A nationwide forensic case-series of femicides in Italy – Part 1: Clues to the motives of the murder
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Understanding the motives behind femicides is crucial to design effective prevention strategies and to support women's self-determination, free from threats to their mental and physical integrity. We conducted a retrospective, multicenter forensic study involving 27 Italian Institutes of Legal Medicine, analyzing 1238 female homicides (1950-2023). Cases were classified as femicide or non-femicide female homicide according to the medico-legal definition of femicide as the murder due to the failure to recognize women's right to self-determination. Motives were categorized into 12 groups, and relevant anamnestic and circumstantial data were collected. Of the 1238 cases, 410 were identified as femicides, 395 as non-femicides, and 433 were excluded for insufficient information. Femicides were most frequently driven by jealousy/rejection (n = 185; 45.1 %) and separation/divorce (n = 144; 35.1 %), often in the context of intimate partner violence or inability to accept the end of a relationship. Non-femicides were predominantly associated with the perpetrator's psychiatric disorder and/or drug addiction (n = 126; 31.9 %), violent aggression without gender-related motive (n = 69; 17.5 %), victim's illness (n = 63; 15.9 %), or economic reasons (n = 58; 14.7 %). In the Italian context, most femicides stem from relational dynamics - particularly jealousy, rejection, and separation - whereas non-femicides are more often linked to psychiatric illness, substance abuse, or non-gender-related aggression. Incorporating these findings into clinical risk assessment protocols, especially in emergency and primary care settings, may help identify women at high risk and guide targeted prevention strategies.
Source: Legal Medicine
Authors: Rossana Cecchi, Anna Laura Santunione, Jessika Camatti, Alice Buzzelli, Alessandra De Martina, Alessandra Sannella, Marco Vinceti, Graziamaria Corbi, Carlo Pietro Campobasso, Matilde Sassani, Giovanna Laura De Fazio, Paolo Fais, Susi Pelotti, Arianna Giorgetti, Elena Lacchè, Andrea Verzeletti, Bianca Beltrame, Riccardo Zoia, Lorenzo Franceschetti, Giulia Vignali, Carlo Moreschi, Lorenzo Desinan, Ugo Da Broi, Georgia Zara, Sarah Gino, Valentina Bugelli, Simone Balduini, Debora Ginocchio, Elisabetta Lubian, Antonietta Porzio, Federica Cascone, Guido Viel, Francesco Angiola, Francesco Introna, Sara Sablone, Mariagrazia Calvano, Francesco Ausania, Luca-Maria Solari, Alessio Asmundo, Elvira Ventura Spagnolo, Gennaro Baldino, Silvia Damiana Visonà, Sofia Bodini, Emanuela Turillazzi, Mario Gabbrielli, Alice Bacchio, Antonina Argo, Ginevra Malta, Ernesto D’Aloja, Roberto Demontis, Camilla Gozzelino, Jessica Sanna, Raffaele Giorgetti, Federica Bora, Francesco Ventura, Isabella Caristo, Antonio Oliva, Giulia Mercuri, Cristoforo Pomara, Monica Salerno, Luigi Cipolloni, Vilma Pinchi, Martina Focardi, Luigi Tonino Marsella, Michele Treglia, Isabella Aquila, Matteo Antonio Sacco, Rosamaria Gaudio, Margherita Neri, Raffaella Marino
Institutions: University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University of Parma, Università degli studi di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale, University of Naples Federico II, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", University of Birmingham, University of Bologna, University of Brescia, University of Milan, University of Udine, University of Turin, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro”, University of Padua, University of Bari Aldo Moro, University of Verona, University of Messina, University of Pavia, University of Pisa, University of Siena, University of Palermo, University of Cagliari, Marche Polytechnic University, University of Genoa, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, University of Catania, University of Foggia, University of Florence, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Magna Graecia University, University of Ferrara
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,540
OpenAlex ID: W4414006407