Women who kill their partners
Given that women are four times more likely than men to be victims of spousal homicide, most research in this area focuses on men who kill their present or former spouse while there is little research on the psychosocial issues of women who kill their husbands. This exploratory paper looks at the criminal characteristics and motivations of such women. A comprehensive analysis of the files of Quebec’s chief coroner from 1989 to 2006 identified 40 such cases. Our results show that half of these women (50 %) were given a provincial or federal sentence, 22.5 % were acquitted of the charges against them, 5 % were recognized as not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder, and 12.5 % committed suicide following the homicide. Over half the women (57.5 %) surrendered to police after the homicide. Almost half (47.5 %) used a sharp instrument, while 37.5 % used a firearm. Finally, 17.5 % of women used excessive violence on their victim (overkill). Motivations were marital conflict in 25 % of cases, while self-defence accounted for 25 %, retaliation for 20 %, and a financial motive for 12.5 %.