While there is a vast body of knowledge on violence against women, intimate femicide, the most severe form of violence, has received little attention. This is alarming since statistics show that when a woman is killed, the perpetrator is often a man who has been intimately involved with her (Campbell, l992; Crawford & Gartner, l992; Stout, l99l; Statistics Canada, l99l; l989; U.S. Department of Justice, l992).
To better understand intimate femicides, a binary model is proposed. Within this model, intimate femicide is understood as having two different origins: one involves the murder of an oppressed woman who attempted to emancipate herself and the other is an actual or attempted murder/suicide in which a socially inept and dependent man kills his liberated and independent partner. This model thus divides intimate murders into those who attempted or committed suicide immediately after killing their partner and those who did not.
The binary model follows these two groups of men through five stages. Stage I, termed 'Pre-Murder', explores how the men define their masculinity, attitudes towards women and their relationship with female partners. Stage II, the 'Precipitating Event', highlights what triggered the ensuing murder in the perpetrator's mind. Stage III, the 'Lethal Act', considers the actual attack and murder. Stage IV, the 'Post-Murder', explores the time interval immediately following the murder. Finally, Stage V, 'Adjustment to Incarceration', focuses on the man as he serves his sentence and his present views towards the victim and the offence.
To evaluate the binary model and to identify variables that may differentiate between men who kill their female partner and men who do not, questionnaires were administered to 86 men sentenced for the murder of an intimate partner (Intimate Murderers), 151 randomly selected men sentenced for an offence other than the murder of an intimate partner (General Offenders) and l00 randomly selected non-incarcerated men.
Data analysis is currently underway and will be reported in greater detail once completed. However, interesting findings are already emerging. For example, inmates were asked to rate their emotional state at intervals before, during and after their offence. No significant differences were observed between Intimate Murderers and General Offenders in the 24 hour period before the offence. However, there is an intensification in feelings of dysphoria* and anger just before and more so during the offence that sets the Intimate Murders apart from other offenders. This finding may explain the intense violence often found in intimate murders and the high rate of suicide or attempted suicide following these offences.
Address correspondence to:
Gregory P. Kerry, Warkworth Institution, Psychology Department, P.O. Box 760, Campbellford, Ontario
K0L 1L0, (705) 924-8051
Notes
*chronic feelings of illness and discontent
References
Campbell, J. C. (l992). "If I can't have you, no one can: Power and control in homicide on female partners." In J. Radford & D. Russell (Eds.), Femicide: The politics of woman killing. Toronto, Ontario: MacMillan.
Crawford, M., & Gartner, R. (l992). Women killing: Intimate Femicide in Ontario, l974-l990 . Toronto, Ontario: Women we Honour Action Committee
Statistics Canada. (l989). Juristat Service Bulletin, (May) 9 (l), Minister of Supply and Services Canada.
Statistics Canada. (l99l). Homicide in Canada. Juristat Service Bulletin, l2 (l8), Minister of Supply and Services Canada.
Stout, K. (l99l). "Intimate femicide: A National demographic overview". Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 6 (4), 476-485.
U.S. Department of Justice. (l992). "Crime in the U.S. l99l", Uniform crime reports. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Resource details:
Author: Gregory P. Kerry M.A., Correctional Service of Canada & Carleton University
Originally printed in Education Wife Assault Newsletter , V. 9 # 1, June 1998
Type/Format of Resource: Article
Category/Topic of interest: Woman Abuse; Men and Abuse
Population Group: Friends & Family; Victims / Survivors; Social Service Providers; Criminal Justice
Language of Resource: English
Year of Publication: 1995-1999
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