Murder: The Facts of Murder in the U.S. And Victims Rights
Statistics Are One Thing, but Murder is Personal
We all hear about murder on the local news, but what is murder really? This article will talk about some of the facts of murder that you may not know.
Murder is defined as "the crime of unlawfully killing a person with malice aforethought."
A first degree murder means simply that the murder was premeditated and planned. In some states a first degree murder can also include the killing of a police officer or a murder committed during the act of kidnapping or a sexual assault.
Statistics have shown that nearly half of all murder victims actually knew their murderer. In fact, 20 percent of murders involve family members. So even though we hear the horror stories of serial killers, or random unsolved murders, your chances are much higher of being killed by someone you know, maybe even someone you love. 1 in 4 female murder victims are killed by their husband or boyfriend.
On average, according to FBI statistics, 44 Americans are murdered each day in this country. The United States has approximately 310 million citizens living here. 35 states have the death penalty, including Texas. Texas ranks #1 in death row executions in the United States.
In 2008, Texas had a murder rate of 5.6 for every 100,000 residents. The murder rate in Texas has steadily decreased since 1996 when the rate was 7.7 per 100,000 residents. In 2008 Texas ranked 20th of the 50 states for murders per capita.
Statistics are fine, they have their place, but murder is personal when it's your family member or loved one that has been killed. My own family experienced the intentional killing of a loved one; the emotional devastation and the outrage as the murderer was instead convicted on "manslaughter".
The justice system works most of the time, but not all of the time. If you have experienced the murder of a loved one, my strongest advice is to fight for the victim. Make sure the detective's working the case, and the District Attorney assigned to the case, know that you want justice for your loved one. Cooperate with them in any way they ask.
If a suspect is brought to trial and convicted, write a letter to the judge in memory of the victim or stand before the court and let them know how the murder affected you and your family. Victims have rights, and if the victim is deceased it is up to their friends and family to fight for those rights. Fight.
Sources: FBI.com
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/murder-rates-nationally-and-state
Author's personal experience as law enforcement officer and family member of murder victim.
Published by Sherri Thornhill
I am a retired Police Officer and a professional freelance writer. I enjoy writing about a variety of topics. In addition to Yahoo Voices, I write for Examiner.com as the National Generation X Examiner, the... View profile
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- Murder is defined as "the crime of unlawfully killing a person with malice aforethought."
- 1 in 4 female murder victims are killed by their husband or boyfriend.
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17 Comments
Post a CommentIt really is sad that many actually hate the ones they are supposed to love. Its unfortunate that people can't just walk away from a bad relationship instead of kill them. Great write Sherri.
I hear you, though I've been lucky enough to not have had family or friend murdered. I had just finished reading Leonard Mlodinow's The Drunkard's Walk that cites some murder stats in explaining the OJ Simpson trial. He cites a similar stat you do that somehow got left out of court... that though most abusers don't go on to kill the people they abuse, 90% of abused women who end up dead are murdered by their abuser. Gotta stand up for the right of the victims indeed! Thanks for writing.
Wow ! Great article!
Sympathies on your loss, especially under such horrible circumstances. It really does seem to make a difference if the family persists.
Great work Sherri!
Great article...scary facts though! I wished more attention was placed on the victims over the deed doer!
good job on this!
The fact that you shared your personal story of losing a loved one makes the facts in your story really hit home. Sorry to hear about the loss of your loved one.
I'm sorry to hear you lost a loved one this way. :(
Why haven't I been getting notifications of your work? I'm resubscribing. Hope you didn't think I'd been ignoring you!