When a loved one is murdered, the grief is complicated and emotions such as anger and profound sadness are more intense and longer lasting than in other kinds of loss. The shock, horror and intentional cruelty of homicide throw us into acute turmoil for which there is no preparation.

If an arrest(s) is made, the family’s grief is prolonged and worsened due to bail hearings, legal wrangling, trials, appeals, parole hearings, and other proceedings - all under the glare of the media.  If there are no arrests, the family experiences the anxiety and fear that the killer(s) will never be held accountable.
 
So much occurs in the aftermath of murder to cause family members to relive the horror over and over again. For many, the realization that the law is not black and white but shades of grey can lead to a feeling of further victimization which also complicates healthy grieving.

As each member of the family struggles with their own pain and grief, offering emotional support to the other members of the family network can be challenging. Not only must each member navigate their own feelings about the murder, they must also deal with the way their loved one died.

These links are intended to provide some insight into the complicated grief of family survivor’s of murder victims. 

LINKS

Homicide Survivors –Dealing with Grief http://www.crcvc.ca/docs/homsurv.pdf

Grief Reactions Associated with Death Through Homicide http://www.grieflink.asn.au/homicide.html

The Grief Process      http://www.qhvsg.org.au/the_grief_process.php

Homicide Grief Chart   http://www.aaronshoulders.ca/homicidegriefchartlarge.htm

Helping a Homicide Survivor Heal   http://www.centerforloss.com/articles.php?file=helping15.php

A Murder in the Family   http://www.thisisawar.com/GriefMurderFamily.htm

The aftermath of murder    http://www.thisisawar.com/GriefMurder.htm

Grief and the homicide survivor    http://www.ohiocops.com/grief/index.html

Grief and Mourning   http://www.traumaticgrief.org/grief.html

How men and Women Grieve http://www.childbereavement.org.uk/understanding_bereavement/how_men_and_women_grieve

Grieving through the holidays http://www.griefloss.org/articles/grieving_holidays_08.html

Compassion Connection – a faith based guide through grief http://www.compassionconnection.org/index.cfm

Supporting a child who had been bereaved through murder/manslaughter
http://www.winstonswish.org.uk/page.asp?section=0001000100020033&pagetitle=Bereavement+through+murder%2Fmanslaughter