The study sample consisted of 268 people, including 9 women, who had been arrested for homicides in New York during 1984 and subsequently incarcerated. All subjects were interviewed in correctional facilities between March 1989 and April 1990. Patterns of drug involvement among juvenile offenders were compared to patterns found in older offenders. Irrespective of age group, close to one-third of all homicide perpetrators reported they were affected by alcohol prior to the offense. In every age group, alcohol was the substance showing the highest rate of "regular" lifetime use and the highest rate of ingestion during the week preceding the homicide. Reported drug use patterns among juveniles aged 16 and 17 years were closer to patterns demonstrated by the oldest age group (36 years and older) than they were to the group between 18 and 20 years of age. Juvenile offenders were generally less drug-involved than all but the oldest offender group. Almost all juveniles who were drug-involved prior to the homicide attributed the homicide to drug effects. Narrative accounts suggested that drugs, almost always alcohol, escalated impulsive, spontaneous violent outbursts. Implications of the findings for interpreting self- reports of murderers about drug use are discussed. 20 references, 5 notes, and 6 tables