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Despite the importance of intimate partner violence (IPV) and homicide research to women's health and safety, much remains unknown about risk factors for intimate partner homicide (IPH). This article presents the Arizona Intimate Partner Homicide Study, pilot research that is being conducted in one U.S. state to update and expand on risk factors for IPH. In the context of presenting this study, we summarize the literature on data collection techniques, various marginalized and under researched populations, and the importance of gathering data about the victim-offender relationship and situational IPH risk factors. Additional research is needed to update risk factors for IPH to account for changes in technology and to examine differential risk across diverse populations. Local, community based data collection strategies are likely to provide more comprehensive and nuanced insight into IPH; though, to understand risk factors among marginalized populations, it may be necessary to increase sample size through a national strategy. Although not a panacea, we present this ongoing research as a model for other states to emulate and improve upon, in the hopes of developing more comprehensive data examining risk for IPH among victims of IPV., Author(s): Jill Theresa Messing [sup.1] , Millan A. AbiNader [sup.1] , Jesenia M. Pizarro [sup.2] , Jacquelyn C. Campbell [sup.3] , Megan Lindsay Brown [sup.1] , Karissa R. Pelletier [sup.2] [...]

This study employs a mixed methods approach, using quantitative analysis to discuss significant patterns, and qualitative analysis to provide descriptive accounts of homicide incidents. Seven hundred and five homicides that occurred in a northeastern city between January 1999 and December 2007 are examined to answer the following research question: Do the situated transactions of firearm homicides differ from those involving other weapons? The quantitative analyses found distinct patterns in offender intent, criminogenic tendencies, and situational attributes between firearm and other weapon homicides. The qualitative analysis revealed that firearms are most often utilized in homicides that can be understood as 'doing crime,' where offenders and victims are engaged in a criminal lifestyle and firearms are an extension of this activity. Other weapons are associated with homicides concerned with 'establishing moral order,' or defending values and ideals, between individuals who are intimate. The methodological and policy implication of these findings are discussed., Author(s): Jesenia M. Pizarro [sup.1] , Karen Holt [sup.2] , Karissa R. Pelletier [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0001 2151 2636, grid.215654.1, Firearm Safety Among Children and Teens Consortium (FACTS), [...]

This study examines the covariates of weapon choice in homicide incidents. Two research questions are examined. The first research question is: what variables influence the use of a particular type of weapon in a homicide? The second research question asks: how does the method of weapon retrieval, or lack thereof, affect the choice of weapon? The findings suggest that firearms are more likely to be on the offender's person and carried to the incident scene relative to other weapon types. In addition, the use of specific types of weapons is conditioned by the demographic and lifestyle characteristics of victims and offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]