Contract killing

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Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may be a single person, a group of people, a company, or any other kind of organization. The hired party may also be one person, such as a hitman, or a group of people, or an organization.^[1]

Throughout history and in many different parts of the world, contract killing has been associated with organized crime and also vendettas. For example, in recent United States history, the gang Murder, Inc., which committed hundreds of murders in the 1920s to the 1940s on behalf of the National Crime Syndicate, is a well-known example of a contract killer.

Contract killing provides the hiring party with the advantage of not having to be directly involved in the killing. This makes it more difficult to connect that party with the murder.

By country

United States and the United Kingdom

In the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other countries, a contract to kill a person is void, meaning that it is not legally enforceable. Any contract to commit an indictable offense is not enforceable. Furthermore, both the actual killer and the person who paid the killer can be found guilty of murder. In some U.S. jurisdictions with capital punishment, a contract killing may be a special circumstance that allows for a murder to be tried as a federal crime.

Statistics

A study by the Australian Institute of Criminology of 162 attempted or actual contract murders in Australia between 1989 and 2002 indicated that the most common reason for murder-for-hire was "the dissolution of an intimate relationship". The study also found that the average payment for a "hit" was $12,700 and that the most commonly used weapons were firearms. Contract killings accounted for 2% of murders in Australia during that time period.^[2] Contract killings make up a relatively similar percentage of all killings elsewhere. For example, they made up about 5% of all murders in Scotland from 1993 to 2002.^[3]

See also

• Nothing Personal, a television documentary series that focuses on stories of contract killings.

Notes

1. ^ James Morton (2005), Gangland. The Contract Killers, Sphere, London, pp. 1-18. ISBN 0751736091
2. ^ CNN: CNN.com "Lovers Top Contract Killing Hit List (Feb. 5, 2004)
3. ^ Government of Scotland: Homicides in Scotland between 1993 and 2002

External links