Mariticide

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Mariticide (from Latin maritus "husband" + -cide, from caedere "to cut, to kill") literally means the killing of one's own husband. It can refer to the act itself or the person who carries it out. It can also be used in the context of the killing of one's own boyfriend. In current common law terminology, it is used as a gender-neutral term for killing one's own spouse or significant other of either sex. Conversely, the killing of a wife or girlfriend is called uxoricide.

Contents

Prevalence

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mariticide made up 30% of the total spouse murders in the United States, data not including proxy murders conducted on behalf of the wife. [1] FBI data from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s found that for every 100 husbands who killed their wives in the United States, about 75 women killed their husbands indicating a 3:4 ratio of mariticide to uxoricide. [2]

English common law

Under English common law it was a petty treason until 1828, and until it was altered under the Treason Act 1790 the punishment was to be strangled and burnt at the stake. [3]

Notable instances

Historical

Anne Williams burned at the stake for mariticide in Gloucester, 1753 Anne Williams burned at the stake.JPG
Anne Williams burned at the stake for mariticide in Gloucester, 1753

Mythological

In Greek mythology

See also

References

  1. "Understanding Intimate Partner Violence" (PDF). cdc.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  2. "Wilson & Daley:Who kills whom in spouse killings". Wiley. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.1992.tb01102.x.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. 1 2 Burgess, Samuel Walter (1825), Historical illustrations of the origin and progress of the passions, and their influence on the conduct of mankind, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green, pp. 134–135
  4. Stronach, George (1892). "Kincaid, Jean"  . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 31. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 123.
  5. Bicks, Caroline (2017). Midwiving Subjects in Shakespeare's England. Taylor & Francis. p. 106. ISBN   978-1-351-91766-7.
  6. Durston, Gregory J. (2014). Wicked Ladies: Provincial Women, Crime and the Eighteenth-Century English Justice System. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 143. ISBN   978-1-4438-6599-9.
  7. Stateline Victoria
  8. "HTML Document: Regina v Knight [2001] NSWSC 1011 revised – 29 January 2002". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  9. Knight loses appeal for skinning partner – Breaking News – National – Breaking News
  10. "Texas woman who ran over cheating husband freed from prison". KEYE. Associated Press. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  11. Kettler, Sara. "Who Is Melanie Slate McGuire, the 'Suitcase Killer'?". A&E. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  12. "What made the preacher's wife kill her husband?". ABC News. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  13. Fraga, Kaleena (3 November 2024). "Jodi Arias Fatally Stabbed Her Ex-Boyfriend 27 Times — Now, She Leads An Eventful Life Behind Bars". All That's Interesting. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  14. "Friends say they warned Travis Alexander that Jodi Arias was dangerous for months before she killed him". ABC News. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  15. Ferrarin, Elena. "The Nancy Brophy Story: Killing a Husband Goes From Fiction to Reality". A&E. Retrieved 18 April 2025.