Filicide and other child homicides in Spain: Comparing victim, offender, and crime characteristics

Abstract

Background: Filicide is a rare but severe form of lethal violence against children. Although international research has identified several victim, offender, and contextual correlates, empirical evidence from Spain remains scarce and fragmented. Objective: This study aimed to describe filicide cases adjudicated in Spain and to examine how they differ from other child homicide cases. Participants and setting: The sample comprised 197 victim-based cases of completed or attempted homicide or murder involving victims under 18 years of age, adjudicated by Spanish Provincial Courts between 2016 and 2025. Of these, 116 were filicide cases and 81 were non-filicide child homicide cases. Methods: Judicial decisions were retrieved from the Spanish Judicial Documentation Centre. Information was extracted from the statement of proven facts and coded for victim, offender, and offense characteristics. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted to compare filicide with other child homicide cases. Results: Filicide victims were substantially younger than victims of other child homicides (M = 4.69 vs. 12.66 years; Welch's t(119.41) = 9.90, p < .001, Cohen's d = 1.614). Filicide cases were also more likely to involve female offenders (χ2 (2) = 57.43, p < .001, Cramer's V = 0.540), older first offenders (Welch's t(112.41) = 3.47, p < .001, Cohen's d = 0.588), completed offenses, murder classifications, and methods involving close interpersonal proximity or caregiving access. Conclusions: Filicide in Spain presents a distinctive victim–offender profile within lethal violence against children. Prevention efforts should address child maltreatment, mental health crises, domestic violence, and caregiving breakdown, with particular attention to infants and young children.