This population-based study describes all 586 North Carolina femicide victims age 15 and older between 1991 and 1993. We combined reviews of medical examiner records with interviews of law enforcement officers to obtain information about the events and the contexts in which the Femicides occurred. Victimization rates were highest for African American and young women. Fifty-four percent of the femicides were committed with firearms and 67% occurred at a residence. More than half the women were killed by current or former intimate partners; at least 67% of these cases were preceded by domestic violence. Nonpartner femicides often involved multiple overlapping circumstances such as criminal activity, drug-related activity, and arguments. The findings demonstrate the complexity of femicide and the need to disentangle the many contributing factors. Medical examiner data and law enforcement interviews proved complementary, but information gaps still exist, signaling possibilities for changes in data collection, as well as needs for further research.
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