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Ky. 9th in U.S. For Women Murdered By Men, Intimate Partners Most Vulnerable

Katarzyna Bialasiewicz
/
123rf Stock Photo

A new study shows Kentucky is among the top 10 states in the nation where women are murdered by men. Women in intimate partner relationships are especially vulnerable.

The report called “When Men Murder Women” is by the nonprofit Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and uses data from the FBI.

The report says having guns in the home can allow domestic violence to escalate to murder. And women are much more likely to be a victim at home than in any other place. 

Kentucky ranks 9th in the U.S. with 39 females murdered by males in 2016. Of the 39 killed, 25 were white, 11 were black and two were Asian or Pacific Islander.

More than 80 percent were killed with handguns. Others were killed by knives, blunt objects or bodily force. The average age of the victims was 38.

State homicide rates were based on percentage of population. The study examines only instances involving one female homicide victim and one male offender. 

The top five states with women murdered by men are Alaska, Louisiana, Nevada, Arkansas and Tennessee.

Rhonda Miller began as reporter and host for All Things Considered on WKU Public Radio in 2015. She has worked as Gulf Coast reporter for Mississippi Public Broadcasting, where she won Associated Press, Edward R. Murrow and Green Eyeshade awards for stories on dead sea turtles, health and legal issues arising from the 2010 BP oil spill and homeless veterans.