The Eclipse of affections: phenomenological analysis and profiling of familial homicidal dynamics in central Italy (November 27 - December 3, 2025)

Authors and reference entities

The analysis is curated by the multidisciplinary team of the Associazione Italiana di Psicologia e Criminologia (A.I.P.C.), an entity that has been dealing with violence prevention and counteraction from a circular perspective since 2001.

• Dr. Massimo Lattanzi: Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Doctor in Forensic Sciences, and AIPC Coordinator.
• Dr. Tiziana Calzone: Psychologist, Psychotherapist, and AIPC Coordinator.
• Dr. Caterina Ventura: Doctor in Psychology (Clinical Psychosexology).

Methodological note

Data collection is based on press reviews from national and local news outlets, not direct institutional sources. Cases are classified as "familial crimes" following AIPC guidelines (2013), which include homicides, attempted homicides, suicides, and attempted suicides occurring between people linked by "familiarity" ties (partners, ex-partners, relatives, acquaintances). The analytical approach aims to bring out the real scope of the phenomenon through the profiling of sociodemographic and criminodynamic variables.

Abstract

This paper presents a descriptive and statistical analysis of "familial crimes" that occurred in Italy during the week of November 27 to December 3, 2025. Through the application of the monitoring protocol of the Italian Association of Psychology and Criminology (AIPC), the study highlights a resurgence of the phenomenon of femicide, with a geographic concentration exclusively in Central Italy regarding consummated homicides. The data, drawn from open sources and re-elaborated according to the A.S.V.S. methodology, outline victim and perpetrator profiles characterized by an exclusive partnership relationship and predominantly mature age, suggesting deep-rooted violence dynamics and, occasionally, lethal impulsivity linked to the promiscuous use of weapons.

Analysis of typical weekly profiles (familial homicide)

From the analysis of data relating to the week under review, an absolute polarization of genders in the roles of victim and perpetrator emerges regarding consummated homicides.

1. Psycho-criminological profile of the homicide victim

In the week from November 27 to December 3, 2025, the homicide victim profile presents unequivocal gender characteristics and specific geographic localization.

• Gender: Woman (100%). Contrary to other surveys where victimization can be cross-sectional, this week familial homicide struck women exclusively.
• Age: 67% of victims fall into the 54-71 age range, while the remaining 33% are in the 36-53 range.
• Familiarity with the perpetrator: Partner (100%). All victims were killed by their current partner, confirming the structural data that the woman is predominantly a victim within an existing affective-sentimental relationship.
• Geographic distribution: central Italy (100%). All lethal events of the week were recorded in the central regions.
• Weapon used: 34% of cases occurred via direct physical aggression, 33% via bladed weapon, and 33% via firearm.

Commentary: The data dramatically confirms that the most dangerous place for a woman remains the couple relationship (femicide). The prevalence of the mature age group (54-71 years) suggests the explosion of long-standing conflict or the inability to manage critical life transitions in the mature couple. The diversified use of weapons (from bare hands to firearms) indicates different levels of premeditation and overkilling.

2. Psycho-criminological profile of the presumed homicide perpetrator

The perpetrator's profile mirrors that of the victim complementarily, outlining a hegemonic male gender dynamic in this week's lethal violence.

• Gender: Man (100%).
• Age: Uniform distribution among the brackets 36-53 (33%), 54-71 (33%), and 72+ (34%). There is no "safe age": homicidal violence traverses the entire adult and senile lifespan.
• Familiarity with the victim: Partner (100%). The homicidal action is directed exclusively toward the life partner.
• Geographic distribution: central Italy (100%).
• Weapon Used: Bladed weapon (33%), Firearm (33%), Physical aggression (34%).

The offender this week is a man who kills his partner. An alarming statistic is the significant presence of the over-70 group (34%), which opens a necessary reflection on so-called "third-age crimes," often linked to dynamics of caregiving, depression, or exasperation, but which nevertheless result in the violent suppression of the partner. The variety of offensive means denotes widespread dangerousness: from the availability of firearms to the brutality of physical aggression.

Conclusions

The week analyzed provides a sharp and cruel snapshot: femicide at the hands of a partner is the exclusive form of familial homicide recorded. The absence of male homicide victims in this specific timeframe (though present in attempted homicides and suicides) emphasizes the asymmetry of domestic lethal violence at this juncture.

The geographic data, concentrated entirely in Central Italy, requires specific attention to the territorial and social dynamics of these regions during the period considered. Furthermore, the cross-sectional involvement of all male age groups, from 36 to over 70, demonstrates that gender-based violence is not a generational phenomenon, but a structural and pervasive one.

To break this chain, it is fundamental to intervene before the conflict degenerates. If you recognized yourself in these dynamics or feel that anger and suffering are taking over, change is possible.

For support and specialist intervention:

Email: aipcitalia@gmail.com

Website: www.associazioneitalianadipsicologiaecriminologia.it

Phone/WhatsApp: 3924401930

Violence is not a destiny; it is a choice that can be changed.

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#italian center for relational psychotraumatology #femicide #national observatory on familial homicides #italian association of psychology and criminology #relational traumatic resonance #partner paradox #relational bubble #complex post-traumatic stress disorder