Homicide/Death Investigation

Investigating Domestic Related Homicide

Length of Seminar: 2 Days
Instructor: Mike J. Coker

Course Overview:
During this two (2) day course, officers and other helping professionals will be presented with ideas and techniques to assist them in investigating domestic/family homicides. This course of instruction will include spouse and child homicide investigations.

Each day in the U.S., between 5 and 11 women are Killed by a male intimate partner, between 1800 and 4000 per year. In the United States, women are more likely to be killed by their male intimate partners than all other homicide categories combined. The Violence Against Women Act in 1994 was key legislation to curb domestic homicides. In its first year, the Violence Against Women Act and related provisions have proven extremely effective in our effort to derail family violence incidents and to provide protection and peace of mind for women and their families. While some cities have received remarkable success in reduction of family violence murders, others have yet to incorporate aggressive strategies.

The investigation of a homicide is the most detailed and will rank as one of the most significant investigations of any agency. This is a crime, which will never be understood by the general public. The public is outraged when a homicide occurs and more so when it involves family. Domestic/Family homicides bring a different twist. The family is supposed to be sacred and when it is divided, particularly with a murder, the fabric is torn beyond repair. This makes this investigation much more difficult, because the perpetrator is someone that the family knows and perhaps loves.

Nature And Scope Of Domestic Violence:

1. Researchers estimate the 90% of women murdered are killed by men, who are most often a family member, spouse or ex-partner. (National Clearinghouse of Battered Women 1998)
2. Approximately ¼ of all homicides are spouse killings (23.2%) “Homicide, The Social Reality” 1996.
3. 73.3% of spouse killings are men killing women. (Bureau of Crime Statistics and
   Research)
4. 26.7% of spouse killings are women killing men. (BCS Research)
5. Studies show that the vast majority of women who kill their abusers do so as a last resort in defense of their own lives and/or the lives of their children, and that may have stayed with abusive partners because they have been beaten trying to escape.
6. In about 85% of spouse assault and homicide cases, police have been called at least once before. In about 50% of those cases, police have responded five times to family violence incidents prior to the homicide. (BCS Research)
7. Women of all class levels, educational backgrounds, and racial, ethnic, and religious groups are being battered and killed. (Study on Women and Children 1992)
8. According to the FBI’s Supplemental Homicide Reports in 1992, firearms was used to kill in 69% of the cases involving wives and ex-wives.
9. Children are present in 41-44% of homes were police intervene in domestic violence.
10. Children in homes where domestic violence occurs are physically abused or neglected at a higher rate than the national average. (Bureau of Justice Statistics 1994)

Upon Completion:

1. To familiarize law enforcement officers, including helping
   professionals, with theories and dynamics of investigating
2. Domestic/Family Violence Homicides.
   To provide strategies for prevention of Domestic/Family Homicides.
3. To provide proven on scene techniques for successful prosecution of offenders.
4. To show Law Enforcement and other Helping Professionals of the advantages of a Pro-Arrest Policy in the reduction of Domestic/Family Violence Homicides.
5. To reveal the importance of case preparation for court.
6. To identify the role of Social Services and Police in Homicides involving Children.
7. To familiarize participants with the Stalking Law and how Stalking impacts Domestic Homicides.
8. 4th and 5th Amendment requirements when investigating Domestic Homicides.
9. To reveal current trends involving Gay/Lesbian Domestic Homicides.
10. To familiarize on scene responsibilities for officers, detectives and supervisors during a Domestic/Family Homicide call for service