This report contains a comparative, descriptive analysis of the 1577 homicide cases committed in Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands during the years 2003-2006. Differences and similarities have been studied with regards to rates and structural characteristics, giving answers to the questions of where, when and how homicide takes place as well as who the victims and perpetrators are. Comparisons have been made possible due to the creation of a joint database on lethal violence among the three countries containing information about each case on both incident and individual level. By combining these data, the foundations for a joint database on lethal violence among multiple European countries, here termed the European Homicide Monitor (EHM), has been created. The EHM provides a unique data source for research and could help both policy targeting and evaluating what works in homicide prevention. The project is financed by the EU and is a collaboration between the National Research Institute of Legal policy in Finland, the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Law of Leiden University in the Netherlands and the National Council for Crime Prevention in Sweden (lead partner).