Newswise — Their names are forever embedded in our memories.
Lacy Peterson. Lori Hacking. Young women in the prime of their lives. Anticipating the birth of their first child. Allegedly murdered by the person they trusted most.
The murders of these women have been high-profile; covered in the news media, perhaps even sensationalized. That extensive coverage may possibly give the appearance of a growing epidemic of what the FBI classifies as intimate homicides - the murder of a spouse or significant other by their partner. According to a K-State associate professor of sociology, appearances can be misleading.
Dana Britton, author of "At Work in the Iron Cage: The Prison as Gendered Organization," who teaches a course on women in crime, the most recent comprehensive FBI crime figures indicate the number of intimate homicides is decreasing rather than increasing.
"This isn't a new phenomenon," Britton said. "Intimate homicides have always been around."
According to Britton, FBI statistics covering the years 1976-1999 indicate homicides in general are down 26 percent; intimate homicides down 50 percent. Consistent with FBI statistics, in 1976, intimate homicides were 17 percent of all homicides; by 1999 they were about one in 10 of all homicides.
"The most common homicides are between men who know each other," Britton said. "Intimate homicides are now one in 10: not a miniscule part of the picture but not the most common either."
Statistically speaking, the recent high-profile homicides do not signal an increase in lethal violence against women, Britton said.
While gender does not play a significant role in the statistics, race does play a part in the statistics and in the reporting. Britton said while both the Hacking and Peterson cases involved white women, in reality only the intimate homicide victimization rates of white males are lower than that of white females.
"Black females have the highest risk of being killed," Britton said. "Murders of white women always get way more attention than murders of black women. But visit the crisis centers. What's being reported doesn't reflect the reality of what's happening in terms of violence to other women, no question about that. The interesting thing is that the victims who are least prevalent statistically are often the ones who get the most coverage."
One notable exception to that lack of coverage was the murder of Cherica Adam. Rae Carruth, a former wide receiver for the NFL's Carolina Panthers, was sentenced to a 19- to 24-year term for conspiracy to commit murder in the death of his girlfriend, Adams, who was seven months pregnant with his child.
Adams was shot four times from a passing vehicle in 1999 as she drove her car in a Charlotte, N.C., suburb. The baby was delivered by emergency Caesarean section hours after the shooting. Adams died after struggling for almost a month.
Britton said that while she is not an expert on the psychodynamics of violent relationships, she said the most common rationale for men killing a spouse or significant other is alleged infidelity.
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