Sex Murder and the Potential Sex Murderer

Louis B. Schlesinger, Ph.D. Professor of Forensic Psychology John Jay College of Criminal Justice City University of New York

Problems Encountered in the Study of Sexual Murder

No generally agreed-upon definition Many seemingly sexual murders are not really sexually motivated Many sexual murders are not overtly sexual Distinction between a sexual homicide and a homicide associated with sexual behavior is often blurred No national crime statistics exist Practical impediments such as incomplete and inaccurate background histories, low base rate, lack of interdisciplinary cooperation, and not being labeled institutionally are common

Four Types of Sexual Murder

Outgrowth of sexual conflicts (catathymic) Fusion of sex and aggression (compulsive) Murder to cover up sex crime Sex-related homicide

Catathymic Homicides

Hans W. Maier (1912) Catathymia comes from the Greek kata and thymos, translated in accordance with emotions Interested in the development of the content of delusions Delusional content results from an underlying complex which is catathymic Delusion as a result of organic factors are not catathymic

Frederick Wertham (1937)

Comic books Observation of severe suicide patients who survived Development of a fixed idea which is quasidelusional

A catathymic reaction is the transformation of the stream of thought, as the result of certain complexes of ideas, that are charged with a strong affect, usually a wish, a fear, or an ambivalent striving

Revitch & Schlesingers Catathymic Process

Acute catathymic process

Satten, Menninger & Mayman (1960) Severe disintegration of controls with minor provocation

Carl Soden case

Chronic Catathymic Process

Three stages
1. 2. 3.

incubation violent act feeling of relief

William Gieger Dormilus, stalking case Dennis Beardsley, familicide Bjrk

Catathymic murderers are found sane by a jury for the following reasons: (1) the dissociative phenomenon is unfamiliar to most jurors, (2) obsessive rumination is equated with premeditation, and (3) there is no clear-cut psychosis which is a necessary requirement for mental disease or defect

Compulsive Homicides

Least influenced by environmental factors The need to commit the act is compelling A fusion of sex and aggression so that the aggressive act is eroticized Murder is sexually motivated and part of the offenders sexual arousal pattern Potential for repetition is enormous Present since pre-modern times, different countries, different cultures, and no evidence it is increasing

Ten Ominous Signs of the Potential Sex Murderer

1.

Childhood abuse

Physical, sexual or psychological Most individuals who are abused do not grow up to be abusers, but those who abuse, almost all have a history of being abused themselves Credible information on abuse is difficult to obtain

Ten Ominous Signs of the Potential Sex Murderer

2.

Inappropriate maternal (sexual) conduct

Krafft-Ebing noted strange relationship with their mothers Brittain found mothers brought their incarcerated sons books and magazines including pornography and crime Boys need to see their mothers as asexual Displaced matricide theory is incorrect

Ten Ominous Signs of the Potential Sex Murderer

3.

Pathological lying and manipulation

Research on lying, 97% lie daily; 3% lied about their lying Lying occurs in dating, work, politicians, physicians, scientists Pathological lying is not lying to escape responsibility for wrong-doing but to achieve a sense of mastery, control and domination Pathological lying and manipulation begins in childhood, develops in adolescence, and in adulthood its used in the perpetration of their crimes especially the planned ones Lying when caught Cain Abel murder case

Ten Ominous Signs of the Potential Sex Murderer

4.

Sadistic fantasies with compulsion to act

Fantasies develop in childhood and they stay in their fantasies their entire lives with themes of domination, control, revenge, and sexually sadistic aggression Crepault & Couture (1980), erotic fantasies of normal men

62% sexually initiating a young girl 33% rape of a woman 12% being humiliated 5% sex with an animal 3% sexually initiating a young boy

Zoophilia vs. Beastiality Adolescents draw, write, show interest in weapons and often draw their own pornography Interest in books about war criminals, Nazi atrocities, hard core pornography, and detective magazines

Ten Ominous Signs of the Potential Sex Murderer

5.

Animal cruelty, particularly against cats

Cat is a female symbol Albert DeSalvo tortured cats, shot them with bow and arrows but was unaware of the basis of this animosity

Steven Fortin cat-man

Ten Ominous Signs of the Potential Sex Murderer

6.

The need to control others

The need to control is at the core of sexual murder Complete subjugation of another person is at the core of sadism Childhood backgrounds of controlling other children, cruel to other children, abduct girls and let them go, get other kids to act as servants

Ten Ominous Signs of the Potential Sex Murderer

7.

Repetitive firesetting

Overt dynamics, rather rare (Lewis & Yarnell) Covert sexual dynamics emerges after extended contact Power achieved through firesetting is eroticized

Peter Kurten had fantasies of annihilating an entire community by fire; David Berkowitz set 1,488 fires

Ten Ominous Signs of the Potential Sex Murderer

8.

