Criminal Profiling Worksheet

Forensic and Criminal Psychology – Stage 1 Psychology

You have managed to gather the following information about a crime. Use it to compile a simple criminal
profile in the table below:

The criminal was spotted on CCTV driving by the property in the days prior to the attack. He drove an expensive BMW
with the number plates removed. He always wore a hood and sunglasses that concealed his own identity. The
perpetrator knocked on the front door of the property immediately after the husband left for work. He was clearly aware
of the woman's daily schedule from watching her on a daily basis. It is believed that he was able to convince the victim
to allow him to enter the house for some reason. He took her by surprise in the kitchen and immediately choked her with
a rope he had brought with him for that purpose. She lost consciousness and he bound her wrists and ankles with zip-
ties. When she regained consciousness she began screaming, so he reached into his bag for a knife and stabbed her to
death, inflicting three wounds to the upper chest. The CCTV was unable to capture much that would assist forensic
officers; however, it does show light glinting off a ring on his left hand. The victims’ home was located in Pooraka. The
crime scene was left immaculate, without any DNA evidence being left behind. The body was found discarded at the
Greenfields wetlands with her earrings missing. The victim was 24-year-old Vietnamese woman, Miah Nguyen.

Miah Nguyen
Question Answer Reasoning
Was this an organised or
disorganised crime?
What age range do you suspect the
criminal is in?
What do you predict the gender of
the criminal to be?
What do you predict the ethnicity of
the criminal to be?
In which area do you predict the
criminal lives?
Do you think the killer possesses
good social skills?
What do you predict about their
work history?
What is the likely relationship status
of the killer?
What can you assume about the
educational level of the killer?
Was the crime scene staged?
Did the criminal engage in ‘overkill’
when murdering Miah?
Would you assume the killer takes
‘trophies’ from their crime scenes?
Fill in the tables below that correspond to the following crime scenes. Note that some questions won’t be
100% clear, however some assumptions can be determined from other factors.

Crime scene 1
Question Answer Reasoning
Was this an organised or
disorganised crime?
What age range do you suspect
the criminal is in?
What do you predict the gender
of the criminal to be?
What do you predict the
ethnicity of the criminal to be?
In which area do you predict the
criminal lives?
Do you think the killer possesses
good social skills?
What do you predict about their
work history?
What is the likely relationship
status of the killer?
What can you assume about the
educational level of the killer?
Was the crime scene staged?
Did the criminal engage in
‘overkill’?
Would you assume the killer
takes ‘trophies’ from their crime
scenes?
Fill in the tables below that correspond to the following crime scenes. Note that some questions won’t be
100% clear, however some assumptions can be determined from other factors.

Crime scene 2
Question Answer Reasoning
Was this an organised or
disorganised crime?
What age range do you suspect
the criminal is in?
What do you predict the gender
of the criminal to be?
What do you predict the
ethnicity of the criminal to be?
In which area do you predict the
criminal lives?
Do you think the killer possesses
good social skills?
What do you predict about their
work history?
What is the likely relationship
status of the killer?
What can you assume about the
educational level of the killer?
Was the crime scene staged?
Did the criminal engage in
‘overkill’?
Would you assume the killer
takes ‘trophies’ from their crime
scenes?

Fill in the tables below that correspond to the following crime scenes. Note that some questions won’t be
100% clear, however some assumptions can be determined from other factors.
Crime scene 3
Question Answer Reasoning
Was this an organised or
disorganised crime?
What age range do you suspect
the criminal is in?
What do you predict the gender
of the criminal to be?
What do you predict the
ethnicity of the criminal to be?
In which area do you predict the
criminal lives?
Do you think the killer possesses
good social skills?
What do you predict about their
work history?
What is the likely relationship
status of the killer?
What can you assume about the
educational level of the killer?
Was the crime scene staged?
Did the criminal engage in
‘overkill’?
Would you assume the killer
takes ‘trophies’ from their crime
scenes?

After reading the document ‘Forensics: Profiling the Perpetrator’, answer the below questions:
1. What does a criminal profiler consider when determining the type of person that committed a
crime?

2. Does profiling always lead to an exact individual? Explain your answer.

3. What are the three types of evidence that criminals leave behind at a crime scene?

4. Why is attempting to understand the personality of a criminal so important for profilers?