The theory building efforts regarding
the phenomena of serial homicide and serial rape evolves instantly. There are
efforts to construct useful typologies, or model. Few attempts to integrate
these two organizing schemas have been undertaken. This is surprising,
especially as consolidation seems both plausible and logical when noting the
various linkages among offender profiles, victim selection strategies, and
crime scene variables. These acts are expressions of violence in which several
biological, behavioral, cognitive, and psychodynamic properties appear
assimilable. A host of factors ranging from, among others, modus operandi, criminal
background of the assailant, the use of fantasy, paraphilias, psychiatric illness,
psychopathy, and the role of sadism in the commission of the crime would have
to be explored carefully and systematically. This notwithstanding, given the two forms of
criminality in question, some commentary on the way in which motivational
forces, crime scene behavior, offender personality characteristics, and
strategies to thwart detection are complementary as well as distinct, is
warranted. Indeed, such an initial foray could be quite suggestive for future
theoretical and empirical work. Typologies generally classify offenders based
on a combination of factors. Examples of these factors or elements include
inferred motives, crime scene evidence, and the background characteristics of
the aggressor. For example, some serial killers sexually attack their victims
as an integral part of the murder, both psychologically and physiologically. However,
in other homicides the sexual attack is used instrumentally. It is the best way
to degrade, dominate, and subsequently annihilate the victim. In this respect,
then, the behavior is not directly related to the actual motive for the murder.
Special agents for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Training Academy
in Quantico, Virginia first introduced the most widely
cited classification dichotomy of violent serial offenders. The
organized/disorganized dichotomy examined lust and sexually sadistic serial
murders. This dichotomy has since been used to differentiate all types of
sexual and serial homicides. The offenders could be distinguished and
categorized based on crime scene variables, victim selection, life history factors,
and forensic reports, as well as related evidence. Indeed, dimensions of the
assailant’s personality structure and behavioral patterns are discernible through
the offense. Thus, the crime scene can be used much like a fingerprint to help
identify the murderer. The
body of evidence or
the distinct characteristics left behind at the crime scene is classified as either organized or
disorganized. The premise of this dichotomy is that “highly repetitive, planned, and
well-thought-out offenses [can] be distinguishable from spontaneous, random,
sloppy offenses”. Various conceptual models on serial homicide have
appropriated the organized/disorganized dichotomy. The organized offender is
considered to be of average to above-average intelligence, male, and to lead an
orderly existence. The organized offender is motivated by internal mechanisms
consisting of a rich fantasy life that compels the criminality. Moreover, the
organized offender is likely to have skilled employment and to be socially
adept in contrast to his disorganized counterpart. Often the organized
assailant owns a car that is in good running condition. He commits his crimes
away from his residence, given his considerable mobility. Fantasy and ritual
are highly important to this assailant. As such, he selects a victim that is
the “right” type—usually a stranger. Typically, the
murders committed by the organized offender are precipitated by a stressful
event. Examples of these disturbances include a relationship conflict,
financial hardship, or employment problems. These events can be so overwhelming
that they preclude the use of restraint that would otherwise prevent the
individual from actualizing his fantasies. Indeed, given the debilitating life
event, feelings of profound inadequacy surface and a desperate need to restore
emotional equilibrium materializes, thereby precipitating the murder. Finally,
the organized killer is likely to be a psychopath or someone who could be
diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder given the irresponsible,
immoral, and callous nature of his crimes. The crime scene is more organized
with serial murderers than with one-time homicide offenders. Crime scene staging or manipulation is also
noted, especially if the killer takes pride in the expertise he believes he has
in the commission of his murders and his ability to avoid detection. The
organized slayer methodically crafts his crimes: he brings his own weapon with
him and carefully disposes of it when he leaves, rather than discarding it
haphazardly at the location of the murder or elsewhere. This serial offender is
also likely to use various restraints on his victim, arriving at the crime
scene with a rape kit, or “death kit”. Moreover, this offender is inclined to
perform sexual acts with a live victim and take a “trophy” or souvenir from the
place of the murder. “The lack of
normal, healthy social relationships increases the likelihood of sexual
ignorance as well as the potential for sexual perversions or dysfunctions as
part of the homicidal acts”. Sadistic fantasies, pornography, and compulsive
masturbation are used to compensate for the lack of healthy interpersonal
relationships. The disorganized slayer leads a chaotic existence, characterized
by unsystematic behavior especially in the commission of his homicides. The murder is not planned away from the
assailant’s residence, and there is significant disarray at the crime scene. Indeed,
typically there is a wealth of forensic evidence such as blood and semen
samples, fingerprints, and the presence of the murder weapon. There is no effort to conceal the body, and it
is often left in full view. The corpse is also more likely to be positioned by
the disorganized offender than by his organized murder counterpart. This
disorganized slayer is impulsive and often commits his murders in a frenzied
fashion, approaching victims in an all-out blitz-style method of attack. Blunt
force trauma may be used quickly to silence the victim and to obtain control.