Voyeurism, fetishism and sexual burglary

Early research, sex offenders dont cross party lines Recent research, sex offenders do cross party lines Guttmacher the personality of burglars is more like a rapist than exhibitionist Voyeurism covert dynamics Fetishism overt dynamics

Notorious Sexual Murderers Who Committed Burglaries

Offender Jerome Brudos Ted Bundy Richard Trenton Chase Nathaniel Code Albert DeSalvo Type of Burglary Fetish burglary began at age 16; shoe and foot fetish Voyeurism in adolescence led to voyeuristic burglary and cat burglary Committed fetish burglary and soiled premises Numerous undescribed cat burglaries; ejaculated on premises Voyeurism began in adolescence; voyeuristic burglaries began during military services; ejaculated on premises Undescribed burglaries began in early twenties Fetish burglary began at age 13; soiled premises by defecation and urination Number Murdered and Location of Murders Murdered four women in his home and outside of home Murdered 30 to 40 women in and outside their residences Murdered 10 women in their homes; engaged in vampirism Murdered eight victims in their homes Murdered 13 women in their homes

Robert Hansen

Murdered four prostitutes outside and inside their residences Murdered two women in their homes; dismembered a child

William Heirens

Notorious Sexual Murderers Who Committed Burglaries

Offender Cleophus Prince Richard Ramirez Monte Rissell Type of Burglary Found guilty of 21 undescribed daytime cat burglaries Voyeurism since childhood; numerous voyeuristic burglaries Numerous undescribed began at age 12 Voyeurism, voyeuristic burglaries, and regular burglaries Numerous undescribed burglaries began in early adolescence Numerous undescribed burglaries Numerous undescribed burglaries began at age 14; considered a cat burglar extraordinaire Number Murdered and Location of Murders Murdered six women in their homes Murdered 13 women and men, mostly in their homes Murdered five women, prostitutes and others, outside their homes Murdered five women plus three men and a child in their homes Murdered three women, two in their homes, one outside Murdered 11 women, two in their homes Murdered four women in their homes

Danny Rolling

George Russell Arthur Shawcross Timothy Spencer

Sexual burglary, Schlesinger & Revitch (1999) JAAPL

52 sexual murderers 42% had a history of burglary

68%

voyeuristic burglary 32% fetish burglary

A history of burglary committed solo and under bizarre circumstances Victim killed or abducted from residence
65% had history of burglary

Schlesinger & Pinnozzotto (2004) Sex Offender Law Report

21 sexual murderers who killed 97 victims Prior arrests, 17 (81%) had a prior arrest record while 4 (19%) were never previously in trouble with the law 9 (43%) had a prior rape charge 8 (38%) had been previously arrested for burglary 9 offenders who had previously raped, 5 (56%) had a history of rape and burglary in their backgrounds 13 (61%) had killed or abducted victims in their residences 8 (62%) of those who had a history of burglary The clearance rate for burglary is so low (about 15%) the findings of both studies underestimate the problem of burglary in the histories of sexually motivated murderers Recommendation for law enforcement:

Look for individuals with a history of burglary, especially burglary in combination with rape

Ten Ominous Signs of the Potential Sex Murderer

9.

Unprovoked attacks on females, associated with generalized misogynous emotions

Minor unprovoked aggression Unnecessary force, beyond what is needed to commit the primary crime Expression of dislike for girls associated with minor aggressive acts Increased amounts of aggression

Ten Ominous Signs of the Potential Sex Murderer

10.

Evidence of ritualistic (signature) behavior

13-year-old with tissue paper Robert Petrarca, in adolescence choked girls/sister from behind and ordered them to expose their breasts; as an adult, killed 4 women and left them with their breasts exposed

Ritual and Signature in Serial Sexual Homicide

Krafft-Ebing (1886), crime scene behaviors unnecessary for the commission of the homicide
Filled

victims mouths with dirt Pulled hairpins out Pressed victims hands together Subjected victims to humiliation and torture

Unnecessary acts are needed in order for the offender to feel sexually gratified (Brittain, 1970;
Guttmacher, 1960; Revitch, 1965; Revitch & Schlesinger, 1981, 1989; Dietz et al., 1990; Ressler et al., 1988)

Ritual and Signature in Serial Sexual Homicide

The issue has never been whether or not these seemingly unnecessary repetitive crime-scene behaviors occur, since they have been reported for well over a century

Questions: How consistently do they occur, how unique are they, and what usefulness might they have as an investigative aid?

Confusion in terms developed

Douglas & Munn (1992) The signature [a term often used synonymously with ritual] aspect stays the same, whether it is the first offense or one committed ten years later. The ritual may evolve but the theme remains consistent. Hazelwood & Warren (2003) drew a distinction between ritual (repetitive acts at the crime-scene) and signature (unique combination of behaviors that emerges across two or more offenses). Everyone notes ritual does not occur at every scene for multiple reasons

Sample

Non-random national sample of 38 serial sexually motivated homicide offenders and their 162 victims Serial sexual homicide was operationally defined using Ressler et al.s (1988) criteria 100% independent consensus between two senior clinicians before any case was included

Operational definitions of ritual and signature

Ritual: An offenders crime-scene behaviors which are unnecessary for the perpetration of the homicide; activity over and above that which would cause death, and occurred with at least two victims. Offender activities considered to be M.O., part of the abduction process, or behavior to elude detection, were excluded. Exception: Those cases where there is an overlap between ritual and M.O. such as firesetting, body dismemberment, binding, etc.

