When a Husband or Wife Kills Their Spouse or Ex: Psychological Motivations and Warning Signs

Few subjects are as upsetting as this one: a person who kills their current or intimate partner. For context, in the United States, there are approximately 2,500 intimate partner violence (IPV) homicides per year, or about one every 3 hours.

In many cases, children are left without one of their parents, and the impact on other family members and friends is devastating, as well.

Are there signs?

One well-known sign is a pattern of escalating violence.

In my new video on my YouTube channel, Dr. Seth: Psychologist, I first start by talking about how a feeling of hatred can grow in some relationships and the possible causes for that. Next, I talk about extreme cases of love gone wrong that result in murder.

I also include discussion of the second season of the Dear John TV series, available on Netflix at the time of this writing, which focuses on the true crime of Betty Broderick, often referred to as the San Diego 'socialite' who murdered her ex-husband and his new wife in 1989.

You can watch my video on the topic below.