Psychology Today Three Stunning Psychological Truths Intimate relationships are the greatest source of murder and suicide: “Homicides by intimate partners are increasing. . . to 2,237 in 2017, a 19 percent increase from the 1,875 killed in 2014, said James Alan Fox, a criminologist and professor of criminal justice at Northeastern University. . . . The majority of the victims in 2017 were women, a total of 1,527.”