How to Read Memorial Entries

Entry Structures

Each individual entry is structured like this:

  • Name of victim and any alternate names they have. Some names are not known, usually because their home country has a law against making their names public or because their names cannot be made public for a certain period of time, or until family is notified.
  • Date of death, if known; or if not, the date the body was found.
  • Age at death
  • Cause of death.
  • Location
  • Disabilit(ies)
  • Details of the circumstances of death.
  • Case status: Suspects, charges, and sentences.
  • Source: Links to news sources that the entry information was pulled from.

Additional Notes/Explanations

  • Death types in this order of precedence:
    • Contract killing: Someone paid or convinced a third party to do the killing.
    • Homicide-suicide: Homicide, followed by completed suicide.
    • Homicide: Death resulting from action by another human.
    • Abuse: Fatal abuse.
    • Neglect: Fatal neglect.
    • Medical neglect: Lack of, or inappropriate, medical treatment resulting in death.
  • “Unknown” or “Unsolved” cause of death are homicides where the precise mechanism of death is not determined or has not been made public.
  • Multiple homicide; multiple homicide-suicide: Multiple victims within a short period of time; at least one victim was disabled.
  • There is no limitation on locations; however, searches were carried out in English. It is likely that non-English-speaking countries are underrepresented.
  • Being mentioned in the case status section does not mean someone was convicted of a crime. Possibilities include:
    • Charged, convicted, and sentenced. These people are legally guilty.
    • Charged and convicted, but not yet sentenced.
    • Arrested and/or charged; or under suspicion but not under arrest. These people are legally innocent until proven guilty.
    • The person of interest is deceased and cannot be tried.
    • The person of interest is unfit for trial.
    • The person was charged, but acquitted. Reasons include procedural issues (the police could not find enough evidence), the details of the law itself, and acquittal by reason of insanity (not criminally responsible–the person committed the homicide, but is not guilty of a crime). An acquittal means the person of interest is legally innocent.
    • No crime was committed under the laws of the country where the death occurred; so no charges were ever brought.
    • Some cases’ status is unknown; the information about charges, convictions, and sentences is unavailable.
  • Sentences for filicide convictions range from suspended sentence or community service to the death penalty.