title: A population-based study on toxicological findings in Swedish homicide victims and offenders from 2007 to 2009.
abstract: Previous research on the toxicology of homicide has shown that about half of offenders and victims have psychoactive substances in their blood. The purpose of this study was to examine this topic in a Swedish setting.
  
  
  
  Toxicological data were sought in a database for all victims (n=273) and perpetrators (n=257) of homicide in Sweden from 2007 to 2009. Sufficient tests were identified for 97.1% of all victims (n=265) and 46.7% of all offenders (n=120). Additional information was obtained from court records and police reports.
  
  
  
  A majority of individuals involved in homicides displayed positive toxicology (57.0% of victims and 62.5% of offenders). The most commonly detected substances, in both victims and offenders, were ethanol (44.9% vs. 40.8%) and benzodiazepines (8.3% vs. 19.2%). The difference between offenders and victims concerning benzodiazepines was statistically significant (OR 2.6; p=0.002). 
  Perpetrators of homicide–suicide had a lower prevalence of positive toxicology (30.8%) than other homicide offenders (67.3%; p = 0.01) [corrected] and victims in unsolved cases more often exhibited positive drug toxicology compared to victims in solved cases (36.1% vs. 8.3%;
  p < 0.001) corrected.
  
  
  
  The results of the study support the notion that substance abuse is firmly linked to committing homicide and to becoming a victim thereof.
authors.affiliation: National Board of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, PO Box 4044, SE-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden; Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: jonatan.hedlund@rmv.se.
authors.forename: Jonatan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hedlund
authors.affiliation: National Board of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Genetics and Forensic Toxicology, Artillerigatan 12, SE-587 58 Linköping, Sweden; Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ahlner
authors.affiliation: National Board of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, PO Box 4044, SE-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden; Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kristiansson
authors.affiliation: National Board of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, PO Box 4044, SE-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden; Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Joakim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sturup
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057237:Criminals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009294:Narcotics / Q000032:analysis; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D009294:Narcotics; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Homicide; Substance abuse; Toxicology