Homicide victims' families and friends are often portrayed as strong advocates of the death penalty. However, Donald Black's theory of law suggests an inverse relationship between the two variables. Using data from the 1988 General Social Survey, this research tests hypotheses derived from Black's theory regarding the relationship among social intimacy, cultural status, and the use of law in response to conflict. Multivariate logistic regression models suggest that the experience of personally knowing a homicide victim significantly affects one's likelihood of support for the death penalty, but the effect of vicarious victimization varies for black and white respondents. In addition to race, religious orientation and gender also play important roles in determining the relationship between vicarious homicide victimization and support for the death penalty. Notes, tables, references