New Book Investigates Dynamics of Intrafamilial Homicide

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Nearly half of the nation's 20,000 murder victims each year are killed, not by strangers, but by relatives or acquaintances.

And although the number of intrafamilial homicides has somewhat stabilized during the past two decades, it most likely will grow as long as there is a lack of recognition of the underlying causes of the problem and dwindling community resources to deal with them, a University at Buffalo law professor and psychologist predicts.

In his latest book, "Fatal Families: The Dynamics of Intrafamilial Homicide" (Sage Publications, 1997), Charles Patrick Ewing, professor of law and adjunct professor of psychology, details dozens of cases of intrafamilial homicide to examine the nature, causes and consequences of family homicide in modern American society.

- Domestic violence. "Intrafamilial homicide is not only a form of domestic violence, but often a product of domestic violence," he writes. For example, when abusers kill or are killed by their abuse victims, the homicide is frequently the culmination of a long-standing pattern of child and/or spousal abuse.

- Overwhelming social stress. "Stress is clearly a contributing factor to many, if not most, intrafamilial killings." The stress associated with caring for a loved one afflicted with a debilitating handicap or terminal illness, the stress experienced by young mothers of newborns and the stress of unemployment all have contributed to killings within the family, he notes.

- Mental illness. A U.S. Department of Justice study of homicide in large urban counties found a history of mental illness among 12.3 percent of those who killed spouses, 15.8 percent of those who killed offspring, 25.1 percent of those who killed a parent and 17.3 percent of those who killed a sibling.

- Alcohol abuse. The justice department study found that among defendants charged with killing family members, nearly half -- 47.6 percent -- were drinking at the time of the killing.

- Ready availability of firearms. The justice department study found that 41.6 percent of intrafamilial homicide victims were killed with firearms, primarily handguns. "There can be little doubt that many intrafamilial killings are committed in the heat of passion and would never have occurred, but for the perpetrator's immediate access to a firearm," Ewing writes.

"Like most of our nation's major social ills, intrafamilial homicide is unlikely ever to be substantially reduced until we begin to successfully address these pervasive toxic aspects of contemporary culture," Ewing writes.

Support networks and accessible treatment programs and outreach efforts perhaps could help ameliorate the causes to help prevent intrafamilial homicides, he says.

But shrinking community resources aimed at these efforts likely will thwart comprehensive efforts to aggressively address the problems in the family and community, he believes.

In his book, Ewing concisely documents the often grisly gamut of mayhem and murder that is "all in the family." Among them are cases in which:

- Children, driven by a motive of greed to collect an inheritance, kill one or more parents.

- Children, who have been targets of parental abuse and are fearful of being slaughtered, kill parents in self-defense or out of an ingrained feeling of hopelessness.

- Brothers and sisters kill each other, spurred by a smoldering, intense sibling rivalry fueled by alcohol, drugs and easily accessible weapons.

- Single teen moms, burdened by shame and insecurity over their newborns, toss them in trash receptacles.

- Family caretakers kill elderly and enfeebled spouses and relatives because they are unable to bear the other's unrelenting pain and suffering.

- Suicidal parents or offspring, facing financial or other reversals of fortune, murder the entire family and then kill themselves because they are apparently unwilling to subject their spouses, children or siblings to an uncertain future.

Ewing, who also has authored a book on the topic, noted that the number of battered women who kill their batterers has dropped significantly over the past 20 years, partly because society is doing more to combat and legally address this problem.

But he paints a grimmer picture for other types of intrafamilial homicide unless more aggressive steps are taken to deal with the tragic and frequently preventable causes.

"The overall prognosis for reducing the incidence of intrafamilial homicide still appears bleak, but without continuing and vigorous efforts to combat spousal, child and elder abuse, the number of fatal families in America is, unfortunately, bound to grow."

Ewing, who is often called as an expert witness or legal consultant based on his study and expertise in the field of intrafamilial homicide, also is the author of "Battered Women Who Kill" and "Kids Who Kill."