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Haley McNary-Loiacono Criminal Profiling May 2, 2012 Case Linkage Analysis: Buffalo Rapist The case file including the reports of the Buffalo rapist features 8 individual victims, 5 of which are linked by DNA. Though these cases are presented in a fashion that would appear to the untrained eye to be related, I do not believe that the other three are. There are a multitude of reasons for my beliefs, which I will express in the upcoming pages. This man is a PowerAssertive Rapist, he follows a very specific method of operation, had distinct language, amongst many other features. Though he is responsible for at least 5 of the attacks, I intend to prove why he is not responsible for the other three. This rapist, as previously mentioned, is a power-assertive rapist. This is obvious in the way that he talks to his victims. He used a blitz style attack, and it was probably unplanned seeing as there were no condoms involved in 5 of the presented attacks. He also leaves the victim stranded after he attacks them, asking them to wait anywhere from 10-40 minutes. Unlike the FBIs definition, he attacks during the day in an area that is closed off by woods, however slightly public. This rapist never tried to recontact the victims, and did not attack for months, even years after a rape. I believe that he attacked during the spring months because the trees were full which created a natural barrier, which is why I do not believe he committed the rape against victim 8. He only ever indulged in vaginal sex, there was never any other penetration.

Though a power assertive rapist usually chooses a knife as his weapon of choice, this man chose a garrote because it serves a duel purpose, control and pain. He uses his power and control as a threat Ill kill you if you keep giving me trouble1. He would also talk about himself in a selfish manor, almost taunting the victim. He tells the victims I am feeling a little horny2. This is probably his way of dirty talk, taunting the victim by saying Do it doggie style3 and I want a piece of ass 4. The rapist also brags to two victims saying that he has raped before. His language is fairly confident, it is only when the women fight back that he expresses any type of displeasure. He seems more concerned with getting the deed done and then leaving then he is with hurting the victim. This rapist followed a very specific method of operation, he would blitz attack the girl and rape her. Beforehand he would instruct her to remove her clothes and he would pull the victims shit over her head. Eventually he began to ask the women to tape their eyes shut, but from the start he indicated that he did not want the women looking at his face. I believe this is because he did not want his victims to see him, and he did not want to associate them with being real people. He was trying to distance himself from the victim and use her simply as an object. He would then leave the victim in the woods and tell her she had to wait so that he could get away. His behavior exemplifies an obvious arrogance, he is confident in his sexual performance. He seems as though he is moving quickly through the rape, with little foreplay or torture. He attacks quickly, rapes quickly, then leaves them in the woods demanding that they wait so he can get out. Again he is trying to save himself from being caught. He does not show any sign of being

overly angry or lashing out other than threatening the victim which was probably only used in order to move the rape along quickly. A theme of the behavior is his language, where he exposes his self-confidence. Another theme is how calm he was during the rapes, he never lost his temper. Another theme is that although he is confident, he has no desire to stop or to be caught, that is why he always attacks from behind or tapes the eyes of his victims. He seems to not have any relationship established with any of the victims, he hardly touches them before or after the rape, except when he touched the breasts of the first victim but that died quickly. He is also fairly disorganized and does not try to clean up after himself. The fantasy is clearly the rape, he has no interest in torture or murder. He wants to rape so he can be held over for the next few weeks, and sometimes months. He showed progression or graduation hypothesis when he masturbated to the 3rd victim on file, whom I believe was the second victim. He realized that his fantasy was not the actual masturbation, just the vaginal penetration which is common for a power assertive rapist. Part of his fantasy I believe, involves dirty talking, which is why he taunts his victims. In a bedroom scenario a partner may tease the other, which is what I believe he may have been acting out. He never excessively harmed the victims, he attacked simply to rape. Teenage Caucasian females who were easily overpowered was also a vital part of the fantasy. Another display of the graduation hypothesis is when he started bragging that he had raped before, he was becoming more confident. In the 4th victim, whom I believe was his 3rd, he says My name is Dave5 which I believe is his way of taunting the victim and making his fantasy of sex a reality. It is also probably not his real name, he may have been roleplaying. He also

