Near-death experience - The role of victim reaction in attempted homicide

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of victim resistance il l attempted homicide. The study examined 93 cases of attempted homicide. Ch i-square analysis revealed that certain behaviors, such as multiple acts of violence and methods of control, are more likely to occur if the victim re sists. A multivariate analysis of crime-scene actions was carried our using Smallest Space Analysis. The plot showed three clusters of variables that reflected the offender's perception of the victim as an object, vehicle, or significant person. In the first of these roles, the offender was likely t o escalate the level of violence: in the vehicle role, however the offender employed physical controls and used single acts of violence. Finally, if t he victim was personally significant to the offender, the latter was more l ikely to use verbal control strategies and knowledge of the victim. The imp lications of victim resistance in light of these role functions are discuss ed.