Autores de homicídios passionais: narrativas do crime, histórias de vida e dos relacionamentos

Abstract

Gender violence is a relevant problem in our society. In the more serious cases, it may lead to episodes of extreme violence: crimes of passion. Purposes: This study looked into the life and romantic relationship backgrounds of perpetrators of crimes of passion and analyzed their experiences and accounts of the events leading up to their crime. Method: We used the multiple case study procedure. We focused on three men convicted and imprisoned for the first-degree murder of their lovers. We conducted four semi-structured interviews with each convict. We also used social-demographic charts and genograms. Results: The following elements stand out from their backgrounds: they suffered physical violence in childhood, had low schooling levels, started working at an early age, remained close to their immediate families, were evangelicals, and one of them had attempted suicide after committing murder. As for their romantic relationships, we found that the killers had expectations regarding conventional gender roles, brief relationships that led to cohabitation, a history of several relationships before getting involved with their victims, and had been involved with their victims for a short time before killing them.