Intimate Partner Homicides in North Carolina: 2011-2015

Abstract

BACKGROUND Research on intimate partner homicide (IPH), when someone is killed by a current or former intimate partner, in North Carolina is limited, making it difficult to understand the magnitude of IPHs and identify strategies for prevention.METHOD We used North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System (NC-VDRS) data to assess IPHs among North Carolina residents between 2011 and 2015. Homicides were considered IPHs if intimate partner violence was identified and the victim was the suspect's current or former intimate partner. Proportions and rates of demographic characteristics and circumstances were assessed.RESULTS Of the 2,299 homicides that occurred between 2011 and 2015, 350 were IPHs (0.9 per 100,000 person-years). Most (72.3%) IPH victims were female (n = 253). Among all female homicides almost half (48.2%) were IPHs, while only 5.4% of all male homicides were IPHs. The highest rate of IPH occurred among women aged 20-44 (2.1 per 100,000 person-years). Most victims were non-Hispanic (NH) white (54.0%, n = 189), although rates for NH American Indians and NH blacks were 1.8 and 2.0 times those among NH whites respectively. Most victims, 86.6% male and 82.6% female, were the suspect's current partner. Firearms were the most common weapon used (62.6%, n = 219).LIMITATIONS NC-VDRS data are not representative of all IPHs in the United States. Circumstance data were sometimes incomplete and categories of circumstance variables restrictive, limiting available information on IPHs.CONCLUSION Future interventions focused on women aged 20-44, NH American Indian and NH Black communities, and firearm access could be effective in preventing IPHs in North Carolina.