“…Reproducibility is essential for confidence in social scientific results. Since the simplest test of reproducibility is reanalysis by another researcher, the homicide data used to support our conclusions ought to be available for others to examine.”

                                                Roland Chilton, Past President of the American Society of Criminology

The Center for Homicide Research shares data with qualified individuals and organizations at no cost to the requestor. Each year Center staff is contacted by graduate level students seeking data for research projects and dissertation study. CHR provides research data to individuals who meet criteria as set by the Principal Researcher. This requires that the student in question be enrolled in an educational program. In some cases independent researchers not part of a program will also be considered, as will law enforcement crime analysts, and news journalists. The requestor should be able to show that they have the knowledge and capability to analyze and interpret the data, intelligently and cautiously, taking into account all the advantages and shortcomings of the dataset. Data will be granted on a case-by-case basis. Commercial use is not authorized. Data with all identifiers are available to law enforcement agencies.

To be considered for data sharing, a research proposal must be submitted to the Principal Researcher in a format requested by the Center. Proposals need not be long, but ought to be well thought out. Once approved, the requestor must submit a signed contract (provided by CHR), which lays out the agreement regarding restrictions on data use. This agreement will be provided by Center Staff and will help to ensure security and confidentiality of any sensitive data. The data can then be transmitted to the requestor. Access to foundational data (i.e., the actual reports) is rare, though sometimes available.

Format of the data varies and comes in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, or SPSS. Coding sheets or codebooks will be provided, as will available data documentation. Because some of the data has been collected by third parties, there is no guarantee as to the authenticity or accuracy of that data. It will be received “as is.” Many of the datasets come with victim name, and in some instances, offender name. This facilitates the collection of further records through data linking. This is an advantage since data from ICPSR does not allow for linking under their terms of service. Further information about research sample methodologies should be obtained from the original gatherer of the data.

Data that is available from some other source, such as ICPSR (Inter-University Consortium on Political and Social Research), should be obtained from that source first. Non-CHR datasets or lists are publicly available compilations of data.

The following list is not all inclusive.

CHR Compiled Datasets

Acquittal in Homicide Prosecutions (169 cases)

Body Found Database (in-progress)

Convenience Store Homicides (252 cases)

Deceased Bodies Concealed in a Woods (100 cases)

Deceased Bodies Found in a Pond (120 cases)

Deceased Bodies in an Auto Trunk (197 cases)

Execution-Style Homicides in the United States (60 cases)

Federal Firearm License Gun Shops in MN Database 2010

Fire Pit Database-US and foreign cases (119 cases)

Flint, MI Homicides 2009-2011 (in-progress)

Foreign GLBT Homicide Victims (sporadic)

Homicide Among the Homeless – Housed on Un-housed (in-progress)

Homicide Prevention Strategy Database

Lesbian National Homicide Dataset (100 cases) (SPSS)

Minnesota GLBT Community Impact Survey 2001

Minnesota GLBT Firearms Survey 2006

Minnesota Homicide Database (ongoing, complete 1996 forward)

Minnesota Homicides Dataset 1996-2000

Minnesota Rewards 1979-2000 (in-progress) (62 cases)

Missing Victim Homicides (150 cases)

National Church Shooting Database 1980-2005

National GLBT Dismemberment Homicide Dataset (110 cases, 1969-2007)

National Non-gay Dismemberment Homicide Dataset (in-progress)

National GLBT Homicide Database 1969-Present (in-progress) (3082 cases)

New Orleans Homicides 2009-2010

North Dakota Homicides 1990-2005

South Dakota Homicides 1990-2007

Submerged Motor Vehicles Found With Deceased Bodies (100 cases)

Suitcase Disposals (16 cases)

Wyoming Homicides 1970-2011 (460 cases; in progress)

Datasets by Others, Held at CHR

Baltimore Homicides 2007-2010

Boston Homicide List 2008-2010

California Death Row Tracking System (as of Jan 2007)

California Death Row Tracking System (as of Nov 2011)

California Linked Homicide File, 1990-1999

Columbus, Ohio Homicide Database 2008-2009 (Printed)

Detroit Homicides 2003

Detroit Homicides 2006-2010

Detroit Homicides 2011 Jan-Jun

Executions in the United States – The ESPY FILE, Dec 2011

FBI Hate-crimes Data 1991-2005 (SPSS)

FBI Supplemental Homicide Reports 1976-1997 (SPSS)

FBI Supplemental Homicide Reports 1976-2004 (425,745 cases)(SPSS)

FBI Supplemental Homicide Reports 1994, thru 2004, as single years (SPSS)

Federal Executions List 1927-2003

Federal Firearms Licenses in Minnesota 2010

General Social Survey, 1991, and 1998 only (SPSS)

Greater New Orleans Homicides 2007-2011 (St. Anna’s Parish)

