She looks for answers among the perpetrators

Text: Cecilia Odlind, first published in Medicinsk Vetenskap nr 2, 2026.

Every year, around 15 women and about two men are killed by a current or former partner. Shilan Caman wants to understand more about the individuals who commit these crimes. 

“This is an extreme act. Trying to understand how someone can kill a person they once had a close relationship with may be impossible. But that is precisely why it is important to try. Who commits these acts, and why? What are the surrounding circumstances? By understanding this, we may be able to prevent future incidents,” she says. 

Shilan Caman is currently working on a qualitative research project on lethal intimate partner violence, funded by the Swedish Gender Equality Agency, in which she conducts in-depth interviews with boys and men who have killed a partner. Each session can last no more than two hours, so it is important to plan the time carefully. 

“At the moment, I am particularly absorbed in the art of interviewing about sensitive topics in a prison setting. The men are often able to speak clearly and in detail about life before the crime, but they have much greater difficulty talking about the act itself. These accounts are usually more sparse and fragmented, says Shilan Caman. 

One interim objective of the study is to compare younger and older perpetrators. 

“We see that younger perpetrators find it easier to verbalise what they have done and to speak more openly about what happened. I think this is probably because younger generations are more used to talking about their feelings,” says Shilan Caman. 

Need for control unites the perpetrators

Generally speaking, it is a diverse group of men who commit this type of crime. Their backgrounds can vary greatly, with some being highly educated and well-established, whilst others face greater difficulties. 

“Other types of crime are often more clearly associated with poor impulse control, a history of violence and substance misuse. But lethal intimate partner violence can be committed by very different types of people,” says Shilan Caman. 

What unites the perpetrators most clearly is their need for control. 

“This involves an extreme form of control over another person’s time, movements and relationships, often with the help of technology that enables recording and covert surveillance,” says Shilan Caman. 

It is also common that the woman has tried to leave the relationship, sometimes several times. 

“For some men, the separation becomes unbearable. The relationship has come to mean everything, and the loss of control is experienced as an existential threat,” she says. 

In a parallel study, the research group is examining men who also take their own lives in connection with killing their partner. 

“This is relatively common. Around 15 to 20 per cent take their own life shortly after the crime. These men are often older and have, so far, largely flown under the radar. For example, they have had less contact with the health service regarding mental health issues. Often, there are no clear signs of previous violence. We hope to understand more about this subgroup of perpetrators,” she says. 

The victim’s side of the story is often absent

To increase the reliability of the data in the ongoing interview study, the researchers are also gathering complementary information from sources such as court judgments and individual prison records. One major challenge in understanding these incidents is that the victim’s side of the story is entirely absent, even though it is the most important piece of the puzzle. Research is therefore often based on material from preliminary investigations, court rulings and forensic psychiatric assessments. Ongoing legal proceedings, in which perpetrators may withhold certain information, can further complicate understanding. 

Professionals who work with the perpetrators in prison, so-called programme facilitators, are also interviewed as part of the project. 

“They are asked about the types of problems that characterise the group and what kinds of interventions are needed. One aim is that we should be able to contribute to improved assessment and treatment,” she says. 

An interest in crime emerged at an early age. As a child, Shilan Caman would sit glued by the television every Wednesday evening watching the crime programme Efterlyst. Her very first job, at the age of 18, was at Karsudden, Sweden’s largest forensic psychiatric hospital, where she worked as a nursing assistant. Since then, she has met and spoken with many men who have committed crimes, including lethal violence. 

Are you never afraid? 

“No. There have been occasions when the atmosphere became a little uncomfortable when I worked in forensic psychiatry, but not during interviews with these perpetrators. Their need for control and aggression is usually very specifically directed at those closest to them,” says Shilan Caman. 

However, she has become more emotionally sensitive. 

“Since I had children, I have become more sensitive. And each case leaves its mark. It is very, very dark. I have often felt frustrated, angry and sad, not only because of what the perpetrators have done, but also because society has failed in the handling of many of these cases. Often, the woman has sought help in various ways before the incident,” says Shilan Caman. 

According to an earlier study by Shilan Caman, men who use intimate partner violence may also have repeatedly sought help for their behaviour or because they are in crisis. This was a finding that surprised her. 

“That several of the interviewees said they wanted help to manage their problems with aggression surprised me. It goes somewhat against the common perception of that group,” she says. 

Being surprised is one of the greatest rewards of conducting research, Shilan Caman believes. 

“I like being surprised now and then, having my hypothesis disproved. Much of what we assume to be logical may turn out to be incorrect. It makes me feel humbled by everything we do not know,” she says. 

Alongside her research, Shilan Caman works at the Swedish Police Authority as a strategic analyst. The aim is to produce evidence to enable more targeted and effective crime-prevention efforts, for example in the area of intimate partner violence and sexual offences. Disseminating research findings is also something she considers important. 

“It is the responsibility of researchers to make their findings accessible to a wider audience,” she says. 

Shilan Caman has also contributed by co-producing the popular podcast Det mörka psyket (The Dark Psyche) together with her colleague Katarina Howner, a forensic psychiatrist and associate professor at Karolinska Institutet. In the podcast, they explore the psychological phenomena behind human behaviour, with a particular focus on behaviours that can become dangerous, such as narcissism, borderline personality disorder and the art of deception.  

“Working on the podcast was great fun, and we had many listeners. But it takes a great deal of time, and the so-called third mission is not particularly rewarded in academia. Production has been paused since 2023, but we still hope to resume it,” she says. 

The importance of early interventions

Shilan Caman also emphasises the importance of early interventions. 

“I miss a discussion in society and among politicians about how we can invest more in preventive work, for example by increasing access to school counsellors and psychologists. It is about identifying and addressing problematic behaviours at an early stage, she says. 

The younger a person is, the easier it is to change behaviour, she believes. 

“Domestic abuse often begins in adolescence. Young people who are exposed face a higher risk of experiencing it again later in life, and those who start using violence as teenagers risk becoming locked into patterns of behaviour that carry over into adult relationships. In other words, there is much to be gained from identifying individuals at risk as early as possible,” says Shilan Caman.