See Michael Brutsch and other examples at the "Misogyny" page.
Trending - Killed before filing to divorce, or end a custody battle. Yes, that's the trend, check the "News" section.
09-19-12: As October is Domestic Violence "Awareness" Month; Sacramento's Latoya Coleman's support for a killer, demonstrates why relationship murders will continue, and why one should always check out Non-profits who offer "healing" before donating.
Latest trend: Judges trash-talking the Judicial Council and the AOC. That's a trend worth noting.
As the murders continue with judges refusing to use existing technology.
April, 2012
Kevin Allen
shot and killed his wife, Katherina, 10-year-old daughter Kerri, and shot and wounded daughter 10-year-old Kayla at Cracker Barrell, shortly after his wife said she was leaving him. On Kerri's birthday.
Delaware Nurse Heather Rybicki hires hitman for a quick end to her custody battle.

We would have thought a nurse could have figured out how to do this herself, but were glad Rybicki decided to outsource and was caught.
Still, 2012 began with another courthouse murder-suicide.
CA: Riverside husband murders wife at the courthouse. Takes his life later on. Supposedly it's about child support. No prior restraining order.
Christmas Day Quadruple Murder instead of divorce for a separated couple and their children. Dad/murderer turned up uninvited and decked out as "Santa" The below were all killed.

Aziz Yazdanpanah, who lived at 5406 Sycamore Court in Colleyville, Texas, decided a divorce wasn't necessary. Yazdanpanah also decided to jettison any college obligations. Then, authorities believe, while posing as Santa Azia Yadzdanpanah went to the home of Fatemeh Rahmadi, his estranged wife, who had moved out of their Sycamore Court home months earlier, and shot and killed Fatemeh, their daughter, Nona Yazdanpanah and the family of their first cousins.
In spite of the obvious trend of murder-suicide in family court, mainstream media seemingly can not connect the dots regarding entire families being killed after the woman speaks about considering divorce, or just prior or hours after a first appearance. This failure of media and absence of any kind of journalistic standards means the slaughters will continue.
November 10, 2011: A first: Murder-suicide while driving.
Guy didn't bother to pull over.
Just in time for October's "Domestic Violence Awarenes" month, San Diego Officials end all pretense of ending Domestic Violence. . .while media continues ignoring life and cost saving solutions for state, county and city: GPS with Victim Notification.
September 19, 20011
Well, it worked for him before....
Jeremiah Fogle was accused of shooting two pastors and his wife on Sunday. Turns out, he killed his first wife years earlier. Fogle's not the first husband to kill his second family. Chicago's Richard Wiley did the exact same thing.
September 19, 20011
Sometimes murder is over a short relationship. Brittany Harwood broke up with Shayne Riggleman after three months. Brittany said Riggleman said, "I'm going to go on a shooting rampage and kill a bunch of people" but Harwood didn't say anything, including to Riggleman's probation officer, for fear she'd be one of them. After Riggleman killed five Charles and Karin Richardson, 50; her children, Kevin Hudson, 17 and Katrina Hudson, (who was six months pregnant) and an acquaintance, Robert Raber. he drove to Harwood's house and asked her to go with him. She declined and asked him to leave. Then called police, who discovered the bodies. Facebook postings hinted at trouble. "There is a direct correlation between the amount of love you have for someone and how crazy you go when you lose them," reads one.Sometimes murder is over a short relationship. Brittany Harwood broke up with Shayne Riggleman after three months. Brittany said Riggleman said, "" but Harwood didn't say anything, including to Riggleman's probation officer, for fear she'd be one of them. After Riggleman killed five Charles and Karin Richardson, 50; her children, Kevin Hudson, 17 and Katrina Hudson, (who was six months pregnant) and an acquaintance, Robert Raber. he drove to Harwood's house and asked her to go with him. She declined and asked him to leave. Then called police, who discovered the bodies. Facebook postings hinted at trouble. "There is a direct correlation between the amount of love you have for someone and how crazy you go when you lose them," reads one.
"I mate for life, not like a penguin though," reads another. "I mate for life like a praying mantis." The military had rejected him.
August 21, 20011.
CA: On August 18, 2011, Alyssa Rakov filed for divorce from Kevin Collier.
On August 20, 2011, Kevin may go down in history to the first person to text during the middle of a double murder suicide.
Collier texted he killed his fourteen month old baby, and then his mother-in-law, who prior to being shot, texted her friends she feared for her life. Collier's wife left the house screaming for her life. Collier then set the house on fire. He also gravely wounded a police officer. Firefighters were unable to extinguish the blaze.
Police found too charred bodies were found the next day. Collier's daughter was found in his truck with a gunshot wound to the head. The prior evening Collier posted on-line that bad things would happen the following day.
Whether LA gold selling billionaires such as James Fayed, (right)
whose wife was killed the day before their first divorce hearing, or (below) New Jersey's Kashif Parvaiz along with one of his girlfriend's, Antoinette Stephen, hired by Parvaiz to mow down his wife Nazish Noorani, as Nazish and Kashif stolled the sidewalk walking with their baby,

