were collected. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and logistic regression analysis, mortality rates, and proportion of IPF-S in femicide calculations were conducted, showing that 13.3% of the femicides (n = 1699) were IPF-Ss. The IPF-Ss increased in 5-year intervals and were the highest during the 2015-2019 period (62.5%). Victims were married in 48.2% of the cases and 56% were aged <35 years, while 51.3% of the perpetrators were married and 52.6% were aged >40 years. In 42.0% of the cases, the perpetrator lived with the victim. Most (79.2%) of the cases took place in urban settlements, and the perpetrators used firearms in 84.1% of femicide cases. Firearm use was the most common method in cases where IPF-S was planned (OR = 2.98), when the IPF-S method was the same (OR = 29.6), and when the perpetrator committed suicide (OR = 7.82). In addition, it was found that firearm ownership is an important risk factor for IPF-S in Türkiye. Therefore, we recommend legislation to restrict firearms, as well as new measures to prevent illegal access to weapons.

Die Abgrenzung der Fremdtötung von der eigenverantwortlichen Selbsttötung: Doppelsuizid, erweiterter Suizid oder Homizid-Suizid?

In der Literatur finden sich vielfach Publikationen und Kasuistiken, die sich mit zeitlich, örtlich, partnerschaftlich und/oder familiär im Zusammenhang stehenden nichtnatürlichen Todesfälle unabhängig von der Art und Weise zweier oder mehrerer Personen auseinandersetzen. Im Nachfolgenden sollen jene Fälle genauer betrachtet werden, bei denen zumindest in einem der Fälle naheliegt, dass es sich beispielsweise aufgrund der Spurenlage um einen freiverantwortlichen Suizidentschluss gehandelt hat. Diese werden u. a. als „erweiterte Suizide“ oder in jüngerer Zeit auch als „Homizid-Suizide“ bezeichnet. Diese theoriespezifizierten Nomenklaturen finden sich nicht zuletzt deshalb berechtigt kritisiert, als dass die Motive, genauen Tatumstände und Tathintergründe oftmals nicht bekannt sind und somit eine (vorgreifende) Wertung erfolgt, ohne dass andere mögliche Tathergänge zur Diskussion gestanden hätten. Daher stellt sich zunächst die Frage nach der generellen und konkreten Eignung dieser Nomenklaturen hinsichtlich ihrer Anwendbarkeit, mit der sich daran anschließenden Überlegung einer neu zu definierenden übergeordneten Bezeichnung. Die Komplexität dieser Begrifflichkeiten soll im Nachfolgenden an dem gemeinsamen Tod eines älteren Ehepaares verdeutlicht werden.

Sociocultural Aspects of Femicide-Suicide: The Case of Israel

Among persons who commit murder a certain percentage also commits suicide soon after, a phenomenon known as homicide-suicide. Previous studies indicate that femicide-suicide (female intimate partner homicide-suicides) accounts for the vast majority of homicide-suicide occurrences. Although the femicide-suicide phenomenon cuts across regions and societies, there is a dearth of studies of femicide-suicide patterns, motives, and characteristics among non-Western populations. A review of the few available findings about femicide-suicide in non-Western societies highlights the need for further study and corroboration of the distribution and characteristics of femicide-suicide in non-Western societies. The unique manifestations of the phenomenon among immigrant, ethnic, and social minority groups are of great relevance to Western societies currently facing the challenge of assimilating a growing number of ethnic minorities and immigrant social groups. The study aims to further our understanding of possible sociocultural variations of femicide-suicide by exploring sociodemographic and criminological patterns among non-Western social groups. It presents an analysis of national empirical findings of femicide-suicide across various ethnic and sociocultural groups in Israel in the years 2005-2015, excluding analysis of cases that occurred in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. The characteristics and patterns that are the focus of this study include a sociocultural ethnic profile of the perpetrator, and various criminological characteristics such as homicide and suicide location, homicide and suicide method, and homicide motive. Femicide-suicide events, victims, and perpetrators were compared by calculating frequency distributions and population-based incidence rates. The findings suggest that the distribution of the phenomenon and its criminological characteristics vary across immigrant and ethnic minority groups. Further research is needed to validate the study's empirical observations and to explore the various manifestations of the phenomenon across non-Western ethnic, social, religious, and cultural groups.

Submerged corpses of an elderly couple retrieved from a canal with alcohol detected in their blood: A rare case of murder-suicide by drowning?

