The data came from the Canadian Center for Justice Statistics of Statistics Canada. Information regarding the victims’ criminal records came from a police check of the Canadian Police Information Center database. The data on previous criminal convictions covered 1991-95 only, because such data were not collected before 1991. The research examined the following variables: victim-offender relationships, the frequency of previous offense records among youth homicide victims, the frequency with which both the victim and offender had a previous offense record, the homicide motive in cases in which the victim was age 12-17, and the presence of alcohol. A total of 4.5 percent of all homicide victims were ages 12-17 years. A relative or someone with whom the victim was intimately involved killed about 31 percent of these juvenile victims. A friend or acquaintance killed 61.7 percent of the victims. Strangers killed about 17.4 percent of the victims. A total of 67.4 percent of the 144 victims killed between 1991 and 1995 did not have a previous criminal record. The victim had a criminal record for a violent offense in 13 cases. Fewer than half of the juvenile victims were consuming alcohol or other drugs at the time of the consuming. Overall, findings indicated that something other than engagement in criminal behavior placed young persons at risk of being murdered. Further research should focus on the risk factors and should involve more sophisticated analysis. Tables, notes, and 18 references