Review article
https://doi.org/10.3935/zpfz.75.2.4
Criminal Offences of Murder and Aggravated Murder – Trends and Specifics
Pero Mihaljević
orcid.org/0009-0009-9326-4104
; Office of the National Security Council, Republic of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia
Reana Bezić
orcid.org/0000-0002-1299-0860
; Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The paper adopts an integrated approach to the criminal offences of murder (Art. 110 CC) and aggravated murder (Art. 111 CC) across three analytical layers—normative, comparative, and empirical—in order to map their characteristics, trends, and case-law with precision. Its empirical backbone is a comprehensive database of 1,117 finalised court cases of violence, of which 90 files concerning (aggravated) murders heard before the county courts in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, and Osijek (2017–2021), were examined in detail. Each file was coded using an 89-variable questionnaire covering the act, the offender, and the victim, after pilot-testing the instrument for reliability and validity. To situate the findings in a broader temporal and population context, the study presents the data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (2013–2024) and recent police statistics from the Ministry of the Interior (2021–2023). A comparison with the EU-27 shows that Croatia still records one of the lowest homicide rates (0.9 per 100,000). Key findings confirm that aggravated murders are completed in 59 % of cases (versus 31 % for murders) and more often involve multiple victims or offenders, with Split accounting for 41 % of all aggravated murders and Zagreb for 44 % of murders. Men constitute 92 % of all offenders, and 68 % of defendants stand trial for attempts, reflected in a surprisingly lenient sentencing structure (47 % of sanctions up to three years). The locus delicti is predominantly private (79 % for murders; 64 % for aggravated murders), yet the share of public locations rises sharply in the qualified form (36 %). Brutality is nearly three times more common in aggravated murders (46 % versus 18 %), while greed (36 %) and revenge (27 %) emerge as dominant motives for aggravated murder, with motives in ordinary murders often unclear (34 %). Alcohol or other psychoactive substances are present in roughly two-fifths of all cases, irrespective of qualification. The normative–comparative analysis shows that Croatia’s dual-typification model aligns with wider European practice, while the introduction of a separate femicide qualifier (Art. 111.a CC) represents an important yet empirically under-researched innovation. The results underscore the need for differentiated penal approaches—from tougher sanctions for profit-driven and cruel forms to preventive programmes focused on intimate-partner violence.
Keywords
homicide; aggravated murder; Croatian Violence Monitor
Hrčak ID:
336837
URI
Publication date:
20.10.2025.
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