Jealousy among key triggers in intimate-partner killings, police say

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have revealed that 144 out of 165 intimate-partner murder cases in Malaysia from 2017 to June this year were spontaneous killings without any prior planning. Serious Crime Investigation Division (D9) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) stated that only 12.7 percent of these cases involved elements of prior planning.

The majority of the incidents were triggered by conflicts such as disagreements, jealousy, or arguments. The cases included married couples (99), former spouses (8), and dating couples (58). Domestic disputes were the most common motive (51 cases), followed by jealousy involving a third party (45 cases) and other disagreements (34 cases).

Other motives included financial problems (12 cases), drug influence (8), alcohol intoxication (6), and inability to accept a separation (4 cases). Two cases were linked to pregnancy and one to neglect. The analysis found that emotional factors, particularly jealousy and inability to accept a separation, were the main triggers for these murders.

Only 16 of the 165 cases involved victims who had previously reported the suspects to the police, with most of these reports involving domestic disputes, threats, and causing injury. The police emphasized that most victims had never lodged a police report before the incident. The D9 also noted that the number of intimate-partner murder cases did not show a worrying trend or significant increase from 2017 to June this year.

However, they will continue to monitor the trend and strengthen prevention and enforcement efforts to curb intimate-partner violence effectively.