Correlates of Intimate Partner Stalking Precipitated Homicides in the United States

Intimate partner stalking is a significant health and safety concern in the United States, yet research on this phenomenon remains minimal. The purpose of this study is to examine the correlates of homicides precipitated by intimate partner stalking among a sample of homicide victims. This cross-sectional study included a subsample of adult homicide cases classified as intimate partner violence victims (N = 6028) between 2003 and 2015 on the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). The analysis explored victim- and suspect-related factors’ associations to homicide precipitated by intimate partner stalking. Bivariate associations were examined using Pearson’s correlation and Fisher’s exact test. Those meeting a significance threshold of .25 were included in the final analysis. Missingness was addressed with multiple imputation. The logistic regression analysis examined victim (marital status, education level, and geographic region of the homicide) and suspect (age, sex, firearm, and documented history of abuse towards victim) variables’ associations to homicide precipitated by intimate partner stalking. The findings suggest that the victim’s marital status, suspect’s sex, suspect’s use of a firearm, geographic region of the homicide, and a documented history of abuse of victim by the suspect had significant relationships with homicide precipitated by intimate partner stalking. The associations between death by firearm and previously documented history of abuse with homicide precipitated by intimate partner stalking have substantial implications for the criminal justice system. Limitations of the NVDRS dataset, recommendations for research, policy and prevention are discussed.