Murder in Large Urban Counties, 1988 ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT BJS WEDNESDAY MAY 12, 1993 202-307-0784 In a study of prosecuted murder cases, about 80 percent of murder victims knew their killers and 16 percent were related to their killers, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. BJS, a Department of Justice agency, said more than half of the victims had a romantic or social relationship with their murderers. The data are based on an analysis of the homicide cases in which there was an arrest and prosecution in the nation's 75 most populous counties during 1988, BJS said. Almost half of the victims died in fights with the offender arising from property disputes, domestic arguments, insults or feuds. An estimated 11 percent were involved with the killer in illegal drug activities and 12 percent were collaborating in other criminal activities with their killer. More than 30 percent of the female victims were killed by a husband compared to 10 percent of the male victims. Ten percent of the female victims were killed by other women. "These data are from an analysis of almost 10,000 homicide cases involving more than 8,000 victims," said Acting BJS Director Lawrence A. Greenfeld. "About 75 percent of the victims were male, just over 50 percent were black and almost half were between 15 and 29 years old." "About half were killed with handguns--55 percent of the blacks and 45 percent of the whites," Greenfeld said, "as well as 54 percent of the males and 36 percent of the females." BJS estimated that 95 percent of the defendants convicted of murder were sentenced to incarceration--74 percent to a prison term, 18 percent to a life sentence, 2 percent to capital punishment and 2 percent to probation. Approximately 4 percent of the cases were either still pending at the end of the study or their sentences were not available. Men charged with murder were more likely than women to be convicted, and when convicted, men received harsher sentences than women. No significant differences existed between white and black murder defendants in the likelihood of conviction or the severity of sentence. Ninety-four percent of the black murder victims were killed by other blacks, and 76 percent of the white victims were killed by whites. Female murder victims were about twice as likely as were male victims to have been killed by a family member (31 percent of the female victims vs. 12 percent of the male victims). The relationships of the murder victims to their killers in the 75 most populous counties during 1988 according to the gender of the victims were as follows: Murder Victims Male Female Family member . . . . . . . 12% 31% Casual acquaintance . . . . 30 21 Friend . . . . . . . . . . . 13 8 Romantic partner . . . . . . 7 18 Stranger . . . . . . . . . . 21 16 Drug user or buyer . . . . 14 4 Partner in a non-drug crime 5 3 Other . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4 Relationship unknown . . . . 5 2 (Percentages may add to more than 100 percent because of multiple responses.) The murder weapon or method according to the gender of the victims was as follows: Murder Victims Male Female Handgun . . . . . . . . . . . 54% 36% Shotgun . . . . . . . . . . . 5 4 Rifle . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 Knife . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 19 Blunt instrument . . . . . . 5 7 Fist, feet, etc. . . . . . . 3 9 Strangulation . . . . . . . . 1 8 Car or truck . . . . . . . . 2 3 Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 Other . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 (Other includes asphyxiation, drowning, throwing from a height, neglect, scalding and machine gun.) BJS said the 75 most populous counties in the U.S. accounted for almost 40 percent of the population and represented about half of those arrested for murder and just under half of those murdered throughout the nation during 1988. Single copies of the BJS report, "Murder in Large Urban Counties, 1988" (NCJ-140614) as well as other BJS statistical information and publications may be obtained from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Box 6000, Rockville, Maryland 20850. The telephone number is 1-800-732-3277. Data from tables and graphs used in many BJS reports can be made available in spreadsheet files on 5 1/4" and 3 1/2" diskettes by calling (202) 307-0784. For additional information and statistics on drugs and crime issues contact BJS's Drugs and Crime Data Center and Clearinghouse on 1-800- 666-3332. 93-55 (JK) After hours contact: Stu Smith 301-983-9354