Hidden Violence: Murder-Suicide Events More Common Than Previously Known

The incidence of murder-suicide in the United States is higher than earlier estimates suggest, according to new research from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The study reveals that while murder-suicide events remain relatively rare, they are occurring more frequently than previously documented—particularly among current or former intimate partners. The findings are published in JAMA Network Open, Psychiatry.

Murder-suicide events are defined as incidents in which an individual commits one or more homicides before taking their own life, typically within a 24-hour period.

"Murder-suicide events involve a high level of violence with tragic consequences. We felt it was crucial to provide an updated assessment of how often these events occur in the United States, who is affected, and where they are happening. This information is vital for guiding effective prevention and intervention strategies,” said lead author Katherine M. Keyes, PhD, professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School.

Researchers analyzed data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (Restricted Access Database), focusing on 30 U.S. states with complete data from 2016 to 2022. Events were based on police reports and other information regarding whether one or more homicides were followed by suspect suicide within a 24-hour time period.

They identified 5,743 deaths linked to murder-suicide occurrences during this period—an average of 820 deaths annually—including 3,125 homicides and 2,618 suicides. Most perpetrators were white males.

Geographically, murder-suicide rates were highest in Alaska and Arizona, and lowest in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The data also revealed that children under 18 accounted for 14 percent of those killed. The majority of homicides occurred between romantic partners: over half (57 percent) of homicide victims were current or former intimate partners of the perpetrator. Nearly all of the suicides involved a firearm as the primary weapon.

“There is substantial variation in murder-suicide rates by state, which underscores the importance of tailoring prevention strategies to local conditions—such as gun legislation, mental health infrastructure, and domestic violence response systems,” said Keyes.

“Given that the majority of victims were intimately connected to the perpetrator, strengthening domestic violence screening and intervention programs must be a top public health priority,” Keyes emphasized. “And with nearly 90 percent of these events involving firearms, implementing and enforcing policies to restrict firearm access—such as extreme risk protection orders—may be especially effective in reducing these tragic outcomes.”

Co-authors are Victoria A. Joseph and Caroline Rutherford, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.