Marzuk et al proposed a classification scheme for cases of murder-suicide based on the typologies of those involved. The authors are from Cornell and New York Universities and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for New York.
Types of relationship:
(1) spousal or consortial: The principal victim and offender are spouses or lovers.
(2) familial: The principal victim-offender relationship is a blood relative (consanguineal) or other familial, nonmarital relationship
(3) extrafamilial: The principal victim-offender relationship is not marital, consortial or familial. This includes friends, acquaintances, and strangers.
|
Relationship |
Perpetuator |
Type |
|
Spousal or Consortial |
spouse |
I (1) |
|
|
consort |
I (2) |
|
Familial |
mother |
II (1) |
|
|
father |
II (2) |
|
|
child (under 16 years of age) |
II (3) |
|
|
other adult family member (> 16 years of age) |
II (4) |
|
Extrafamilial |
|
III |
from Table, page 3180
where:
• It seems logical to make expand extrafamilial into friends as III (1), acquaintances as III (2), and strangers as III (3).
|
Relationship |
Type of Homicide |
Type |
|
Spousal |
spouse killing (uxoricidal) |
i |
|
|
murder of lover (consortial) |
ii |
|
Familial |
neonaticide (child < 24 hours old) |
i |
|
|
infanticide (child 1 to 364 days old) |
ii |
|
|
pedicide (child 1 through 16 years of age) |
iii |
|
|
adult family member > 16 years of age |
iv |
where:
• There is need for extrafamilial types.
|
Apparent Motive |
Class |
|
amorous jealousy |
A |
|
"mercy killing" |
B |
|
"altruistic" or "extended" suicides |
C |
|
family financial or social stressors |
D |
|
retaliation |
E |
|
other motive |
F |
|
unspecified |
G |
where:
• More than 1 motive may be present.
• Mercy killing: murder performed because of declining health of victim and/or offender.
• Altruistic suicide: includes salvation fantasies of rescue and escape from problems. A parent may want to escape from a painful existence and includes dependent children to save them from suffering.
• Extended suicide: The perpetuator may view the victim as an "extension" of her or himself, so that the murder of the victim is perceived as a form of suicide.
Rules for coding:
(1) principal victim listed first, then any additional persons
(2) code sequence: perpetuator, homicide, motive
Specialty: Clinical Laboratory
ICD-10: ,
