Mass murder Spree killings Serial killers

Mass murderSpree killingsSerial killers

CAUSES OF MURDERS http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/circumst.htm

NUMBER OF MASS MURDERERS 1976-1999 http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/multiple.htm

Mass and Spree Murder • Mass murder: The killing of several people at one location. • Spree murder: The killing of several people at different locations over a period of several days. • These killers typically commit suicide or are killed by the police.

Mass and Spree Murder Two types of mass murderers: • Those who chose specific targets who the killers believe to have caused them stress. • Those who attack targets having no connection with the killer but who belong to groups the killer dislikes.

Mass and Spree Murder • Most mass murderers are motivated by a hatred that simmers until some specific event provides the flame that brings it to a boil. • Spree killers move from victim to victim in fairly rapid succession. • Spree killing is rare, but spree-killing teams are even rarer and are typically composed of a dominant leader and submissive lover. • Spree and mass murderers have increased steadily in the United States since the middle of the century.

Serial Murder • FBI’s three criteria for defining a killer as a serial killer: • Kill in three or more separate events. • At three or more separate locations. • Engage in an emotional cooling off period between murders. • Serial murder: The killing of three or more victims over an extended period of time.

The Extent of the Problem • Some empirical evidence suggested that roughly 20% of the murders in the United States yearly were committed by serial killers. • However, other data sources contented that the share of serial killers accounted for no more than 300-400 murders each year.

A Typology of Serial Killers • Visionary serial killer: Feels impelled to commit murder by visions or “voices in my head.” • Mission oriented killer: Feel it to be their mission in life to kill certain kinds of people. • Hedonistic serial killer: Kill for the pure thrill and joy of it; the majority of serial killers are hedonistic serial killers. • Power/Control killer: Gains more satisfaction from exercising complete power over his victims, and sexual activity is almost always involved.

CAUSES OF THE PROBLEM • Some Mass Murderers: • Kill to boost their egos. • Kill because they feel excluded and not loved. • Kill for recognition. • Kill for money. • Kill for fame and glory. • Kill because of gang initiation and/or cult loyalty. (Disciple Type) • Hit men. • Kill for sexual gratification. • Emotional, selfish, or cause specific intent: • self defense • mercy killing • assassinations • cult • religious • Kill because they are angry at their families. (Annihilator Type) • Kill to lash out at some perceived unfairness. (Disgruntled Employee Type) • Kill to lash out against the world which is “not right” in some way. (Pseudommando Type)

Figure 12.1 Estimated Number and Rate per 10 Million of Serial Killers Operating in the United States from 1795 to Mid-2004 Sources: U.S Justice Department figures as reported by Jenkins (1994); updated figures from Hickey (2006) and Walsh (2005). Rates Per 10 million population computed by authors.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MASS MURDERERS • People who kill 2 or more victims in a single short and bloody episode • Young males • Caucasian • Usually between the ages of 20-30 • Experienced great humiliation in their life • Show interest in weapons and military paraphernalia • Choose to isolate themselves from society • Often show signs of depression or unhappiness • Show interest in others who carry out massacres • Store real or imagined grievances, frustrations, disappointments, and outrages done to him done by others over long periods of time • Are unable to form intimate relationships • Are usually sad, inadequate, and lonely • Are usually set out to kill people he blames for hurting him. • Often kill victims from their same ethnic group • They don’t want to kill themselves because their basis for living is to kill others • Often draw attention to their sense of impotence • Usually frustrated with society and the way it works • Often show anger and hostility • Probably has no criminal record nor has been seen treated for any psychiatric disorder

Race and Multiple Murder • African Americans are over-represented among serial killers relative to their proportion of the American population. • Jenkins argues that black serial killers do not attain the notoriety of their white counterparts because the media tends to ignore them. • There has been only one known Asian serial killer operating in the United States during the 20th century.

Female Serial Killers • The key distinction between male and female serial killers is that: “There are no female counterparts to a Bundy or a Gacy, to whom sex or sexual violence is a part of the murder pattern.” • Females kill for instrumental reasons or from twisted notions of mercy.

Multiple Murder Overseas • Mass or spree murder is relatively rare in developed countries outside of the United States. • Strict gun controls may help to prevent some of the would-be mass or spree killers overseas, but they do not prevent serial killers.

