Suicide Following Homicide in Canada

Abstract

Sucide following homicide is fairly rare. Even more rare are studies of this event that use national data. In Canada, where national data are available, homicide offenders commit suicide in about 10% of the cases. Following Henry and Short, we hypothesize that the probability of suicide following homicide increases when the offender has close social ties to the victim and/or to society. We use data on all homicides committed in Canada by male offenders between 1961 and 1983 to explore this issue. Our results show that the closer the tie between the offender and the victim, the higher the probability that the offender will commit suicide. Furthermore, the probability of suicide increases with the offender's age and education, is higher when the offender uses a gun, and is higher when the victim is female.