Serial Killers: Offender's Relationship to the Victim and Selected Demographics
| Author | Serge-Moses Pakhomou |
| DOI | 10.1350/ijps.6.4.219.54138 |
| Published date | 01 November 2004 |
| Date | 01 November 2004 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume 6 Number 4
Serial killers: offender’s relationship to the
victim and selected demographics
Serge-Moses Pakhomou
Criminal Justice Center, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 555 West 57th Street, Suite
603, New York, NY 10019. email: method@tassie.ws
Received 11 February 2004; Revised and accepted 18 April 2004.
Serge-Moses Pakhomou specialises in crimes
1992, 1997) in the 1970s in order to
of sexual motivation, methodology of mental
replace the label of ‘stranger killings’, and
activity, competency and is currently affiliated
in order to reflect the repetitive (in series)
with the program ‘Research in violent behavior’
nature of those murders. But as much as
at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New
the denotation of this term reflected the
York, USA.
series of murders committed by the same
perpetrator at different times (as in serial
rape and serial arson), the connotation of
ABSTRACT
Ressler’s definition brought up an issue of
Currently it is generally accepted among members
sexual motivation, where ‘serial’ became a
of the law enforcement community, forensic psy-
two-fold term, which meant a series of
chologists, criminologists and profilers that serial
killings on the one hand, and their sexual
killers are mostly white males in their twenties
nature on the other hand. As a result of
and thirties of above average intelligence who
this notion, at the present time there are
usually commit intra-racial murders of strangers.
two approaches to using the term ‘serial
The present paper focuses on validation of these
killer’. One perspective holds that a serial
hypotheses through the study of 21 serial killers
killer is the offender who commits repeti-
(and their 97 victims), whose cases have been
tive sequential homicides of any nature
closed by arrest and finalised in terms of convic-
(Dietz, 1986; Lane & Gregg, 1995; Pallone
tions and appeals. The issues of prior charges,
& Hennessy, 1994), while another per-
military service, marital status, criminal organis-
spective views a serial killer as a sexual
ation, modus operandi and psychiatric diagnosis
murderer, who commits repetitive (com-
are included in the analysis as well. It is con-
pulsive) sexual homicides (Michaud &
cluded that though currently accepted hypotheses
Hazelwood, 1998; Schlesinger, 2004), and
still hold in general, the melting pot trend of the
where serial murder is a subtype of sexual
modern society towards diversity and interde-
homicide (Schlesinger, 2000).
pendence leads to far more complex a picture of
In the end, it is a matter of choice and
serial killers than previously thought. Implica-
agreement, because the former perspective
tions of these findings for law enforcement, foren-
is sound in terms of applying the same
sic psychology and profiling are discussed.
(uniform) serial criterion to a wide variety
of crimes, like arson, burglary, rape and
murder, while the latter perspective, imbed-
SERIAL KILLER: CURRENT THOUGHT
ded in a serial nature of sexual drive, is also
International Journal of Police
Science and Management,
The term ‘serial killer’ was coined by
sound for the very same reason: it applies a
Vol. 6 No. 4, 2004, pp. 219–233.
© Vathek Publishing,
Robert Ressler (Ressler & Shachtman,
uniform, only in this case a sexual criterion,
1461–3557
Page 219
Serial killers
to a range of crimes from petty theft to
to 42 per cent of serial killers had a history
burglary and from arson to murder. Inter-
of burglary prior to sexual murders
estingly enough, both concepts will merge
(Douglas & Olshaker, 1995; Ressler &
when it comes to offenders who perpetrate
Shachtman, 1992; Schlesinger & Revitch,
a series of sexual homicides. This group of
1999) and 3 per cent to 7 per cent of
offenders who committed a series of sex-
violent sexual offenders had a history of
ually motivated murders is referred to as
sexual offences (Guttmacher, 1963;
serial killers in the present research.
Revitch, 1965; Revitch & Schlesinger,
Though the Crime Classification Manual
1989).
