ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the current state of research about homicide and homicide survivors in the United States, along with various manifestations and types of grief. Scholars posed models of traumatic grief, complicated grief, and disenfranchised grief that allow for the complexity, suddenness, and unnatural manner that come with homicide. The chapter discusses an overview of the impact of homicide on family and nonfamilial relationships and roles. When comparing surviving parents of homicide to bereaved parents of an accident or suicide death, the homicide parents report the lowest level of marital satisfaction. The chapter presents methods of coping and the unique experience of cold case homicide survivors. For family therapists, understanding the diverse family dynamics becomes critical in offering the proper treatment to homicide survivors. Traditional homicide literature establishes that media personnel often distort the meaning of the tragedy for the surviving families. Community homicide bereavement groups and grief support organizations may offer solace.
