1. Criminal Profiling & Serial Killers
Establishment of the FBI Behavioral Science Unit and now the Violent Criminal Investigation Unit (VI-CAP) in Researchers like David Cantor [UK}, Burgess & Holmes have contributed a lot to this complex new field in criminology Increasing number of unsolved murders and decreasing detection rate in the US from 93% in 1962 to 65% 1995 and the increasing proportion of "stranger murders" -- increasing from less 10% to about 25% in the US. similar patterns appear to be emerging in other countries. Prevalence question is undecided but most agree that this phenomena is increasingly common and Hickey's work suggests that in the US the annual number of offenders has increased from 1 per year up to 1969 but is now around 10 per year in the US. He attaches much importance to understanding the demographics of the victims.
Generally it is difficult to talk about serial murder without also talking about the nature of homicide and murder. This lecture focuses on a particularly rare form of homicide - the serial killer usually a "lust" killer. This is a bizarre world and highly controversial field of study and mostly of US origin. However, there is considerable overlap with theories explaining serial rapists, arsonists, pedophiles and work on profiling violent crime. See Holmes and Holmes [1996] , Turvey [1999] etc. Characteristics etc. of homicide in HK discussed and note the few [if any] occurring locally -- Tuen Muen Rapists probably qualifies but examples in Guandong also have occurred.
Hickey [1997] study is qualitative and based on "constant comparison" and 337 men and 67 women responsible for between victims. His work "Serial Murderers and their Victims" is the basis for this lecture, although the work of others Hare, Burgess, Cantor and others will also inform this lecture. [see especially David Cantor 1994 "Criminal Shadows"]
Forensic Science

2. Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP)
Created in 1985 by the FBI out of Quantico, Virginia.
Designed to track and correlate information on violent crime, especially murder.
Contains crime scene descriptions, victim and offender descriptive data, including name and other personal identifying information, laboratory reports, criminal history records, court records, news media references, crime scene photographs and statements.
ViCAP program made its database available to all law enforcement agencies.

3. Criminal Profiling & Serial Killers
Generally it is difficult to talk about serial murder without also talking about the nature of murder. But that’ll be for another day…
This lecture focuses on a particularly rare form of homicide - the serial killer. This is a bizarre and highly controversial field of study.
However, there is some overlap with theories explaining serial rapists, arsonists, pedophiles and work on profiling violent crime.

4. Criminal Profiling
Offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is a behavioral and investigative tool that is intended to help investigators to accurately predict and profile the characteristics of unknown criminal subjects or offenders.
Offender profiling is also known as criminal profiling, criminal personality profiling, criminological profiling, behavioral profiling

5. What is criminal profiling?
Construction of a psychological, behavioral and demographic profile of the type of person likely to have committed the crime
Usually applied to serial crimes (serial murders, serial rapes…)

6. What to look for State of the crime scene
Gives clues about the type of offender
Age
Race
Motive

7. Criminal Profiling Statistics from FBI (1981)
88 cases solved using profiling out of 192
17% of these cases were solved by profiling ALONE
Profiling Using Computers
VICLAS (violent crime linkage analysis)
Computer matches crimes with similar characteristics

8. Serial Killers and Criminal Profiling

9. Definition of a Serial Killer
Murder of three or more persons
Involves a distinctive “cooling off” period
Can be days to months to years
Differs from Mass Murder (3+ persons killed together) & Spree Killing (3+ persons killed in short period of time at different locations)

10. Serial Killers
Throughout the last three decades the US serial killer rate has risen 940%.
There are at least 35 serial killers in the USA today.
The US has 6% of the world’s population but 75% of all serial killers.

