ABSTRACT
The reader will note that the introductory material to each chapter varies in length; this reflects the state of knowledge on the topic. Our knowledge is limited. Before the reader begins this chapter, he should reflect on the rather long introduction to Chapter 1. There we learned suicide is a multidetermined event, so is homicide. Thus, it follows that homicide followed by suicide is also multi-determined. We begin with some reflections from one of the world’s best known homicidologists, Nancy Allen. Allen reflected on homicide-suicide, stating, “Murder-suicide offenders are a far less deviant group than the sample of ordinary murders. The majority of murder-suicide cases are married and live in connected family settings, free from criminal associations” (Allen, 1980, p. 86).
