When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 1997 Homicide Data

Females Murdered by Males in Single Victim/Single Offender Incidents

Arkansas

The homicide rate among females murdered by males in Arkansas was 2.84 per 100,000 in 1997

Ranked 3rd highest in the United States

Age

Two female homicide victims (5 percent) were less than 18 years old, and 3 victims (8 percent) were 65 years of age or older.

Race and Ethnicity

Out of 37 female murder victims, 19 were black, 17 were white and 1 was unknown. Under ethnic classification, none of the women were categorized as being of Hispanic origin.

Most Common Weapons

Weapons were identified for all 37 cases. Nearly half of all female homicide victims (17 victims or 46 percent) were shot and killed with guns. More than 6 out of 10 gun victims (11 victims or 65 percent) were killed with handguns. There were 8 females killed by bodily force and 4 females killed with blunt objects. The remainder of cases involved other non-firearm weapons.

Victim/Offender Relationship

The relationship was identified for all 37 cases. Nearly 9 out of 10 female victims (33 victims or 89 percent) were murdered by someone they knew. Four victims were killed by a stranger. Of the victims who knew their offenders, over half (20 victims or 61 percent) were wives, common-law wives, ex-wives, or girlfriends of the offenders. Among the 20 female intimates murdered, more than 6 out of 10 (13 victims or 65 percent) were killed with guns; 62 percent of these gun victims (8 victims) were shot and killed with handguns.

Circumstance

In cases in which the circumstance of the homicide could be identified (36 cases), 89 percent (32 cases) were not related to the commission of any other felony. Of these cases, 53 percent (17 cases) involved arguments between the victim and offender.

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