Operational definitions of ritual and signature

Signature: Ritualistic acts that were, (a) distinct behavior never seen before in our sample, or (b) a totally different or distinctive way to carry out an act, or (c) a combination of acts, when taken together, are distinctive

Research Questions and Results

1.

Do serial sexual homicide perpetrators engage in ritualistic behaviors?

38 offenders, 37 (97%) engaged in ritualistic behavior with at least two victims 162 homicides studied, 147 (91%) involved ritualistic behavior 33 offenders (89.2%) engaged in ritualistic behavior with all their victims 4 offenders (11%) who did not engage in ritualistic behavior at every scene; one engaged in ritualistic behavior with 29% of his victims, one with 40% of his victims, one with 60%, and one with 80%

Research Questions and Results

2.

Is the ritual the same (consistent) with each victim in a series?

37 offenders engaged in ritualistic behavior, 5 (14%) used the same ritual with every victim in the series 31 of 37 offenders (83.8%) engaged in ritualistic behavior that was similar with at least two separate victims 21 offenders (57%) did not engage in the same ritualistic behavior across victims, but engaged in similar behaviors; the number of victims with similar rituals ranged from 40% to 80% 14 (38%) of the offenders engaged in similar or identical rituals across only two victims, 5 (14%) offenders engaged in similar or identical ritualistic behavior with 5 or more victims

Research Questions and Results

3.

Is the theme of the ritual the same (consistent) with each victim?

31 offenders (83.8%) engaged in similarly themed rituals 6 offenders (16.2%) displayed 2 different themes across their series No offender displayed more than 2 themes Problem: Over-inclusive, judgment

Themes
1.

2. 3. 4.

Power/Control/Domination (made victim engage in specific acts) Rage/Revenge (overkill) Degradation/Humiliation (sex with dog) Sexual fixation (specific sexual acts)

Research Questions and Results

4.

Is there evolution or elaboration of the ritual?

17 of the 37 (45.9%) offenders who engaged in ritualistic behavior evidenced evolution or elaboration of the rituals

Research Questions and Results

5.

Is the ritual not only consistent, but also unique so that it can be legitimately referred to as signature?

26 out of 38 (68%) offenders displayed some behavior during at least one homicide that met one or more of our three criteria for uniqueness Unique behaviors were found with as few as one and as many as six victims in a series Mean number of victims/scenes where unique behaviors were found was 2.5 (i.e. of the 26 offenders who engaged in some form of unique behavior, they did so on an average of 2.5 scenes)

Research Questions and Results

5.

Is the ritual not only consistent, but also unique so that it can be legitimately referred to as signature?

17 offenders (17/26 = 65%; 17/38 = 45%) engaged in the same unique behavior across multiple scenes. 65% of offenders who engaged in unique signature behaviors did so across at least two homicides. Of the whole sample, 45% engaged in recurrent unique signature behavior

Research Questions and Results

5.

Is the ritual not only consistent, but also unique so that it can be legitimately referred to as signature?

Of those 17, where the behavior occurred in at least two victims, (and in some cases in up to five victims) recurrent signature behavior was found in 18% to 100% of victims associated with a single offender If an offender engaged in recurrent signature behaviors, it was seen in at least 18% of his homicides. Other offenders displayed the same recurrent behaviors in 100% of their crimes

Research Questions and Results

Examples of recurrent signature behavior:

Eye puncture/enucleation in 3 out of 3 victims Gagging multiple victims in a series with unusual objects, such as piano wire, gauze Same offender as above, also sodomized multiple victims with objects like cucumbers and carrots and photographed them Victims 2, 3, and 5 in a series of five were dismembered and in a distinctive way with both hands and one leg cut off Victims 2, 3, and 4 in a series of four cases had their pants cut off in a distinctive way where cuffs were perpendicular to the seam and pants were then unstitched by the offender 2 out of 2 victims were posed distinctly with legs spread and legs propped up on pillows

Research Questions and Results

6.

Do offenders experiment at a crime scene and do something unique with only one particular victim?

17 offenders (46%) experimented at a crime scene in that they behaved in a unique way that they had not done with any other victim. In most cases involving experimentation, it was done with only one victim (13 of the 17, 76%). In 3 cases, the offender experimented with two victims in the series. In one case the offender experimented with 3 victims.

Research Questions and Results

Examples of unique behaviors that occurred in a single homicide:

Elaborate starburst carving on torso of third victim in a series of three Victim 4 in a series of 4 was forced to pose in the underwear of prior victim Fifth victim in a series of ten murders was posed in unusual fashion, in prone position with hands on hips, ankles crossed First victim in a series of at least five murders was left naked, bound at ankles and wrists with his shoe-laces, then with scrotum bound to limbs, all bound together behind the victims back

Caution!
Beware of B.S. (bad science)

 Research

and theory inform practice and investigations. & investigation methods should not change because of one or more studies!!!

Practice