11. Typical Serial Killer White male Late 20’s to early 30’s
Kills within his own race
Method of murder is “hands on” (strangulation or stabbing)
Victims selected because they share specific characteristics (for example, Ted Bundy chose young women with long hair, parted in the middle)

12. Organized vs. Disorganized
Organized Crime Scene:
Body is hidden
Weapon is removed from scene
Appears to be well-planned
The victim is specifically targeted
Restraints often used
Aggression takes place before death

13. Organized vs. Disorganized
Disorganized Crime Scene:
Body not hidden
Weapon is present
Appears to be spontaneous
Victim may be an acquaintance
Aggression or sex post-mortem

14. Lust Killers: An especially nasty subtype
James Russell Odom & James Clayton Lawson
Met in a mental institution
Talked about their fantasies regarding women: Odom raping and Lawson mutilating
Their crime:
Kidnapped, raped and brutally mutilated a woman

15. Lust Killers Lawson quoted as saying:
I wanted to cut her body so she would not look like a person and destroy her so she would not exist.
I did not rape the girl. I only wanted to destroy her.

16. A Few More Things to Think About…
M.O. (Method of Operation) - "success of crime"
Victim/location selection, means of attack, use of weapon, planning, means of transport
Valuables taken
Evidence left behind
Signature - "needs and patterns of offender"
Wound patterns, sex acts, means of control, rituals, talk
Souvenirs taken
Evidence destroyed

17. Herman Mudgett (H. H. Holmes): America’s First Serial Killer
“I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer….I was born with the Evil One standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since.”
- H. H. Holmes

18. Charles Manson “From the worlds of darkness I did
let loose devils and demons with the
power of scorpions to torment."

19. Ted Bundy: Campus Killer
“You feel the last bit of breath leaving
their body. You’re looking into their eyes.
A person in that situation is God..."

20. John Wayne Gacy: Killer Clown
“I should never have been convicted
of anything more serious than running
a cemetery without a license."

21. David Berkowitz: Son of Sam
“I am deeply hurt by you calling me a
woman hater. I am not. But I am a
monster. I am the ‘Son of Sam’."

22. Jeffrey Dahmer: The Milwaukee Cannibal
“After the fear and terror of what I had
done had left…I started it all over again.
From then on it was a craving, a hunger..."

23. Aileen Wuornos: Highway Killer
“I robbed them, and I killed them cold as
ice, and I know I would kill another person
because I’ve hated humans for a long time."

24. Profiling a Serial Killer: “The Trailside Killer”
San Francisco Mount Tamalpais August 1979
Edda Kane (44 years) found dead
Facedown, kneeling position
Single gunshot wound to back of head
No evidence of sexual assault
No robbery

25. Trailside Killer March 1980 Barbara Schwartz (23 years)
Stabbed in chest
Naked, kneeling position
October 1980
Anne Alderson (26 years)
Shot in head
BUT: not naked, not kneeling

26. Trailside Killer November 1980 Shauna May (25 years)
Found in a shallow grave NEXT TO Diana O’ Connell (22 years) who had been missing for one month
Both shot in head

27. Trailside Killer Same day: two more bodies
Richard Stowers (19 years) and fiancée Cynthia Moreland (18 years)
Determined to have been killed the same weekend as Anne Alderson in mid-October

28. Trailside Killer March 1981 Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Ellen Marie Hansen (20) & Steven Haertle
Threatened to rape Ellen, shot & killed her when she protested
Steven was shot but survived
Able to give a description of the man

29. Trailside Killer: Constructing a profile (John Douglas)
Crime scenes in secluded areas only accessible by foot: Killer was comfortable in area, a local
Victims attacked from rear in blitz-style attack: Killer was asocial, not able to charm victims with conversation. Blitz-style attack was the only way he could control victims

30. Trailside Killer: Constructing a Profile
Victims ranged in ages and appearance: Killer didn’t know victims. He is acting out a fantasy
Victims were white: Killer is white
Able to evade police: Low to mid 30’s
Probably spent time in jail, possibly attempted rape
Blue-collar work

31. Trailside Killer: Constructing a Profile
Very intelligent
Not random act - precipitating stressor
History of bed-wetting, fire-starting and/or cruelty to animals (as a child)
SPEECH IMPEDIMENT
Secluded, didn’t want to be seen
Relied on over-powering victim
Indicates a disability, but unlikely physical because was able to control victim

32. Trailside Killer Caught
David Carpenter
White male, 50 (*profile of age incorrect)
Industrial arts teacher
History of attacking women and served jail time
Domineering and abusive mother
Bed-wetting & cruelty to animals as a child
SEVERE STUTTER

33. You be the profiler: The Silence of the Lambs