3.

4.

Chapter-l r

- Homicide and-Aggravated

3. of average intelligence;
4. either unemployed, or going from one job to another;
5. having a poor employment history; rarely holding a specific job f

long period of time;

3. having an arrest record; having served time in a correctional Or me
institution;
4. tending to be manipulative, emotionally cold, and outwardly passive

3. coming from an undesirable home environment, in which one paren;

absent;
3. having exhibited childhood signs of abnormality, often involving
elty to animals or children, arson, or vandalism; and
10. having suffered childhood abuse, particularly by a/wornan."

Serial Murders. Investigators and criminologists are now aware of an em

ing type of killer-the serial murderer. This type of perpetrator commits nume
murders but, unlike the mass murderer, kills over long time periods. Addition
the serial killer often travels widely in the commission of his crimes. Ft
authorities estimate that several thousand murders annually may be attributed
this type of killer. 19 Victims are typically women or juveniles, with the sus
almost invariably male. Although many serial murders have occurred in
United States, the world's worst serial killing spree is attributed to An
Chikatilo, a Russian who murdered 53 victims in the former Soviet Uni
Chikatilo was arrested in 1990 following a 12-year criminal investigation. Sen:
killings often involve a mutilating attack to body areas that stimulate the sus
sexually. .
Investigative psychologists report two types of serial killers (or "lust m
derers" as they may also be referred to): the organized nonsocial and disorgani
asocial personality. The organized nonsocial murderer is totally psychopatl
exhibiting complete indifference and hostility toward society. Methodical and c
ning, he is excited by thoughts or media portrayals of cruelty. The disorgani
asocial killer has an aversion to others and typically represents the classic 10
This suspect type feels rejected and lacks the nonsocial suspect's motivation
inflict pain and punishment." Although any type of victim may be at risk, se
homicidal offenders frequently target prostitutes or other victims whose oceUI
tion or "street life" orientation places them in vulnerable environments.

cers by providing information that enables them to limit or better direct their
efforts. All criminal offenders have unique psychological behavior patterns in
addition to their modus operandi. Accordingly, the investigator trained in psychological profiling attempts to construct a personality portrait of the offender. By
analyzing crime scene photos, physical evidence, and reported conversations of the
suspect, investigators can often develop a very accurate portrait of the offender.
The use of psychology to profile an offender's motive and personality is not
a totally new concept. The origins of psychological crime solution are rooted in
nineteenth-century fiction, such as that by Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan
Doyle.21 Possibly the first recorded use of psychological profiling in the United
States occurred during the 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping case. Using psychological
analysis with great accuracy, psychiatrist Dudley Shoenfeld carefully reviewed
the circumstattces of the case and the contents of ransom notes. Concluding that
the victim was dead very soon after the abduction and that the baby had been
taken by a lone man, Schoenfeld's predictions were contrary to those held by the
authorities. However, when the profile proved to be totally accurate, the value of
psychological assessment in criminal investigations was demonstrated." Used
frequently in various sensational investigations, psychological profiling remained
relatively obscure until its use and promotion by the FBI.
Since 1978, the FBI Academy's Behavioral Science Unit has been assisting
local law enforcement agencies in their investigations of violent crime. The unit
also trains local and state investigators in the profiling method through on-site
internships. The unit's agents are now heavily relied on for their profiling assessments and are credited with solving hundreds of previously unsolved cases. As of
the year 2000, there were only 24 FBI agents and about 15 federally trained local
and state law enforcement officers working as full-time profilers. There are relatively few profilers at local police agencies because most departments do not
have the resources to free up detectives for the extensive training required-often
a year-long internship based out of the FBI Academy.

Psychological Profiling
The use of psychological profiling has proven quite successful in t~e inv~s!,
tion of serial murder. Although nothing can replace a logical criminal Jll.v~Stl~
based on traditional, proven methods, the use of psychology is an addition .
with tremendous potential. Investigative psychology can aid law enforcement o

The basis of a proper profile is a complete crime scene examination

and thorough interviews of the victim and witnesses. Profi ling is a form of retroclassijication, or classification that works backward. Unlike mental health psychologists
who may attempt to classify a patient's emotional illness by interviewing the
client personally, law enforcement profilers must work backward from behavioral
~lues left at crime scenes to establish identity through experience, insight, and
lllterpretation. Many types of crime scenes lend themselves to this form of analysis. Such scenes are presumed to reflect the criminal's behavior and personality in
mucn the way furnishings reveal the homeowner's character." Obviously, bizarre
crimes or those in which the investigator recognizes the presence of psy-

~hopathology are particularly well suited for this process. Accordingly, the profile
IS generally reserved for homicides, rapes, or other serious offenses in which a
6.
7.
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~ental deficiency is exhibited by the suspect. Information essential for the profile
IS typically drawn from:

1. detailed crime scene photos and sketches;