the trend of murder instead of divorce is spiking.
That includes two hit men. Pre-divorce.
Men such as Alabama flower shop owner like Larry Butler, (below left), are increasingly trying to take out their wives prior to divorce proceedings. 
But in the case of Larry Butler, we gotta wonder...how many hit man do guys generally hire?
In Butler's case, he wound up hiring a second hit man to kill the first hit man who didn't do the job.
So the answer to how many hit men can one attempt to hire before calling it a day?
According to Courthouse News, two.
Thankfully, both Reba Butler and her mother, Ruby Mays survived. Better news? James Fayed got the death penalty, and Larry hasn't made bail.
However, hitmen are proving to be an equal-opportunity employment field as nurse (!) Amy Hillrich recently (alledgedly) demonstrated; with her hitmen. Two hitmen?

Two hitmen?
For what, prevention?
Murder as an acceptable end to marriage
In Medford, Oregon, Tabasha Paige-Criado thought her husband Jordan Adam Criado, had accepted that she wanted a divorce. Supposedly Jordan was going to take the boys, and Tabasha the girls. Unfortunately Tabasha thought wrong. She and all four kids were murdered just hours after the police returned her to their home. Jordan had reported her "missing."
Murdering one's children is also, according to one California attorney, the right action.
However, one husband waited for a court appearance. Then he beat up his wife in the Judge's chambers.
Florida
Miami

Paul Gonzalez a Marine, decided to beat up his wife during court hearing before Judge Ronald Rothchild. She has no memory of the attack.
California
San Diego County

San Diego Attorney turned, "Life Coach" Tom Fuchs murdered his two boys after his ex-wife filed for custody. Their divorce had been amicable, but his business was failing and his home was in foreclosure.Meanwhile,
The Voice of San Diego reported although San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne
wanted police officer Anthony Arevalos prosecuted, he sent him back out on the street.
Fast forward, Arevalos now charged with 21 felony crimes, including multiple allegations of soliciting sexual bribes during traffic stops.
City Council remains mute.
The reason for this?
Current mayor of San Diego is Jerry Sanders, who was Police Chief during Arevalos' purported nineteen year crime spree. Anyone wanna vacation in San Diego?
Georgia
Fulton County
June 6, 2011
Shannon Lawrence is the latest in a string of "custody exchange" murders. One wonders when Judges will begin ordering exchanges should take place at police departments, an effective use of our tax dollars.
Meanwhile, two children have no mother, and their father, Christopher Erdman is on his way to prison.
Practice Hint: Due to the increased number of custody exchange murders, we recommend attorneys request judges order any custody exchange to be made at the local police department. Should a murder occur, not only is it likely the crime will be recorded on a number of video cameras in an around the area, but any number of police officers would already on hand to effect a quick arrest. The video could later be used as part of a plea deal, which would save the state trial costs.
In Medford, Oregon, Tabasha Paige-Criado thought her husband Jordan Adam Criado, had accepted that she wanted a divorce. Supposedly Jordan was going to take the boys, and Tabasha the girls. Unfortunately Tabasha thought wrong. just hours after the police returned her to their home. Jordan had reported her "missing."