The Nature of Criminals Who Commit Serial Murders - Article Example

Running Head: PSYCHOLOGY Forensic: Serial Killers Client Inserts His/her Name Client Inserts Name of Institution A Review of the Nature of Criminals Who Commit Serial Murders According to Keppel, Weis, Brown et al (2005), defining serial murder has been a hard subject especially due to the difficulty therein in distinguishing it from different kinds of murder. While addressing sexually instigated murder, Mckenzie (1995) defines serial murder as one on one murder of repetitive nature that involves a stranger, with a motive known only to the murderer. The overall phenomenon of serial murder is vague and widely rebuked and so does the responsible murderer. It therefore becomes important to analyse the nature of criminals who end up becoming serial murderers. Mckenzie (1995) gives it that the best way to characterize criminals of this nature; it starts with looking at the characteristics of the victims. This is on the verge of trying to locate the motive of the murderer in order to determine their character. For instance, from the murders committed in the Monster of Florence, for most of the female victims, the murderer removed vaginas for unknown cause. Besides, most alarmingly, the seven victim couples were shot with the same pistol as the investigation agencies reported. As an example of crime characterization, Mckenzie (1995) summarizes that the nature of serial murder becomes sexual when the evidence includes victim attire or lack of attire, exposure of the sexual parts of the victim’s body, sexual positioning of the victim’s body, insertion of foreign objects into the victim’s body cavities, evidence of sexual intercourse (oral, anal, vaginal); and evidence of substitute sexual activity, interest, or sadistic fantasy. The nature of the crimes scenes defines serial killers as trackers. Mostly, serial murders are committed in tranquil areas. Murders at Monster of Florence were committed at the dark of the night in cars where the victim couples had been having sex. The activity of the victims just before murder helps locate the murderer’s motive. However, one can easily conclude that a series of serial killings by the same murderer in a close succession can be less helpful in defining the murderer’s motive. According to Mckenzie (1995), it is likely that individuals who have had an antisocial traits, sexual or childhood abuse, and prior exposure to turbid environments of the nature in this context, are likely to develop weird and deviant traits in their adult life. Sexual murders have been attributed to revenge perhaps after betrayals in relationships, but as hard as it is to trace serial murderers, the reasons for murder of this kind are only hypothetical. Description and Case-Linkage of the Crime Scenes The efforts applied by various investigative agencies to determine who a serial murderer among a community is, have been frustrated by lack of reliable information that can effectively lead the search to the offender. Again, various investigators have been threatened by the means of mails containing terrifying information, including body organs extracted from victims of serial murder. According to Trojan and Salfati (2011), despite high possibility that a serial killer’s name may be found in correction and police records, the linkage of the actions of an offender to the committed crime and the crime scene in this context is difficult due to lack of proper basis and substance. it becomes even harder if a line of identified victims show no close relationships (Bateman and Salfati, 2003). It is however possible, according to Bateman and Salfati (2003) to triangulate a criminal of unique nature by relating and analysing various crime sites and the frequency crime. Focusing on the murders committed in Monster of Florence, it is quite explicit that the murderer chose sites with high similarity. Bateman and Salfati’s findings (2003), while trying to summarize serial murderer’s behaviour and possible patterns of cases, underpins that there are specific characteristics of crime scenes that a particular serial killer requires. These are the key motivators for specific criminals. A serial killer, like any other offender, becomes interested in sites that favour his or her actions in terms of availability of victims of target and his or her own safety. Once one site becomes a threat to his or her safety therefore, the offender will look for another similar site in yet a close range from his or her dwellings. Still, this is not enough an information for the cause. It is better to classify serial killer’s possible character. Criminals of this nature are antisocial and this means they don’t associate closely with individuals in the neighbourhood (Bateman & Salfati, 2003). Too, they do not have deep friendships around their dwellings. History of life of suspects can also help a great deal. However, despite all these findings, plus the fact that it is not likely to ambush live criminal actions, it remains quite difficult to establish who the serial killer is. It is only when investigators show that meaningful patterns exist in both the criminal histories and crime scene behaviours of homicide offenders plus the requirements of reliable additional evidence that a suspect can be convicted of murder (Trojan & Salfati, 2011). For single-victim murder, the process is even more cumbersome (Trojan & Salfati, 2011) From psychological platform, it is possible to establish the probability of falling victim of homicide. When single offender-single victim prevails, there pops a pattern of frequencies that follow a continuum from where offender reacts in an impulsive way towards allegedly engendered emotions that prove a previously conflicted interpersonal relationship with the victims to where the offender interacts with the victim much more at a removed level, both physically and emotionally (Salfati 2003). Therefore, according to Salfati (2003), the offender’s behaviour follows a thematic pattern that can be easily related to underlying psychological principles. While Mckenzie (1995) argues that serial murders mostly involve a strange criminal, Bateman and Salfati (2003) argue that there exists relationship between the killer and the victim, especially single-victim. However, when multiple victims are murdered by the same suspect, as it happened in the killings in Monster of Florence, the murderer mainly appears as if fulfilling particular goals. The fact that the shootings were done with the same pistol for all the 14 victims is an enough gesture that it involved a single killer who was a stranger. Onsite actions of serial murderers are fundamental in drawing of sound and rigid conclusions. As the killer removed private parts of the females and not males, he or she indicates a call to fulfil particular weird goals. When the potential victims happen to avail themselves in environments favouring the potential offender, they are at high risk. The conditions surrounding murders in Monster of Florence case are such that the offender was tracking individuals having sex in cars at parking lots in the dark. The actions of the victims prior their demise are a proof that they never suspected what would happen to them as they were not in a hurry to leave. The offender knew how unsuspicious his or her actions were to anyone. It is apparent that an offender is wise enough, for his or her safety reasons, to