1. results of laboratory tests and autopsy reports, if applicable;
2. a complete report of the offense, including date and time of
offe
location, and weapon used;
3. information concerning the victim, including
(a) occupation
(b) general reputation
(c) detailed physical description
(d) marital status and number of children
(e) all known miscellaneous social and personal information, e.g., use
of alcohol, financial status, educational level,
etc."
Using known psychological concepts, past experience, and
instinctive reasoning, profilers review collected information to form the assessment (see
Figure
11.2). Although a profile cannot always be expected to yield the
following factors, psychological assessments often reveal:

1. suspect's race,
1. sex,
2. age range,
3. marital status,
4. general employment,
5. reaction to questioning by police,
6. degree of sexual maturity,
7. whether the individual might strike again,
8. whether the individual has committed a similar offense in the
past;
and.
10. possible police record.
Psychological profiling can be accomplished by trained mental
health p:
fessionals who are not law enforcement officers. However, experienced
investi
gators who are also skilled psychologists (such as those in the FBI's
profile unit'
have had the greatest success. Profiling has traditionally focused on
murder
rape cases; however, the technique has been used successfully in other
types
investigations, including child molestation, arson, and kidnapping."
Closely related to the FBI's psychological profiling program is the
Vi"
lent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP). Operated at the ~I I
National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, the VICAP program IS,
nationwide data.collection effort that receives and analyzes information on sJ'01
cific cases of violence. The late Pierce Brooks, former Los Angeles police ca
tain and chief of police in Lakewood, Colorado, is credited with conceiving
VICAP concept. While investigating a homicide case in the 1950s, Br~,
became convinced the killer had probably committed a similar crime at an ear

FIGURE 11.2

FBI behavioral profilers study maps, physical evidence,

photographs, and
official reports to construct a suspect's identity. (Source: Federal Bureau of
Investigation.)

time. Frustrated by the 14 months he was forced to spend in the Los

Angeles public library searching for newspaper articles describing a similar method of
operation, Brooks began to imagine the usefulness of a huge computerized
national
database in which criminal method of operation was catalogued and
tracked.
His visionary ideas and writings soon motivated FBI interest in
establishing the
current VICAP program. Any law enforcement agency may submit a
solved or
unsolved case to the VICAP program if the investigation meets one of the
following criteria:

solved or unsolved criminal homicides that appear to be serial in

nature,
or homicides that are random, motiveless, or sexually oriented;

missing person cases in which there is a strong possibility of criminality;

and

investigations in which unidentified bodies have been discovered and the

cause of death appears to be homicidal.

I
I

8.
9.

Chapter 11 Homicide and Aggravated

VICAP analysts study such cases to determine whether there have

prior investigations with similar elements or characteristics. By linking si
cases in various jurisdictions, the program seeks to identify and appreh
offenders who have eluded detection and arrest. Through nationwide data con
tion, VICAP links and alerts various police agencies in their efforts to solve
ous cases. As agencies are often unaware of crimes outside their immediate
the program has proven significant in identifying serial offenders and their rela
crimes (see Figure 11.3).

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The benefit murderer is frequently resourceful and coldly calculating in

methods used to achieve the homicide. A San Diego murder case in which a wi
eventually succeeded in killing her husband involved at least five successiv
murder attempts of uncommon means. The suspect, motivated by a $20,000 ,.
insurance policy, concealed a sac of tarantula venom in a pie intended for the vii
tim, threw an exposed electrical cord into the victim's shower, attempted to inj
an air embolism into the victim's vein while he slept, mixed LSD into the vi,
tim's toast, and placed bullets in the carburetor of the victim's truck. The sus
finally succeeded in murdering her spouse by assaulting him with a lead wei
of six and one-half pounds."
Another example of murder calculated for benefit was the 1989 killing 0:
Carol Stuart in Boston. Driving home with her from a hospital birthing cl
(Mrs. Stuart was seven months pregnant), the victim's husband, Charles Stu
shot his wife to death to collect nearly $300,000 worth of life insurance. Stag'
ing an elaborate hoax, the husband also shot himself to convince the police tb
a violent robbery suspect had killed his wife and wounded him. The killer ~o~'
vincingly divertedcsuspicion from himself with a detailed and hig~ly credl~,1
description of the alleged robber, inflicted himself with a poten~lall.y de~,
wound, and wrote the eulogy for his wife's funeral. As the investIgatIOn g ,
ually began to focus on him, the murderer committed suicide by jumping frO,
a bridge.

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committed to achieve some type of benefit. Some offenders may murder to ri,
themselves of the attachment of another individual, but the majority of bene
murders are financially motivated. Such homicides may take place between buSi,
ness partners, or they may be committed to profit from life insurance Coverage.
Those who murder for benefit generally hire a second party to commit
offense, or attempt to deceive the officer by staging a fatal felony crime seen,
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murders or killings resulting from youth gang conflicts. Such homicides are be
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