Retired homicide detective’s chilling answer when asked where you’re most likely to be murdered
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault and violence against women which some readers may find distressing.
A retired US homicide detective has shared some sobering truths about where you’re most likely to be murdered and who is most likely to kill you.
Vince Velazquez spent 17 years investigating murders with the Atlanta Police Department in Georgia, United States, also serving time in the US Air Force and working as a hostage negotiator.
On average, he was working to solve up to 17 homicides a year, while assisting on another 20.
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Across his career, he’s noticed some trends. For instance, 85% to 95% of the murders he investigated were gun deaths.
Chillingly, he said you’re most likely to be killed in your home by someone you know.
Speaking to LADbible Stories’ Honest Box, he said: “Most homicides occur in a home, especially with domestic situations.
“I've had cases where they have occurred on the front porch, in the living room, the bedroom, the bathroom. Many sexual assault homicides occur when a burglar may break into a house at night when a woman may be sleeping in her bedroom.
“I would say 80% to 90% of all homicides, it's someone in their ecosystem, someone they're associated with, someone they're in a relationship with, a neighbour, a friend, a relative.
“It could happen anywhere where a husband may snap, strangle his wife. It could happen anywhere within the house or even in the yard.”
The most recent data from the Office for National Statistics shows the picture is the same in the UK, but with key differences based on the gender of the victim that unfortunately speak volumes.
Out of the 155 female murder victims in the year ending March 2025, 52% were killed in and around their homes. For the 366 male murder victims, 87 percent were killed in public places.
Meanwhile, 51 percent of all murders in the same period were the result of a quarrel, a revenge attack or the murderer losing their temper.
"There are likely serial killers on the train with you"
Valazquez also came to another disturbing conclusion over the course of his career: there are more serial killers out there than you think.
He said: “I've had four serial killer cases in my career. One killed women, one killed gay men, another one killed gay men and women, and their motives were all different.
“I would believe that most cities have the same thing: serial killers that we never hear about.
“So think about that. You're out here walking around the streets and there are likely serial killers on the train with you, likely a serial killer walking around the grocery aisle shopping for dinner that night and you would never know.”
As for how he caught most killers, he said: “The most common mistakes murderers make is they talk too much.“They start talking about what they did to people who they think they can trust. They may start talking about why that person went missing or how they're connected to them.
“And the person they're talking to knows something's not right. And a lot of times these criminals associate with other criminals and they have an objective, you know, they want to either get paid for information as informants or they may not even like the person.
“So many times they get jammed up on other crimes and they use that as their trump card. And that's the biggest mistake they make is opening their mouth.”
Topics: True Crime, Crime
Simon Fearn