The body of an elderly man and his disabled wife were found submerged in a canal in open country one afternoon. They had last been seen alive that morning. The man's car was parked close to the canal and the woman's wheelchair was located in a stable position a few meters from the canal bank, facing away from the water. There were abrasions and bruises on the woman's forearms and hands and lower left leg, and the man's body displayed a bruise on the left hand and an abrasion of the left thumb likely caused by a fingernail. Other observations included frothy fluid exuding from the nose and in the airways, overdistended lungs with rib impressions and clear watery fluid in the stomach of both victims. Ethanol was detected in the peripheral blood of both corpses (1.0 g/L in the woman, 0.25 g/L in the man). The man was known to be stressed and depressed: he cared for his ailing spouse, who was affected by severe cognitive impairment and he had on several occasions expressed a desire to put an end to their misery. The hypotheses of a suicide pact or a double accident were in contrast with the woman's mental state and with the position of the wheelchair, respectively. The manner of death was consistent with a spousal murder-suicide involving a double drowning. Papers reporting similar cases are infrequent in the literature.

Familicide: A Systematic Literature Review

Familicides have received relatively little attention and are mostly discussed in studies with broader aims. Here, we reviewed 67 studies from 18 countries on familicides, in which an offender killed or attempted to kill their current or former spouse/intimate partner and one or more of their biological or stepchildren. We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. Eight studies investigated familicide specifically, while the remaining reported on familicide cases as a subsample. We retrieved data on offenders' gender, age, and background as well as on victims and their relationship to the offender. We also retrieved data on contextual factors and offense characteristics (i.e., modus operandi, offense location, premeditation, and whether or not the offender had committed suicide). We also coded methodological aspects of the studies. Familicides were almost exclusively committed by men and about half of the familicide cases led to the suicide of the offender. Mental health problems, relationship problems, and financial difficulties were prevalent. Because few studies reported population base rates of the investigated characteristics, it is difficult to draw conclusions about specific risk factors. Future research should further investigate typologies of familicide and examine risk factors for different types of familicides.

Comparing Homicide-Suicides in the United States and Sweden

Research on homicides followed by suicides has largely relied on very localized samples and relatively short time spans of data. As a result, little is known about the extent to which patterns within cases of homicide-suicides are geographically specific. The current study seeks to help fill this gap by comparing twenty years of homicide-suicide data for Sweden and a large U.S. county. Although some of the underlying patterns in the two countries are similar (e.g., decreasing rates), a number of important differences emerge, particularly with respect to incidence, weapons used, perpetrator age, and relationship of the perpetrator to the victim.

Child homicide victims in forensic autopsy in Taiwan: A 10-year retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Child homicides are critical medico-legal issues worldwide. Data on the characteristics of these cases in Asia are limited. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of child homicides in Taiwan.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of forensic autopsy records of child homicide victims (aged 0-17 years) in Taiwan, during a 10-year period between 2001 and 2010, was carried out. The age, sex, relationship with the perpetrator(s), injury patterns of the victims, and causes of death were analyzed.

RESULTS

In all, 193 child homicide autopsies were identified. There were 38 (19.7%), 82 (42.5%), 25 (13.0%), and 48 (24.9%) homicide victims aged under 1, 1-5, 6-12, and 13-17 years, respectively. One-hundred boys (mean age: 8.4±7.0) and 93 girls (mean age: 3.7±4.3) were included. A female predominance was noted among the victims aged 0-5. Blunt force (53.4%) was the most frequent method of injury, followed by suffocation/strangulation (20.2%) and sharp force (13.0%). Bruise (64.8%) and brain injury (45.1%) were the most common types of injuries. The cranium (62.2%) and face (60.6%) were the most frequently injured body regions. The distribution of fatal injuries varied among victims in different age groups. Neurogenic shock, asphyxia, and hemorrhagic shocks were most common in victims aged 0-5, 6-12, and 13-17, respectively. The most frequent causes of death included blunt force head injury (40.4%), suffocation/strangulation (20.2%), and sharp force lung trauma (7.3%). The type of offenders, injury methods, types of injuries, distribution of injuries, mechanism of death, and causes of death were significantly different among victims of different age groups. Eighteen (9.33%) victims displayed no external evidence of trauma.

CONCLUSIONS

The patterns of injuries, mechanism of death, and causes of death were different among victims of different age groups. A female predominance was noted among the victims aged 0-5. Complete forensic autopsy is necessary to identify child homicide. This report will help forensic examiners and forensic pathologists recognize the signs of child homicide and serve as a working basis for these professionals.

A retrospective study of murder-suicide at the Forensic Institute of Ghent University, Belgium: 1935-2010

Murder followed by suicide (M-S) is a rare phenomenon that has been studied in several countries. Previous studies show that offenders of M-S are predominately men who live in an intimate relationship. Amorous jealousy is often the trigger to commit M-S. Shooting is the most common way to kill a partner and/or children. In general, women are likely to become victims. The aim of this study was to identify M-S and detect patterns of M-S in the district of Ghent and the surrounding areas, since no research on this event was conducted in Belgium. Over a period of 75 years, a total of 80 M-S incidents was recorded involving 176 individuals. Eighty-six percent of the offenders were males and 14% were females. Murder-suicides were mostly completed with firearms. The main motive for offenders to execute M-S is amorous jealousy (56%), followed by familial, financial, or social stressors (27%). In addition, three types of M-S were selected (e.g., spousal murder-suicides, filicide-suicides, and familicides-suicides). Our results suggest differences in these types of M-S in which younger couples' intentions were amorous jealousy; as for older couples the prominent motive was mercy killing; most likely women killed their children and only men committed familicides. Finally a study of the evolution during this period was carried out.

