Why Do So Many Black Women Die Of Murder-Suicide?
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Countless tragic news stories involving the demise of black women have the familiar term “murder-suicide.” Why does it seem that black women suffer disproportionately from murder-suicide?
Is there something to be learned from their surroundings or background? Perhaps there’s a soci-economic link to those types of deaths in particular?
No one knows. But what we do know is that there are too many murder-suicides in America’s black community.
Already in 2023, there have been several murder-suicides of black women, with more being reported each day:
What is Murder-Suicide?
Murder-suicide is a selfish fatal act of violence in which a person kills one or more people before killing themselves.
Murder-suicide has been documented in many forms, including:
A murder-suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more persons either before or while killing themselves. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms:
Suicide Bombing
Suicide by Cop
Suicide Pact
Spree Killing Suicide
Accidental Death Suicide
Crimes of Passion
There are many other versions of murder that led directly or indirectly to contributing to the suicide of a person.
Who Commits Murder-Suicide?
While no national statistics exist to show the breakdown of murder-suicides by race, what we know if that such homicides often make headline news in sensationalized terms.
In a seminar titled Men Who Murder Their Families: What the Research Tells Us, it was highlighted that most perpetrators of murder-suicide are non-Hispanic white males who kill those they were romantically involved with or those they used to be romantically involved with.
“The most common type of killer was a possessively jealous type, and I found that many of the men who … commit murder-suicide, as well as those who kill their children, also seem to fit that profile,” author David Adams told the panel. “A jealous substance abuser with a gun poses a particularly deadly combination of factors; one that was present in about 40 percent of the killers I interviewed,” he added.
According to the Violence Policy Center, there are 11 murder-suicides a week in the United States.
More than 1,200 Americans die in murder-suicides each year.
Nine out of 10 murder-suicides involve a firearm.
Nearly two-thirds of all murder-suicides involve parties that are or were romantically linked.
Can Murder Suicides Be Prevented?
While there is no one interaction or policy that can wholly prevent murder-suicides, experts do know the preamble that often leads to such crimes.
“Prior domestic violence is by far the number-one risk factor in these cases,” Jacquelyn C. Campbell of Johns Hopkins University said on a panel about the subject.
Another factor is a sudden negative change in a person’s life.
In the cases involving men who killed their wives, which renown French sociologist Emile Durkheim called “anomic suicides,” it has been documented that there are “radical and significant changes in the person’s social and economic environment,” the panel said.
Another identifying mark, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation is propensity to self-harm.
“ A prevailing theory posits that a suicide attempt requires an individual to overcome, among other things, the inborn resistance to such an act,” the FBI says. “This entails surmounting the fear of death, which can result from exposure to violence, greater pain tolerance, persistent suicidal ideation, mental practice of a suicide plan, and harming oneself. The capability for suicide, of which a past attempt is the most obvious indicator, is a prerequisite for domestic murder-suicide.”
What can we do as a nation, as a society and community to stem the rising tide of murder-suicides? Educate ourselves.
Read the warning signs of an abusive relationship.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or practicing self-harm, contact the the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time. Online live chat is also available. Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741. If you are experiencing domestic abuse, for assistance, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.