Murder followed by suicide in Australia,1973-1992: a research note

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a study of murder-suicide in Australia. The study is based on the analysis of 188 events in four states of Australia spread over a period of 20 years from 1973 to 1992. This paper focuses on two types of murder-suicide-those events in which a male offender kills his female partner and those events in which a parent kills his or her child or children. The motivations of men and women who commit murder and then kill themselves are qualitatively different. The findings are discussed from a feminist perspective and it is argued that there is a need to combine psychological and sociological frameworks for a better understanding of murder followed by suicide.