From Caring to Killing: Domestic Abuse, Gender, and the Legal Response to Caregiver-Perpetrated Homicide

This presentation draws on a study which developed the first Typology of Caregiver-Perpetrated Homicide. Ideal Type Analysis identified seven types: Ending Suffering; Genuine Burden of Care; Pre-existing Mental Illness; Neglect; Exploitation; Caregiver as Victim of Domestic Violence, Abuse or Coercive Control; and Caregiver as Perpetrator of Domestic Violence, Abuse, or Coercive Control. Each type is characterised by distinct motives, contexts, and trajectories, challenging assumptions that such killings are isolated or inexplicable events.

The talk will outline the Typology and then explore its implications for legal reform, policy development, and cultural change. It will focus on two interconnected areas: first, the typologies involving pre-existing domestic abuse and coercive control, examining how patterns of abuse, dependency, and coercive control shape the conditions in which these killings occur; and second, the gendered dynamics and narratives evident across all seven types. These include the predominance of male perpetrators, the use of violent means of killing, and the cultural expectation that women provide care – often in isolation and without support.

Finally, the discussion will consider how the typology can inform the Law Commission’s ongoing homicide law review, alongside policy priorities such as improved data collection, better recognition of domestic abuse, carer safeguarding, and assessment for homicidal ideation within social care settings. Ultimately, it will be argued that preventing future caregiver-perpetrated homicides requires not only targeted reform but also wider structural and cultural transformation in how care, dependency, and responsibility are understood and supported.