When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 1996 Homicide Data

Females Murdered by Males in Single Victim/Single Offender Incidents

Missouri

The homicide rate among females murdered by males in Missouri was 1.85 per 100,000 in 1996

Ranked 16th highest in the United States

Age

Ten female homicide victims (20 percent) were less than 18 years old, and five victims (10 percent) were 65 years of age or older.

Race

Twenty-seven female murder victims were white and 24 were black.

Most Common Weapons

Nearly two thirds of female homicide victims (33 victims or 65 percent) were shot and killed with guns. Two thirds of these gun victims (22 victims or 67 percent) were killed with handguns. There were eight females killed with knives or other cutting instruments, and five killed with blunt objects. The remainder of cases involved other non-firearm weapons.

Victim/Offender Relationship

In cases in which the relationship between the victim and the offender could be identified (47 cases), more than nine out of 10 female victims (45 victims or 96 percent) were murdered by someone they knew. Only two female victims (four percent) were killed by strangers. Of victims who knew their offenders, 51 percent (23 victims) were wives, common law wives, ex-wives, or girlfriends of the offenders. Among the 23 female intimates murdered, 74 percent (17 victims) were killed with guns; 65 percent of these (11 victims) were shot and killed with handguns.

Circumstance

In cases in which the circumstance of the homicide could be identified (39 cases), 87 percent (34 cases) were not related to the commission of another felony. Of these cases, 59 percent (20 cases) involved arguments between the victim and offender.

Back to When Men Murder Women Table of Contents