Contract killing

Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people.^[1] It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, monetary or otherwise.^[2]

A male contract killer is colloquially known as a hitman.^[3]

Statistics

Contract killings generally make up a small percentage of murders. For example, they accounted for about 6% of all murders in Scotland from 1993 to 2002.^[4]

A study by the Australian Institute of Criminology of 162 contract murders and attempted contract murders in Australia between 1989 and 2002 indicated that the most common reason for murder-for-hire was insurance policy payouts. The study also found that payments varied from $5,000 to $30,000 per killing, with an average of $15,000, and that the most commonly used weapons were firearms. Contract killings accounted for 2% of murders in Australia during that period.^[5]

Contract killers may share similarities with serial killers, such as detached financial and emotional incentives, but are not classified as such due to the differing objectives of their crimes.^[6]^[7]^[8] Nevertheless, there are occasionally individuals that are labelled as both contract killers and serial killers.^[8]^[9]^[10]

References

^ Frank Shanty; Patit Paban Mishra (2008). Organized Crime: From Trafficking to Terrorism. ABC-CLIO. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-57607-337-7.
^ Roddy, Ariel L.; Holt, Thomas J. (2022). "An Assessment of Hitmen and Contracted Violence Providers Operating Online". Deviant Behavior. 43 (2): 139–151. doi:10.1080/01639625.2020.1787763.
^ "Hit man Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary".
^ "Homicide in Scotland, 2002". Government of Scotland.
^ "Lovers top contract killing hit list". CNN. February 5, 2004.
^ Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi (2013). The Economics of Crime. Business Expert Press. p. 162. ISBN 978-1-60649-583-4.
^ Holmes & Holmes 2009, p. 7.
^ ^a ^b David Wilson; Elizabeth Yardley; Adam Lynes (2015). Serial Killers and the Phenomenon of Serial Murder: A Student Textbook. Waterside Press - Drew University. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-909976-21-4.
^ R.J. Parker; Scott Bonn (2017). Blood Money: The Method and Madness of Assassins. ABC-CLIO. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-1-987902-34-1.
^ Holmes, Ronald M.; Holmes, Stephen T. (2009). Serial Murder. SAGE. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-4129-7442-4.

External links

Murder-for-Hire: Web Hits of a Deadly Kind (FBI)

[ShantyMishra2008-1] Frank Shanty; Patit Paban Mishra (2008). Organized Crime: From Trafficking to Terrorism. ABC-CLIO. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-57607-337-7.

[2] Roddy, Ariel L.; Holt, Thomas J. (2022). "An Assessment of Hitmen and Contracted Violence Providers Operating Online". Deviant Behavior. 43 (2): 139–151. doi:10.1080/01639625.2020.1787763.

[3] "Hit man Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary".

[4] "Homicide in Scotland, 2002". Government of Scotland.

[lovers-5] "Lovers top contract killing hit list". CNN. February 5, 2004.

[Madjd-Sadjadi2013-6] Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi (2013). The Economics of Crime. Business Expert Press. p. 162. ISBN 978-1-60649-583-4.

[FOOTNOTEHolmesHolmes20097-7] Holmes & Holmes 2009, p. 7.

[WilsonYardley2015-8] David Wilson; Elizabeth Yardley; Adam Lynes (2015). Serial Killers and the Phenomenon of Serial Murder: A Student Textbook. Waterside Press - Drew University. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-909976-21-4.

[9] R.J. Parker; Scott Bonn (2017). Blood Money: The Method and Madness of Assassins. ABC-CLIO. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-1-987902-34-1.

[HolmesHolmes2009-10] Holmes, Ronald M.; Holmes, Stephen T. (2009). Serial Murder. SAGE. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-4129-7442-4.

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Contract killing

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