There is sudden violence followed immediately by death, leaving mutilation and
sexual activity to occur postmortem. The disorganized offender is more likely
to perform sexual acts with the cadaver and depersonalize the body by massive
assaults to the face. His personal hygiene is usually poor and his
acquaintances consider him odd. This is because he is strange in both
appearance and behavior. A psychotic killer would most likely be responsible
for a disorganized crime scene. This type of offender may be delusional and
have a diagnosable mental disorder. To illustrate, the murder may involve more
than one assailant or the offender may be young and/or under the influence of
drugs or alcohol. Moreover, there might be unanticipated events such as victim
resistance or escalating the offender into a different pattern during the
course of the attack or over a series of homicides. Additionally, there might
be some evidence of planning, such as the absence of a murder weapon left at
the location of the crime; however, the body might not be disposed of or
otherwise concealed. Then, too, the topography of the crime scene might be
chaotic, with severe manual violence inflicted against the victim. There have
been identified the following types of serial killers:
Visionary
Type—these murderers kill as a result of command
hallucinations, delusions, or visions whose sources customarily include the
forces of good or evil. These offenders are typically psychotic, leaving the
crime scene in utter disarray. The homicides occur quickly with no extensive
acts of torture. Frequently, the assailant relies on weapons of opportunity to
commit his crimes and discards or locates the death instrument(s) in the victim’s
body.
Mission-Oriented
Type—the goal for these slayers is to kill certain
types of people or to rid society of particular types of individuals. These
serial murderers target victims based on their ethnicity, occupation (e.g.,
prostitutes), and/or age. Additionally, they determine whom to assail based on
whether the person is deemed unworthy, undesirable, or somehow less than human.
To illustrate, Jack the Ripper targeted prostitutes and viewed them as
disposable. He dehumanized their bodies through mutilation in the process of
killing them. In a letter written to the press by Jack the Ripper, he stated, “I
am down on whores and shan’t quit ripping them” Typically, the murders occur
quickly and they are often planned. The mission-oriented offender does not
engage in postmortem activities such as necrophilia or dismemberment and the
weapon employed is not disposed of at the crime scene.
Hedonistic
Type—these offenders murder as a result of sensation
seeking or otherwise derive some sort of pleasure from their killings. The lust
killer murders principally for sexual gratification even if this does not
entail traditional intercourse. However, sex or multiple sadistically erotic
acts with a live victim are common. Orgasm or sexually arousing behavior (i.e.,
masturbation) is the driving force for this offender, even after the person has
killed the victim. Moreover, this attacker may also be sexually excited and/or satisfied
from the murder itself. Ritualistic displays of sexual mutilation, facial disfigurement,
cannibalism, body dismemberment, vampirism, and necrophilia are routinely
featured in this type of homicidal act. The body is often
concealed and the murder weapon taken. Close contact murder; specifically,
beating or manual strangulation, are noted as most common. The thrill killer
murders for the visceral excitement the assailant experiences. However, once
the victim is dead, the offender loses complete interest. As a result, the
process of killing is prolonged as long as possible through extended acts of
torture. The use of restraints and the presence of bite marks and burns on the
victim’s body are characteristic behaviors for this type of slayer. Sadistic
acts whose frequency is prolonged as long as possible prior to death, a concealed
corpse, manual or ligature strangulation, and an animated victim during multiple
sexual acts all characterize the patterns and motives of this type of assailant.
Power/Control
Oriented Type – these offenders harbor
deep-seated feelings of inadequacy or attempt to compensate for a perceived
lack of social or personal mastery over themselves by thoroughly dominating
their victims. The primary motive for these offenders is not sexual in nature. Instead,
these assailants desire complete and unfettered control over and subjugation of
their powerless victims, including during the postmortem period. Consequently,
torture, the use of restraints, strangulation, severed body parts, and
decapitation are all routinely featured in these homicidal acts. A profound
sense omnipotence – having the ultimate power of life or death over one’s victims
as they cower and plead for their lives – fuels this type of serial killer. The
act of murder is extended in order to increase the felt sense of gratification.
The offender’s modus
operandi is planned and organized, the body is concealed,
and the weapon is absent.
The visionary murderer is located
at one end of the spectrum reflecting the disorganized type of assailant. The
power/control-oriented killer is positioned at the other end of the continuum,
consistent with the organized type of offender.
The patterns of rape include the following:
- anger rapist,
- power rapist,
- sadistic rapist.