time and attack in the darkness for easy escape. It is not easy to determine safe conditions, or where one might be to avoid risks especially when no suspicions of potential victimization in homicide (Salfati, 2003). Still, it is difficult to predict that prior interactions would result to murder. For this, Salfati (2003) states that it is difficult to prevent murder of this nature and that homicide can, at its best, only be characterised as a social event where there are at least two role players with a social relationship that solely helps to analyse homicide depending on how the latter unfolds. An Overview of Motivation, Modus Operandi, and Signature in These Crimes The behaviours of different serial killers or murderers in general vary. According to Keppel et al (2005), investigation reports on the eleven women that were murdered in Whitechapel, England, that occurred between 1888 and 1891suggested that six out of the murders were committed by one particular killer. His or her signature was identified on the characteristics of the victims; the six women were left in unusual body positions and/or sexually mutilated. Similarly, in the murders of Monster of Florence, the killer harvested most of women’s sexual parts. The indication thereof is that a particular murderer who is consistent leaves trail of evidence similar nature that could be used to determine the number of killers alongside other investigative efforts. Keppel et al (2005) states that while stabbing and gunshot wounds are relatively common in other parts of the body of the victims; the trauma to the genital area is the rarest of signatures. For the Monster of Florence murders, genital mutilation displays a condition where the killer has control over the victim and supposedly extraordinary violence, rage, vex and determination that led to overkills. When a signature is identified, its nature suggests possibility of repetition of similar crimes; the rare signatures indicate killings to meet a particular goal after which similar occurrence stops. It is evident that a particular offender in homicide thrills at the occasion when his or her acts count and especially in the media. At the same time, the signature left indicates whether the killer was hired or self-induced. Hired killers are motivated enough when the information reaches his or her financier. According to Blackwelder (2009), various investigative agencies have been frustrated by the killers allegedly for suggesting arrest of wrong suspects. The intimidations and threats are made using mails from anonymous sender. It is apparent those serial murderers are agitated to the core by the event where police engage in barring ‘their business’ (Blackwelder, 2009). After the threats are successful and the investigating agencies are terrified off their search tracks, the aftermath is the excitement of the killers over the fruitless investigative searches. The behaviour of serial killers is not only cause-effect type, but they also tend to champion their traumatizing deeds. The repetitions of specific signatures of murder are a mockery to the allegedly relative weakness of various investigative bodies prevails today. While most of the arrested suspects are acquitted for lack of detailed evidence and some investigative mechanisms are distracted by threats, it is logical to say that it is rather difficult to control this kind of crime. An Offender Profile Offender profiling is a process of interpreting crime scene behaviour with a view to discovering the offender’s race, age, gender, intelligence, interpersonal relationships, employment and location (Gregory, 2005). Gregory (2005) states that there exist different profilers worldwide using different aspects of the offender in question but the threshold is the ability of the developed profile to effectively help crime investigation process. In England, unlike in most other developed countries such as the United States and Holland, there is no agreed offender profiling model and as so, different profilers come up with differing conceptual models (Gregory, 2005). Most profilers, however, recommend for different profilers to vitally include and/or concentrate first on background factors and potential mental contributions of the offender’s deeds so that a credible and comprehensive link can be established between certain types of mental disorder and certain types of crime (Gregory, 2005). In the U.S., the Circle Theory and computer personal information databases are used (Gregory, 2005). According to Gregory (2005), mostly, the information contained in carefully and exhaustively conducted offender profiling process yields information on aspects of the offender that relate to the crime (Pinizzoto and Finkel, 1990). Irrespective of the techniques used, almost all the results indicate that an offender’s behaviour reflects aspects of his or her daily life (Gregory, 2005). The results of offender profiling, however, cannot be solely relied on in the prosecution and trial of the suspected offenders. The main reason for this is the incompetence of some of profilers and the controversial collection of data, though on rare cases, that mistakenly matches and/or accuses otherwise innocent individuals. According to a specific study by Pinizzoto and Finkel (1990), only 52% of the offender profiling were successful while the rest were rendered unsubstantiated. In addition, Pinizzoto and Finkel (1990) argue that only 17% of police officers found offender profiling useful. On the contrary, however, Gregory (2005) dismisses Pinizzoto and Finkel’s rather older conclusion by stating that 80% of investigators of crime found offender profiling useful. While most of the arrested suspects in the Monster of Florence were acquitted, given the highly condemn grave murder offences, offender profiles can be said to be not entirely helpful. They are only effective when related to rigid evidence against the offender in question. However, results of offender profiling help in leading investigation efforts to ideal offenders (Pinizzoto & Finkel, 1990). References Bateman, A. L., & Salfati, C. G. (2007). An Examination of Behavioural Consistency Using Individual Behaviours or Groups of Behaviours in Serial Homicide. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 25. pp527-544. Blackwelder, E. (2009). Interpersonal Violence and Investigative Psychology. Psychology & Crime. pp.31-53. Gregory, N. (2005). Offender Profiling: a review of the literature. The British Journal of Forensic Practice, 7(3); pp.29-32. Keppel, R.D., Weis, J.G., Brown, K.M. and Welch, K. (2005). The Jack the Ribber Murders: A Modus Operandi and Signature Analysis of the 1888-1891 Whitechapel Murders. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offenders Profiling, 2. pp.1-22. McKenzie, C. (1995). A Study of Serial Murder. J Offender Ther Comp Criminol, 39. pp.2-14. Pinizzotto, A.J. and Finkel, N.J. (1990). Criminal Personality Profiling: an Outcome and Process Study. Law and Human Behaviour, 14(3); pp.215-230. Salfati, C.G. (2003). Offender Interaction With Victims in Homicide: A Multidimensional Analysis of Frequencies in the Crime Scene Behaviours. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(5); pp.490-512. Trojan, C. and Salfati, C.G. (2011). Linking Criminal History to Crime Scene Behavior in Single-Victim and Serial Homicide: Implications for Offender Profiling Research. Homicide Studies, 15(1); pp.3-26. Read More