Hennepin County Foreclosure Data, 2007

Homicides in Chicago 1965-1995 (SPSS)

Indianapolis Homicides 2011

Iraqi Journalist Deaths 2007

Kansas City MO Homicides 1995-2005

Los Angeles Homicides 2011 (up to Dec 1)

Marion County Indiana (Indianapolis) 2007-2011 (first half of 2011)

Milwaukee Homicides 2003, 2010

Minneapolis 2000-Race-and-Ethnicity-by-Neighborhood

Minnesota Death Records 1960-2005 (not available for sharing)

Minnesota Suicide Death Records 1999-2000 (not available for sharing)

Minnesota Voter Registration Records 2001-2008

National Violent Death Reporting System 2005 (SPSS)

New York City Homicides 2005

NIBRS 1998 (National Incident-Based Reporting System) (SPSS)

Oklahoma City Homicides 2007-2011

Philadelphia Homicides 2006, 2009-2010

Psychiatric Medication-based Homicides (SSRIs)(approx 2800 cases)

San Francisco Gay Homicide Dataset (Mullen)

San Francisco Historical Homicide Dataset (Historical Homicide Project)

Tulsa, OK Homicides 1989-March 2012

Washington State HITS 1981-1986 (831 cases)

Archived Death Lists

Alabama – List of Murders in the District of Alabama 1866

American Indian Homicides (117 cases)

Artist Homicides (as of Dec 2011) (CHR)

Bahamas – The Guardian Homicides in the Bahamas 2007

Birmingham Homicides 2006-2010

Black Serial Killer (Spree, Serial, Mass Murder) List, as of 2011

Blair County PA Homicides (various years)

Boston MA Homicides 2011

California Death Row Tracking System (as of Dec 2011)

Camden NJ Homicides 2011

Cartel (Mexican) Spillover Homicides

Charlotte NC Homicides 2010

Chronology of U. S. Hate Crimes 1998-2001

Columbus OH Homicides 2008-2010

Civil Rights Era Homicides – FBI List of Unsolved

Dallas National School Safety, Cumulative List of School Shootings

Dayton Ohio Homicide List – 2005

Dead Scientists (116 cases) not all homicides

Denver Coroner’s Homicides 2009-2010

Drug War Collateral Homicide Victims

Green River Killer Homicides (Washington State)

Hampton Roads VA Homicides 2010

Houston TX Homicides 2008-2011

Indianapolis Homicides 2011

Jefferson County (Greater Louisville) Homicides 2011

Journalists Killed in 2007, National Committee to Protect Journalists

Lynching Homicide Data from many states & many years

Mahoning Valley OH Homicides 2010

Massachusetts Domestic Homicides 2011

Memphis Homicide List 2006

Mexico – Murders of Women in Juárez and Chihuahua, Mexico, Jan 04 through May 07

Michigan Domestic Violence Homicides 2007

Michigan DV Homicide List 2007

Milwaukee Homicides 1999-2011

Milwaukee Unsolved 2010 Homicides

Minnesota Homicides 1986

Missing Journalists Internationally 2007

MNCAVA Femicide Reports 1990, 1997, 2004-2007, 2009-2011

New Hampshire Cold Case Homicides (random years)

New Haven CT Homicides 2011

New York Homicides of the World Trade Center Attack 2001

New York Times Veterans as Offenders List 2005-2006 (10 cases)

Oakland Homicides 2006-2009

Oklahoma City Homicides – Oklahoma City Bombing

Omaha, NE Homicides 2008-2011

Peoria, IL Homicides 2010

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Homicides – FBI Accounting (57 cases)

Portland, WA Homicides 2010

Prince George’s County 2010

Rapid City SD Racist Homicides 1998-2000

San Francisco Bay Area – Zebra Homicides (racial killings)

San Jose Homicides 2006-2010

Seattle Homicides 2008, 2010-2011

Springfield MA Homicides 2000-2009

St. Petersburg Florida Murders 2007

Staged Hunting Mishaps (20 cases) (CHR)

Taxi Driver Homicides (606 cases)

Texas Women Homicides 2005, 2008

Texas Family Homicides 2010

Texas Fort Hood Terrorist Homicides 2009

Transgender Homicides 2011 (TDOR)

Transgender Homicides 2009-2010 (TR)

Trinidad Homicide Lists 2007-2008

Tucson Arizona Homicides 1995

U. S. List of Assassinated Politicians (as of Dec 2011)

U. S. List of GLBT Homicides (NCAVP) 2010

U. S. Lynching Homicides (Project HAL) (2806 cases)

U. S. Mass Shootings 2006-2007 (CHR)

U. S. Virgin Islands 2009-1010

Utah Homicides 2002-2007

Veterans as Homicide Offenders (NYTimes)

Washington D.C. Homicides 2010-2011