The typical female homicide offender is a locally born, black, Protestant, Detroit resident in her thirties. She is married (legally or common law), living with her family, undereducated, unemployed, and a welfare recipient with a prior arrest record. Typically, the crime represented the culmination of a series of arguments or fights with her slightly older current or former husband or lover, resulting in a defensive gunshot in a private residence on a weekend between 2:00 p.m. and 1:59 a.m. A majority of cases were victim precipitated, and available data indicate that alcohol was a frequent component of the homicide. Over a third of the offenders were denied warrant by the prosecutor, and 81.8 percent of offenders for whom court disposition data were available were convicted of murder or manslaughter. 7 notes and 25 references.