He Announced It after All: Dealing with Death Threats in Cases of Intimate Partner Femicide after Separation

Worldwide, intimate partner femicide remains a particularly issue, with over 80% of female homicide victims murdered by their intimate partner or a family member. With the international ratification of the Istanbul Convention, there is a consensus in Europe and beyond on the need for policies to prevent intimate partner violence. Part of the Convention is the obligation to carry out risk assessments in cases of intimate partner violence, which requires multi-professional cooperation between the police and social services. Contrary to the common belief that a separation ends a violent relationship, separation often does not improve the life situation of those affected. Instead, some conflicts intensify and violence may escalate. Perpetrators often threaten to kill their victims. How should support systems deal with these threats? Perpetrators often use threatening behaviour in order to intimidate the victims and regain power and control over them. As this is common, it is necessary to investigate the circumstances in which perpetrators who threaten to kill their ex-partners are willing to do so. Our research is based on the analysis of public prosecution files (Germany 2012-2020) on attempted and completed IPH after separation, with male perpetrators and female victims. These were compared with files on domestic violence cases in which the perpetrator had threatened to kill but did not subsequently do so. Findings are presented on the conditions under which a perpetrator announces a homicidal offence and is prepared to carry it out. Possible ways of integrating these findings into threat management approaches are discussed.