I hate when I’m reading the paper and see the phrase “shot to death” or “stabbed to death” only to later find that the person in question was only stabbed or shot once. It seems misleading to me. I realize that if the single gunshot or stab wound were enough to end that person’s life, then the addition of “to death” would be perfectly accurate, but there’s still a certain plurality implied by the words “to death.”

When I read “the victim was shot to death” I immediately interpret that as “the victim was shot, repeatedly, until they were dead.” Really, what I’m expecting here is a scene out of Rambo minus the shirtlessness because it’s cold where I live. Instead, what I find out is that

A) the victim was only shot once, most often in the head, and
B) (in one case) the victim was a baby, which made me feel bad.

So, really, newspapers, if you’re going to use “stabbed to death” or “shot to death”, make sure the mental image the reader has as a result matches the story at least a little bit.

Also I’m sorry for making light of brutal murder.