Criminal Justice Outcomes in Intimate and Non-intimate Partner Homicide Cases

Table 4.13: Summary of Significant Associations for Multivariate Analyses Examining the Victim-Accused Relationship, Time Period, Gender and Control Variables by Eight Criminal Justice Outcomes, Total Sample, Toronto, Ontario, 1974-2002

Victim-accused relationship
1st degree charge Case sent to trial Guilty at trial NCRMD acquittal Overall conviction Murder conviction Federal sentence Length of sentence
Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 Model 5 Model 6 Model 7 Model 8
Intimate partner – – +   +      

Gender
1st degree charge Case sent to trial Guilty at trial NCRMD acquittal Overall conviction Murder conviction Federal sentence Length of sentence
Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 Model 5 Model 6 Model 7 Model 8
Male accused     +   + + +  
Male victim – –   – + – – –

Time period
1st degree charge Case sent to trial Guilty at trial NCRMD acquittal Overall conviction Murder conviction Federal sentence Length of sentence
Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 Model 5 Model 6 Model 7 Model 8
Second period: 1984-1996   – +   + +    
Third period: 1997-2002                

Legal variables
1st degree charge Case sent to trial Guilty at trial NCRMD acquittal Overall conviction Murder conviction Federal sentence Length of sentence
Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 Model 5 Model 6 Model 7 Model 8
Accused has non-violent record   – +   + +    
Accused has violent record + – +   + + + +
Severity of initial charge/conviction s/o s/o + + + + + +
Case resolved at trial s/o s/o s/o s/o s/o + + +

Extra-legal variables
1st degree charge Case sent to trial Guilty at trial NCRMD acquittal Overall conviction Murder conviction Federal sentence Length of sentence
Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 Model 5 Model 6 Model 7 Model 8
Characteristics of the accused                
Accused is white                
Age of accused       + – –    
Accused is employed     +       +  
Accused is married       –        
Accused has psychiatric history     – + –   +  
Victim is white                
Age of victim                
Victim is employed                
Victim is employed +     +       +
Victim is married       +        
Victim has prior criminal record                
Characteristics of the incident                
Homicide occurred in public +     –        
Gun used in homicide + +            
Victim drinking/using drugs – –   – +