Outlines the primary findings about homicide patterns and trends since 1976. Homicide is of interest not only because of its severity, but also because it is a reliable barometer of violent crime. Topics covered include long term trends in murder and nonnegligent homicide, demographic trends, multiple victims and offenders, infanticide, eldercide, homicides by intimates, law enforcement officers killed, justifiable homicides, weapons trends, clearances, regional trends, and trends by city size. The data analyzed are from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program’s Supplementary Homicide Reports. 11/04 NCJ 204885