The figures are shocking - 14% of all murders are committed by a current spouse or partner; with former partners responsible for one in seven murders.
"Meet Marry Murder" is a new TV series starting this week on Crime+Investigation – exploring some of these devastating crimes with the help of Dr Brian Frederick, a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Policing at the University of Portsmouth.
Now, in a short podcast from University of Portsmouth, Brian explains more about spousal murder, the cases that have most shocked him and what, if anything, could be done to spot the signs and give help to people before they become victims
Dr Frederick is one of the experts who appears in the new series of "Meet, Marry, Murder". The series is produced by UK-based 'First Look TV' and investigates real-life cases of intimate partner homicide.
Each case is fascinating in its own right. All are completely different, but have one thing in common - a spouse is murdered by their partner.
In two solid days of filming, Dr Frederick managed to delve deep into 20 shocking cases. "Meet, Marry, Murder" covers murder mysteries that are contemporary as well as historical. They range from a man who recently killed his wife as a result of the lockdown in the Mid-west United States, to a woman who employed her father to assassinate her husband on his front porch.
Dr Frederick says: "Each case is fascinating in its own right. All are completely different, but have one thing in common - a spouse is murdered by their partner. In one episode we might be looking at an abusive power and control relationship, and in another a sociopath. The nature of these true crimes are shocking and fascinating in equal measures. I love getting into the criminal mind and explaining what makes it tick."
Dr Frederick is new to the University, having joined the team at the Institute of Criminal Justice studies in September. He was introduced to the project by former colleague Dr Jane Monkton-Smith, who has devised an eight-point diagnostic 'homicide timeline' now being used by detectives investigating intimate partner homicide in the UK.
