Intra-familiar homicides: From 2006 to 2021 in the judicial district of Milan

The present research aims at analyzing criminological and medico-legal characteristics of intrafamiliarhomicides occurred in two major Italian cities (Milano and Monza) from the beginning of 2006 to theend of 2021.Methods: Cases were identified using the Institutional database of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Milan, whereall the autopsies of victims were performed. Data about these cases were obtained from autopsies findings,preliminary investigation reports, local papers and victim relatives’ interviews.In this period 11,480 autopsies were performed: 392 were homicides and, among these, 94 were confirmed asintra-familiar homicides (as a result of 84 events).Cases were classified according to the classic definition of intimate partner violence (referring only to an intrafamiliarcontext), parricides, filicides, fratricides, familicides and grannicides.Age, sex, nationality and risk factors of the victims and perpetrators, as well as methods of murder wereregistered for each case. Only in some cases, motives for murder were known.Results: The most frequent type of intra-familiar homicides was intimate partner violence (41.5%), followed byparricides (16%, mainly matricides), filicides (10.7%) and fratricides (6.4%). 9.6% of the total number of eventswere familicides.Risk factors were frequently involved, in particular among perpetrators and in the group of parricides, whileamong siblicides they showed minimal relevance. Overall, psychiatric pathologies were the main risk factorsinvolved (at least 23.8%), unlike extrafamiliar homicides, where previous criminal report or involvement inillicit traffics are frequently reported among perpetrators. This finding enlightens the difficulties of caring for arelative with a mental disorder, who can become dangerous for the domestic caregiver.Furthermore, the high number of physical illness and the advanced age of victims points out the tragical consequencesof the lack of social support system for these categories of people.Methods: of murder were mainly cold steel (30–31.9%) and firearms (21–22.3%). However choking/manualligature (9–9.6%), blunt force trauma inflicted using objects found on the scenario or bare handed (16–17%) andcombined methods (11–11.7%) were frequently represented confirming the expected high level of impulsivity related to this crime