Spousal homicides: news published in newspapers of South Eastern Brazil

Abstract

 Spousal homicide is a lethal act occurred in a relationship of intimacy where those involved are or has been on a date, stable union or marriage. The current study aimed to carry out an initial mapping of marital homicides through documentary research on published material in the newspapers O Estado de São Paulo and Jornal da Tarde between 2000 and 2010. The results are in line with the literature on the subject which makes it possible to list some common characteristics to this type of act, such as: prevalence of male perpetrators; different motivations for men and women to commit the act; higher occurrence in the home of both or one of the involved; age difference; recurrent use of firearms and cold weapons; existence of prior evidence with emphasis on marital violence. The main limitations are the lack of official data and communication between agencies that address this issue in Brazil.