(Douglas, Burgess, Burgess, & Ressler,
At the present time there is no con-
1992) interprets serial murders as the ones
clusive evidence that any particular factor
that involve three or more separate events,
or fixed set of factors lead to sexual
the present study does include the offenders
homicide. Some researchers believe that
who committed two and more documented
sadistic lust murderers have a brain disease
killings. The reasoning for that is three-fold.
associated with a tumour, head injury,
First, the number of known killings does
neuropsychological dysfunction in a left
not mean the number of actual killings. For
hemisphere or low cortical arousal
example, Hall (1982) states that there is a
(Eysenck, 1998; Galski, Thornton, &
good reason to believe that only 20 per cent
Shumsky, 1990; Money, 1990). Others, on
of serious crimes lead to the arrest of the
the other hand, are convinced that severe
perpetrator. Secondly, the current clearance
abuse during an early childhood reinforced
of murders is only 62 per cent with the
by added neglect in school and ineffective
clearances of aggravated assault and forcible
social services, which is often associated
rape subsequently standing at 56 per cent
with social imitation via vicarious con-
and 44 per cent (US Department of Justice,
ditioning, create a formula for producing a
2002), which means that — unfortunately
violent deviant personality (Pallone, 1996;
— almost half of violent crimes have no
Ressler & Shachtman,1992; Stone, 1998).
offender’s name associated with them. And
And, finally, the third major perspective
finally, two events already constitute a cer-
holds that criminals themselves are voli-
tain order and succession.
tional, and they are the ones who cause
Serial (sexual) killers are believed to be
crime, and not their bad neighbourhoods,
mostly white males in their twenties and
inadequate upbringing or hereditary defi-
thirties (at the time of the crimes) with
ciency (Rhodes, 1999; Samenow,1984;
above-average intelligence who commit
Yochelson & Samenow, 1976).
intra-racial (within the same racial group)
Unfortunately, all of these hypotheses
murders of strangers (Douglas & Olshaker,
still remain as such, but at the same time
1995, 1997, 1998; Keppel & Birnes, 1995,
evidence does suggest that biological, envi-
1997; Michaud & Hazelwood, 1998;
ronmental and cognitive factors are inter-
Ressler & Shachtman, 1992, 1997). It is
connected and interweaved into each other,
also reported that nearly half of them never
creating a combination of factors that lead
had a consensual sexual experience with
to serial (sexual) killings.
another adult; about 40 per cent of them
Despite deep divisions between various
went into the military (most of whom
groups of researchers on the issues of causa-
received less than honourable discharge);
tion, all of them agree that the most mon-
47 per cent of them did not finish high
strous and most perverse sexual acts are
school (Ressler, Burgess, & Douglas, 1988;
usually committed by persons of sound
Ressler & Shachtman, 1992); 32 per cent
mind, who are functionally rigid (in terms
Page 220
Pakhomou
of a number of activities that they carry on),
USA on the basis of the following criter-
obsessed with fantasy and who have a deter-
ion: two and more sexually motivated
mination to do what they want (Hare,
homicides perpetrated by the same offen-
1999; Krafft-Ebing, 1886/1998; Michaud
der at different times. All of the selected
& Hazelwood, 1998; Ressler & Shachtman,
murders had sexual gratification as a pri-
1992).
mary objective.
The three most comprehensive recent
As much as sexual motivation could be
studies of sexual homicide, conducted by
reasonably questioned at times, the selected
Ressler, Burgess and Douglas (1988) on 36
cases had clear and convincing evidence not
sexual murderers (and their 118 victims), by
only of sexual activity per se (in all possible
Schlesinger and Revitch (1999) on 52
forms of coitus and functional equivalents
offenders (and their 106 victims) and by
of coitus), but of the objective behind the
Godwin (2000) on 107 serial murderers
crime as well.
(and their 728 victims) present more of a
The criterion of clear and convincing
comprehensive addition to each other,
evidence, which is a dominating require-
rather than a set of fully comparable parallel
ment in all types of judiciary inquiries, has
studies. The first one is focused mostly on
been used for all statements and determina-
the self-reported background of offenders,
tions in the present study. The criterion of
including childhood attributes, family func-
beyond a reasonable doubt was not applied
tioning, history of abuse and neglect,
because the studied offenders were not
charged and convicted for all of the crimes
employment, sexualisation of fantasy and
that they allegedly committed, either due to
organisational level of crimes. The second
plea bargain (in some instances in order to
one, on the other hand, predominantly
locate the burial places or the disposed
addresses the issues of prior charges, includ-
remains of the victims) or due to the fact
ing burglary and sexual offences, as well as
that the perpetrators were already on death
explores the sexual dynamics of crimes. And
row at the time of newly discovered evi-
finally, the third one offers a quantitative
dence, or because the evidence itself did not
(statistical) analysis of crime...
To continue reading
Request your trial