Charmed To Death - Jamaican Men Who Kill Their Women And Themselves Usually Quiet And Appealing

Gleaner 11/19/17

As Jamaicans continue to digest news that over the past 10 years the island has recorded intimate-partner murder-suicides at an alarming rate, though not as high as initially reported, the profile of the men involved in these acts is sparking even more debate.

Spence         Photo by Ian Allen

A recently completed study on intimate-partner murder-suicides in Jamaica from 2007 to 2017 initially reported the intimate-partner murder-suicide rate over the 10 years was 0.92 per 100,000.

But late last week, the researchers issued a clarification that the rate was incorrectly calculated cumulatively over the 10 years. "The rate has now been recalculated per year, providing an average range from the lowest to highest year. This is resulting in a rate of 0.07 to 0.14 per 100,000.

"Using the per-year calculation, our rates are lower than the United States. The rest of the data in which patterns were identified and such are accurate," said the researchers, who also found that most of the men who killed their partners and themselves did not have a reputation for violence and were identified by neighbours, family members, and friends as quiet, lovable and charming. more