Characteristics of perpetrators in homicide-followed-by-suicide incidents: National Violent Death Reporting System--17 US States, 2003-2005

Homicide-followed-by-suicide (referred to as "homicide-suicide") incidents are rare events but can have a profound impact on families and communities. A better understanding of perpetrator characteristics and how they compare with those of other homicide suspects and suicide decedents might provide insight into the nature of these violent acts. This report is based on 2003-2005 data from 17 US states participating in the National Violent Death Reporting System, a unique, incident-based, active surveillance system that integrates data on violent deaths from multiple sources. Of the 408 homicide-suicide incidents identified, most incidents were committed with a firearm (88.2%) and perpetrated by males (91.4%), those over 19 years of age (97.6%), and those of white race (77.0%); however, just over half of filicide (killing of children)-suicides (51.5%) were perpetrated by females. Over 55% of male homicide-suicide perpetrators versus 26.4% of other male suicide decedents had prior intimate partner conflicts (P < 0.001). In fact, having a history of intimate partner conflicts was even common among homicide-suicide perpetrators who did not victimize their intimate partners. Recognition of the link between intimate partner conflicts and homicide-suicide incidents and strategies involving collaboration among the court/legal and mental health systems might prevent these incidents.

Deaths Due to External Causes Among Adolescents in Hong Kong

The authors compared adolescent mortalities due to external causes in two 5-year periods (from 1986-1990 and 1996-2000) in Hong Kong. Leading external causes are traffic accidents and suicide. The mortality rate is comparatively low and has decreased significantly over time. Suicide deaths are, however, on the increase. Monitoring the changing trend is useful in setting public health priorities.

Homicide-suicide (dyadic death), homicide, and firearms use in England and Wales

Homicide-suicide forms a distinct form of homicide. An analysis of cases in the Yorkshire and Humberside region of England between 1991 and 2005 revealed 37 episodes with 42 victims. Previous studies have shown a high rate of use of firearms. Over the last 2 decades firearms legislation has become more restrictive. In this study all assailants were male, mean age 46.8 years. The commonest method of homicide was strangulation (36%) with 16% killed by firearms. This is a reduction compared with a previous study in the same region. All killers who shot their victims killed themselves with firearms. There were no multiple killings with firearms in this study and no stranger killings. Hanging was the commonest method of suicide. During the same period the use of firearms as a method of homicide increased in England and Wales with handguns, the most common weapon. Nationally, suicide after homicide has remained at a similar rate over the half century and is an uncommon phenomenon. Firearms use remains low in both homicide and homicide-suicide episodes in England, and further analysis is required to determine changes in patterns of killing.

Suicide terrorists: are they suicidal?

Are suicide terrorists suicidal? A review of the worldwide literature on suicide terrorism uncovered five published empirical studies describing data collected from potential suicide terrorists or the surviving friends and families of deceased terrorists. The many discrepancies uncovered between suicide terrorists and other suicides on key factors known to underpin suicidality, suggest that such terrorists are not truly suicidal and should not be viewed as a subgroup of the general suicide population. Nonetheless, methods developed by suicidologists, such as the psychological autopsy, will help increase our understanding of the individual and group factors that underpin suicide terrorism.

Triad-related homicides in Hong Kong

This study provides an overview of the first systematic research on triad-related homicide in a Chinese society. In the 10-year period from 1989 to 1998, 11.9% of all homicides or a total of 95 triad-related homicides were extracted from the Hong Kong Homicide Monitoring Database. These events resulted in 124 victims (13.2 percent of all victims) and involved 526 known offenders. Triad homicides were classified into various types based on different combinations of circumstances, motivation, and outcomes including unintended outcomes.

Differential suicide rates in typologies of child sex offenders in a 6-year consecutive cohort of male suicides

Earlier research identified 3 typologies of Child Sex Offenders [CSO] with high rates of suicide. To test this finding suicide rates of 3 types of CSO were compared in a 6-year cohort of regional suicides. All male suicides were identified from Coroners" inquest files and CSO data drawn from police records to calculate CSO suicide rates. The results show that suicide in "Multi-criminal" CSO is 12 times higher than the general population but not statistically significantly. Two significant results were "Sex Only" CSO suicides were 183 times the general population and 15 times the Multi-criminal CSO rates, with no suicides amongst the Violent CSO's. Implications for suicide prevention and child protection are presented.