Again, various investigators have been threatened by the means of mails containing terrifying information, including body organs extracted from victims of serial murder. According to Trojan and Salfati (2011), despite high possibility that a serial killer’s name may be found in correction and police records, the linkage of the actions of an offender to the committed crime and the crime scene in this context is difficult due to lack of proper basis and substance. it becomes even harder if a line of identified victims show no close relationships (Bateman and Salfati, 2003).

It is however possible, according to Bateman and Salfati (2003) to triangulate a criminal of unique nature by relating and analysing various crime sites and the frequency crime. Focusing on the murders committed in Monster of Florence, it is quite explicit that the murderer chose sites with high similarity. Bateman and Salfati’s findings (2003), while trying to summarize serial murderer’s behaviour and possible patterns of cases, underpins that there are specific characteristics of crime scenes that a particular serial killer requires.

These are the key motivators for specific criminals. A serial killer, like any other offender, becomes interested in sites that favour his or her actions in terms of availability of victims of target and his or her own safety. Once one site becomes a threat to his or her safety therefore, the offender will look for another similar site in yet a close range from his or her dwellings. Still, this is not enough an information for the cause. It is better to classify serial killer’s possible character.

Criminals of this nature are antisocial and this means they don’t associate closely with individuals in the neighbourhood (Bateman & Salfati, 2003). Too, they do not have deep friendships around their dwellings. History of life of suspects can also help a great deal. However, despite all these findings, plus the fact that it is not likely to ambush live criminal actions, it remains quite difficult to establish who the serial killer is. It is only when investigators show that meaningful patterns exist in both the criminal histories and crime scene behaviours of homicide offenders plus the requirements of reliable additional evidence that a suspect can be convicted of murder (Trojan & Salfati, 2011).

For single-victim murder, the process is even more cumbersome (Trojan & Salfati, 2011) From psychological platform, it is possible to establish the probability of falling victim of homicide. When single offender-single victim prevails, there pops a pattern of frequencies that follow a continuum from where offender reacts in an impulsive way towards allegedly engendered emotions that prove a previously conflicted interpersonal relationship with the victims to where the offender interacts with the victim much more at a removed level, both physically and emotionally (Salfati 2003).

Therefore, according to Salfati (2003), the offender’s behaviour follows a thematic pattern that can be easily related to underlying psychological principles. While Mckenzie (1995) argues that serial murders mostly involve a strange criminal, Bateman and Salfati (2003) argue that there exists relationship between the killer and the victim, especially single-victim. However, when multiple victims are murdered by the same suspect, as it happened in the killings in Monster of Florence, the murderer mainly appears as if fulfilling particular goals.

The fact that the shootings were done with the same pistol for all the 14 victims is an enough gesture that it involved a single killer who was a stranger. Onsite actions of serial murderers are fundamental in drawing of sound and rigid conclusions. As the killer removed private parts of the females and not males, he or she indicates a call to fulfil particular weird goals. When the potential victims happen to avail themselves in environments favouring the potential offender, they are at high risk.

The conditions surrounding murders in Monster of Florence case are such that the offender was tracking individuals having sex in cars at parking lots in the dark.

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