Theories about the Causes of Serial Killing • Serial killing is not the result of any single cause but of several risk factors interacting in various ways. • Anomie theory has been applied to explain serial killing across the centuries. • Some authors invoke certain aspects of family and developmental theories to explain the phenomenon. • The dramatic increase in the number of serial killers in the last half of the 20th century points to some very important social changes.

Theories about the Causes of Serial Killing • One factor that researchers appear to be unanimous about is that an extreme level of maternal deprivation almost uniformly characterizes the childhood experience of serial killers. • The disinhibited counterculture; ethos of personal satisfaction. • The decarceration movement in the mental health system. More freedom in society.

Theories about the Causes of Serial Killing • Two cognitive factors commonly seen in serial killers are strong feelings of sexual inadequacy and a rich fantasy life. • Extreme sexual dysfunction may result in • feelings of worthlessness and powerlessness • especially if: childhood abuse and neglect. • A large percentage of serial killers who have been examined have significant damage to the frontal lobes of the brain.

Theories about the Causes of Serial Killing • One hypothesis is that a combination of genetic factors and abnormal fetal development of the brain may be factors • The diathesis-stress model (Giannangelo-1996): All serial killers have a congenital susceptibility to behave and think in ways that lead to serial killing if combined with environmental stressors and traumas in terms of gene/environment correlation and gene/environment interaction.

Figure 12.2 Stephen Giannangelo's Diathesis/Stress Model of Serial Killing

Law Enforcement’s Response to Serial Killing • The Investigative Support Unit (ISU) of the FBI has developed methods of profiling serial killers and other violent offenders through extensive interviewing and formal psychological testing of incarcerated killers in order to develop a typology based on personality and other offender characteristics.

Law Enforcement’s Response to Serial Killing • Offender profiling is augmented by crime scene analysis, which often tells experienced investigators a lot about the perpetrator’s personality. • Many serial murders may occur in diverse police jurisdictions without law enforcement being able to note the connections between them. This problem is known as linkage blindness.

Law Enforcement’s Response to Serial Killing • In 1985, the FBI created the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP) which was a national clearinghouse that collates information on unsolved violent crimes from different jurisdictions. • Law enforcement now has the ability to link a number of homicides committed in different jurisdictions to a single individual or individuals.

CRIMINAL PROFILING PROCESS • Criminal profiling provides assistance with difficult investigations. • The goal is to determine the homicide style and type. • Profiles come from forensic analysis and behavioralists. • Profiler looks at weather, local events, and time of day surrounding crime. • Profile analysis include physical traits, family life, vehicle type, etc. • Profilers look at their surroundings: does the murderer live with kids, is he married, what does he like to do? • A medical examiner's opinion is also used. • The murderers modus of operandi is examined. • The killers’ primary intent must be established.

PROFILE OF MASS MURDERERS • Often kill for no reason other than to enjoy the act. • Usually have above average intelligence. • Usually kill 2 or more people at a time. • Usually want to die. • Are not affected by the death sentence. • Almost anything can trigger a mass murderer, ranging from lost job to lost love. • Victims are very random. Anyone can be a target. • Hard to detect because they live normal lives. • If they are not caught, they will repeat their heinous act. • The age of mass murderers is getting younger. • They have no motive for killing other than the act itself. • They usually are not mentally ill.

CURRENT POLICIES FOR MASS MURDERERS IN AMERICA • In the United States Federal Policy Title 18 Section 1111 Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice • First Degree Murder- perpetrated by poison, lying in wait, or any other kind of malicious and premeditated killing: or committed in the perpetration of any (other crime) arson, escape, kidnapping, treason, espionage, sabotage, sexual abuse, burglary, or robbery • United States, anyone above the age of 18 at the time of the offense and found guilty of murder may be sentenced to death • For a class A felony, the term shall be life imprisonment • The New York State Bill A02518 requires consecutive sentences and prohibits parole or conditional release for persons convicted of murder in the first degree. • The New York State Bill A03499 states to deny bail for defendant before or after indictment who is charged with murder one or murder two. • Mass murderers are sent to maximum security prisons without parole. • Maximum security facilities are fortresses with high barbed-wire fences, tall watch towers monitored by guards armed with machine guns, electronically controlled gates, and interior surveillance by guards and closed circuit television.

Mass murder Spree killings Serial killers