Contract Killing

Introduction

The typical homicide in Australia is that of a male aged in his early to mid thirties who in an uncontrollable rage following some type of menial argument stabs another person, usually another male friend or acquaintance, to death. In such one-on-one interactions, the lethal outcome is rarely premeditated, but rather the spontaneous overreaction to a conflict situation. Moreover, there is the direct link between the victim and offender and most importantly, why the offender may have wanted to kill the victim. Important in understanding the context of homicide are the many reasons or motives associated with it, as well as the offender-victim relationship (Mouzos 2000; Polk 1994; Wolfgang 1958). Often a reason or motive can be derived from the offender-victim relationship. A proven motive, whilst not necessary to secure a conviction for murder, provides a sound basis for proving intent to kill and for contextualising the crime. Similar to the scenario described above, a traditional notion of homicide invokes the thought of ...