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Contract killing (also known asmurder-for-hire) is a form ofmurder orassassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people.[1] It involves anillegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, monetary or otherwise.[2]
A male contract killer is colloquially known as ahitman.[3]
Contract killings generally make up a small percentage of murders. For example, they accounted for about 6% of all murders inScotland from 1993 to 2002.[4]
A study by theAustralian Institute of Criminology of 162 contract murders and attempted contract murders in Australia between 1989 and 2002 indicated that the most common reason for murder-for-hire wasinsurance policy payouts. The study also found that payments varied from $5,000 to $30,000 per killing, with an average of $15,000, and that the most commonly used weapons werefirearms. Contract killings accounted for 2% of murders in Australia during that period.[5]
Contract killers may share similarities withserial killers, such as detached financial and emotional incentives, but are not classified as such due to the differing objectives of their crimes.[6][7][8] Nevertheless, there are occasionally individuals that are labelled as both contract killers and serial killers.[8][9][10]