graduates to using duct tape by victim 3, which again I believe was his second. On the 7th victim he kills the woman he rapes, which I believe is purely an accident, and it is also where I believe his rapes end. The fantasy is no longer alive, he never wanted to kill, just rape, which in his mind makes him a monster. The times were all fairly consistent during the attacks, which is why I believe most of the cases were linked together. The locations were all in wooded parks, which again makes the cases seem alike. The only rape that occurred outside of the early morning is the 7th victim, which was also the one who was murdered. Perhaps the reason why she died is because he was torn from his usual MO which caused him to become flustered and mess up his fantasy. The victims were usually regulars of the parks he attacked in, all white female and mostly young except for victim 1 and victim 6. they were all carrying on their daily routines when they were attacked, and raped. I believe that victim number one was a test run in order to see how the rapist liked his fantasy, and number 6 I do not believe was committed by this man because of the inconsistency of the majority of victimology in the other cases. Forensic awareness does not seem to be a concern to the rapist, as he does not use condoms, gloves, or even a mask. His only saving grace is that he used duct tape and raped from behind in order to shield himself from the victim. Victim number 2 does not seem to be connected to the other cases I have discussed in my summary above. First of all the suspect was not described as having an accent of any type, which was one of the major descriptions of the other victims rapist. This man was also reported as wearing dress clothes rather than the sweats he normally raped in. the rapist made the victim walk into another nearby area, which had not been consistent with the other attacks.

There are many similarities like the MO and the time of day as well as victimology, however I do not believe that this is the same rapist, or even in the same category of rapists. He asks her Have you ever been fucked before? How old are you?6. These may not be the most gentle of words, however they do express a general consideration for the wellbeing of the victim, he is trying to involve her in the fantasy, which does not correspond to a power assertive rapist. There was no duct tape used here, which relates to the first crime only, but none of the others, the rapist would have progressed for his second rape, coming prepared for a possible fight. This attack seems to be too soon after the first, he would have been satisfied with his first rape for quite a while before needing to rape again just a month after. There was also no semen found, which does not relate to the other crimes, the rapist probably was forensically aware and may have worn a condom. The sixth victim also seems to not fit. This woman is 32years old, which does not fit with previous victimology other than the 1st victim which was probably picked before the fantasy of a younger woman came into play. This victim went unconscious almost instantly, this making it clear that an excessive amount of force was used. The victim was still raped, which is not the fantasy for the man who raped the others. There was no duct tape and no trace evidence such as semen. Again this shows that the rapist was forensically aware, which is not an attribute to the buffalo rapist. It seems that if the buffalo rapist had been the rapist, then the 7th victim would not have been dead because the same type of force would not be used. The woman had been dragged and hid, which does not add up to the previous MO of the buffalo rapist, because he would leave the woman and tell them to not get up. If he had done this, he would have just left her not needing to conceal her body.

The 8th and final victim was also forced to walk after she had been attacked. This victim was tied up with twine, which was not used in the other rapes, and duct tape. The rapist asks have you ever been fucked before?7 just like in the 2nd victim. He also expresses concern for the victim saying I wont hurt you if you do what I say. This does not appear to be a threat, however a general concern for the wellbeing. The buffalo rapist would have threatened to kill rather than comfort. The rapist again asks how old the girl is and even asks do you like it?8. This is a clear expression of the rapist wanting the victim to enjoy the rape, or in his eyes, the sex. He is again described with no accent and in normal clothes, jeans and a shirt. This rapist also took a trophy, the victims sneakers, which were later recovered by the police. This was 4 years after the homicide, and in October, which would expose the area of land . I do not think that the rapist would have hit again after his fantasy was destroyed by the murdering of the victim. If he was going to rape again it would have been within at least 2 years, according to his pattern of killing. Due to the profile and case linkage I have provided for the other five victims, these 3 do not fit in any part of the description of the rapist. The victimology, timing, MO, and language are all related, however when it is truly picked apart it is easy to see where the victims differ. The buffalo rapist was a power reassurance rapist whos fantasy involved a young girl, blitz attack, and a suggestion of arrogance in his sexual language. His physical descriptions in 2, 6, and 8 do not match the others and the accent is not present. Through case linkage analysis it is clear that not all of these crimes were committed by the same man, and with the DNA evidence it was much easier to assess which were related. All 3 of the attacks I believe are unrelated to the others took place in 3 different locations, again displaying the awareness that the rapist(s) had, he scattered all three and used precautions which promoted a forensic awareness that the buffalo

rapist did not seem to have. Again all of the cases have similarities, however the exact measures of MO, victimology, and many other case linkage tactics prove that not all of these cases are related, even if I am not 100% correct on all 3. This analysis provides insight into each victim and each rapist, exemplifying the similarities and differences that did make or break my case linkage analysis.

Bibliography Borgeson, K. (1999). Buffalo Serial Rapist (Unpublished document). Retrieved from: Salem State University, Salem, Massachusetts.