Star Murders Reveal Truth about Homicide

Over the past few weeks, two internationally known sports figures were allegedly murdered by their lovers while they slept.

In Nashville, former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was allegedly murdered by his girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, on July 4. She is said to have shot him four times while he slept, then turned the gun on herself, according to news reports.

A week later, Canadian boxing legend Arturo Gatti was found dead in a Brazilian apartment he was renting with his wife and their young son. Police have accused his wife, Amanda Rodriguez, of strangling Gatti as he slept in their bed on July 11.

Though the two high-profile sports figures' murders within a week of each other is unusual, the perpetrator is not.

Most people believe that they have more to fear from strangers than family members, but the truth is that very few murders are committed by strangers — partly because murder is often motivated by revenge or passion. The vast majority of assaults and homicides are committed by loved ones, family members, and close friends. (The same is true for physical and sexual abuse of children.)

While alarmist news media reports often fuel fear over a "stranger danger," statistics show that the real threat is much closer to home.

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