John Douglas - Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives

This book made available by the Internet Archive.

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Sexual Homicide

Patterns and Motives

Robert K. Ressler

FBI

Ann W. Burgess

University of Pennsylvania

John E. Douglas

FBI

With chapters by

James L. Luke, M.D.

Horace J. Heafner

Daniel L. Carter, Robert A. Prentky, and Ann W. Burgess

LEXINGTON BOOKS An Imprint of The Free Press

New York London Toronto Sydney Tokyo Singapore

vi Sexual Homicide

12. The Police Artist and Composite Drawings 173

Horace J. Heafner

13. The Victims Family and Its Response to Trauma 185

14. Victims: Lessons Learned for Responses to Sexual Violence 199

Daniel L. Carter, Robert A. Prentky, and Ann W. Burgess

15. Murderers: A Postscript 213

Appendix: VICAP Crime Analysis Report 217 Index 231

About the Authors 233

Figures and Tables

Figures

6 1. Sexual Homicide: Motivational Model 70

7 1. Organizational Chart for the National Center for the Analysis of

Violent Crime 103

72. The Violent Crime System Analysis Model 112

73. A Schematic Diagram of the NCAVCs Artificial Intelligence Knowledge-Based Expert System 114

91. Criminal Profile Generating Process 137

101. Abrasion at Anterior Surface of Neck 160

102. High-Power View of Anal Smear Demonstration Ovoid Structures Consistent with Sperm Heads 161

121. Bombing Incident Suspect Sketch 174

122. Bank Robber Sketch and Suspect 176

123. FBI Facial Identification Catalog Page 179

124. FBI Facial Identification Fact Sheet 180

125. Sketch Made from Skeletal Remains and Identification 182

141. Victim Response Strategies 209

Tables

21. Childhood Attributes 16

22. Family Background Characteristics 19

23. Childhood Sexual Experiences 24

viii Sexual Homicide

24. Sexual Abuse by Factors Related to Family Environment and Structure 27

25. Frequency of Reported Behavior Indicatois in Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood for Sexual Murderers 29

26. Performance Characteristics 31

61. Chronology of Events in Warrens Life 76

81. Profile Characteristics of Organized and Disorganized Murderers 122

82. Crime Scene Differences between Organized and Disorganized Murderers 123

8 3. Escalation of Criminal Behavior 126

9 1. Homicide Classification by Style and Type 138

Preface

T his book is about sexual killersmany of whom have repeated their murderous acts multiple times. The book examines two aspects of sexual murderers: (1) characteristics of this group and of the subgroups within it, and (2) responses to sexual killers by the factions of society affected by themlaw enforcement investigators, forensic pathologists, mental health clinicians, the legal system, surviving victims and their families.

A New Perspective

During the early 1970s, Special Agents of the FBIs Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) began profiling criminals on an informal basis by using crime scene information to deduce certain offender characteristics. Because these characteristics proved useful in identifying offenders, local authorities requested such assistance in increasing numbers. As a result, the FBIs criminal profiling service became available to all law enforcement agencies.

The agents involved in criminal profiling were able to classify murderers as either organized or disorganized in their commission of the crimes. Generally, an organized murderer is one who appears to plan his murders in a conscious manner and who displays control of the victim at the crime scene. The disorganized murderer is less consciously aware of a plan, and his crime scenes display haphazard behavior. Sometimes an offender has elements from both categories and can be called mixed.

The organized/disorganized distinction, which may also prove applicable to other types of crime, is especially practical for several reasons. It provides an immediate mental picture of the differences between the two classifications, and it is objective in its connotations. In addition, it avoids the technical psychological terminology that is often confusing to investigators.

Because this method of identifying offenders was based largely on a combination of experience and intuition, it had its failures as well as its successes. Nevertheless, a 1981 FBI evaluation questionnaire sent to field

x Sexual Homicide

offices regarding the profiling service revealed that the criminal personality assessment had helped focus the investigation in 77 percent of those cases in which the suspects were subsequently identified.

The FBI Study

With the development of the criminal profiling project, a study of crime scene analysis was proposed by involved FBI agents. Using case record review, direct observation, and firsthand investigative interviews, the study would fill the gap left by earlier research that was not lawenforcementoriented and would examine convicted, incarcerated offenders from a law enforcement perspective. In addition, it would be the first project to analyze the overall crime, paying particular attention to the crime scene. After completion of a pilot phase, the study was formalized in 1982 with a grant from the National Institute of Justice.

The study had both quantitative and qualitative approaches to data collection and analysis. Qualitative objectives were to describe the characteristics of the study population of murderers, the manner in which they committed their crimes, and the crime scenes. The descriptive data obtained would make an important contribution to the documentation of the sexual killer.

Quantitative objectives were somewhat more complex. Because the organized/disorganized classification was the only law-enforcement-developed classification to aid in the apprehension of sexual killers, its viability and potential for expanded use in criminal profiling was important to determine. Thus, the study had two quantitative objectives. First, it would test, using statistical procedures, whether there are significant behavioral differences at the crime scene between crimes committed by organized sexual murderers and those committed by disorganized sexual murderers. Second, it would identify variables, or specific characteristics, that may be useful in profiling sexual murderers and for which organized and disorganized sexual murderers differ statistically.

Study Sample

To meet these objectives, the study examined thirty-six convicted, incarcerated sexual murderers. To our knowledge, this is the largest compiled sample of sexual killers interviewed for research purposes. All of the murderers were males most were white. Prior to interview, these men had exhausted their initial appeals and had consented to participate in the project. All cases were available for record review. Seven of these men had been convicted of killing one person, while the remainder had been convicted of killing multiple victims.