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When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 1996 Homicide Data

Females Murdered by Males in Single Victim/Single Offender Incidents

Maryland

54 females were murdered by males in Maryland in 1996

The homicide rate among females murdered by males in Maryland was 2.08 per 100,000 in 1996

Ranked 12th highest in the United States


Age

Seven female homicide victims (13 percent) were less than 18 years old, and four victims (seven percent) were 65 years of age or older.


Race

Twenty-seven female murder victims were white, 26 were black, and one was Asian or Pacific Islander.


Most Common Weapons

In cases in which the weapon used in the homicide could be identified (53 cases), six out of 10 of all female homicide victims (32 victims or 60 percent) were shot and killed with guns. More than eight out of 10 of these gun victims (27 victims or 84 percent) were killed with handguns. There were 13 females killed with knives or other cutting instruments, four females killed with blunt objects, and three females killed by bodily force. 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 (44 cases), more than nine out of 10 female victims (42 victims or 95 percent) were murdered by someone they knew. Only two female victims (five percent) were killed by strangers. Of victims who knew their offenders, nearly two thirds (27 victims or 64 percent) were wives, common law wives, ex-wives, or girlfriends of the offenders. Among the 27 female intimates murdered, 59 percent (16 victims) were killed with guns; 81 percent of these (13 victims) were shot and killed with handguns.


Circumstance

In cases in which the circumstance of the homicide could be identified (30 cases), 87 percent (26 cases) were not related to the commission of another felony. Of these cases, 58 percent (15 cases) involved arguments between the victim and offender.


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All contents � 1998 Violence Policy Center