The anger rapist uses more force
than is necessary in order to control the victim. The individual is motivated
by anger and rage toward the party harmed or who the victim symbolizes. This
sexual offender employs considerable physical violence, subjects the victims to
a variety of degrading sexual acts, and typically inflicts significant bodily
injury. The power rapist is motivated by
a need to assert his potency and dominance over a victim. The level of force
this offender utilizes will likely depend on the degree of compliance proffered
by the victim. The sadistic rapist experiences eroticized violence. Sexual and
aggressive urges are fused and the offender is aroused by the degradation,
pain, suffering, torture, and mutilation of the victim. The pain and suffering
of the victim is not incidental; it is central. This offender typically uses
restraints and bondage; engages in paraphilias, torture, and mutilation; and inflicts
significant physical injury on the victim, which, in some instances, can escalate
to death. The behavioral, and personality features of different serial rapists
are portrayed by the following examples:
Power-reassurance
rapist—This individual harbors significant feelings of
inadequacy and wants to restore his depleted sense of masculinity. Typically,
this rapist is concerned with not injuring the victim, is generally apologetic,
makes several efforts to reassure the person harmed, and uses less intrusive
forms of sexually assaultive behavior. Often identified as the “gentleman
rapist,” (40),
this individual looks for reassurance regarding his manliness. He is less
aggressive than other rapists, and his objective is to have sexual intercourse.
His attacks are premeditated and fueled by persistent rape fantasies. He likes
to pretend that the rape is “consensual” and that the victim is actually
enjoying the assault. It is not uncommon for him to experience some form of
sexual dysfunction. Usually, this offender relies on the threat of a weapon;
however, he might not even possess one. It is likely that this attacker will
spend a great deal of time with the victim, attempting to engage in “pillow talk,”
asking personal questions of the assaulted party, and offering comments about himself.
He generally suffers from low self-esteem, is gentle and passive, has low social
competence, and takes little pride in his personal appearance.
Power-assertive
rapist—This offender uses the rape as confirmation of
his virility, his machismo, and his ability to dominate women. He does not need
to be reassured; rather, he wants to dominate women and display his ability to
control them. His attacks may be impulsive and unplanned. His use of force is
moderate and dependent upon victim resistance. This offender frequently uses
his fists as weapons and the nature of the assault is short. This rapist may be
described as arrogant, self-absorbed in his macho-like image, and hot headed. It
is not uncommon for such assailants to have a history of conflict with women. This
sexual offender perceives himself as very socially competent; however, it is
likely he has a series of failed marriages.
Anger-retaliatory
rapist—This person is motivated to sexually assault as
an extension of anger and rage. This retaliatory posture may or may not be focused
exclusively on women. The offender overtly expresses anger by using excessive
force, relying on lethal instruments (e.g., a knife), and projecting a macho facade
to his victims. The rage is not sexualized and the rapes do not appear
to be motivated by compulsive, sadistic fantasies. Women are viewed as whores, as
dirty, and as individuals not to be trusted. This rapist is likely to employ a blitz-style
method of attack, severely injuring his victim. The attack usually results in a
severe beating and can end in murder; however, this result is not typical of this
offender type. Moreover, the victim’s resistance can produce even more savage attacks
because it fuels the anger. This type of offender can exhibit displaced anger after
a fight with a girlfriend or wife. Under these conditions, the assailant may symbolically
assault a female victim to equalize the perceived inequalities in his own
relationship. In this way, the rape is used to punish or humiliate another and often
represents a general disdain for women.
Anger-excitation
rapist—This offender is also identified as a
sadistic-ritualistic rapist. He incorporates sadistic behavior into his sexual
assaults because he enjoys the pain and suffering inflicted on his victim. This
assailant is more likely to bind and transport victims, to withhold reassurance
towards them, and to terrorize those whom he harms by telling them how he will
hurt them. In this way, the anger-excitation rapist maintains something of a
detached interaction with his victims. Additionally, there is greater planning
with the offense and the behavior itself is less impulsive. The attacks are
generally calculated and orchestrated, including the offender transporting
weapons and other items to the crime scene for purposes of restraint and
torture.
Drug or alcohol use during the
offense is minimal so the attacker remains in control. The sadistic rapist is
not likely to have a mental health history, possesses an average to an above
average intelligence, and may work as a white-collar employee. It is not
uncommon for him to be married; however, his wife is firmly under his control
and, indeed, she may be a compliant victim herself. His habitual and sadistic
fantasies are probably concealed from most of those around him. The organizing
framework or profiles developed and provided by investigators with important
demographic, offense characteristics, and lifestyle information that
facilitates offender identification. Most
repeat offenders of this sort are distinct in their modus operandi and, likely,
in their motives as compared with their serial murder counterparts.
Acknowledgements:
The Police Department;
https://www.politie.nl/mijnbuurt/politiebureaus/05/burgwallen.html and a
Chief Inspector – Mr. Erik Akerboom ©
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