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Tennessee Still Among Most Deadly States For Women In Relationships

WUOT News/ Violence Policy Center

In 2012, 53 women were killed by men in Tennessee.

The average victim was 40 years old.

She was white, but 21 of her fellow victims were black.

She was most likely to have been shot with a gun by a man she knew.  In fact, none of the 53 women were killed by strangers.  She was romantically involved with him at the time of her murder, or she had been at one time.   Her murder was probably the result of an argument.

In Tennessee, it’s a familiar tale.

Each year, the Washington-based Violence Policy Center analyzes FBI homicide data to determine the rate by which women are murdered by men in single victim/single offender.  And almost every year, Tennessee’s rate is among the top ten in the country.  In fact, it’s held that dubious distinction in nine of the last ten years.

In this year’s report, Tennessee actually saw some improvement.  Six fewer women were murdered by men in 2012, when compared to the previous year.  The rate, based on the number of women in the state, fell from 1.80 to 1.60.  And Tennessee’s ranking dropped from number six to number ten.

Still, the rate is much higher than the national average of 1.16, a rate that has fallen 26 percent in the 17 years the Violence Policy Center has been releasing the report.

Alaska led the nation with a rate of 2.57, more than double the national rate.  At 0.24, Illinois had the lowest rate in the nation.