NCJ Number
164946
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 41 Issue: 6 Dated: (November 1996) Pages: 970-974
Date Published
1996
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study explored characteristics and the crime scene behavior of 20 sexually sadistic serial murderers; the pairing of character pathology with paraphilic arousal to the control and degradation of others was examined as it manifested itself in murder.
Abstract
Data were compiled from case files obtained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. Cases were included in the sample if the perpetrator demonstrated an enduring pattern of sexual arousal to images of suffering or humiliation and the offender killed at least three victims in at least three incidents separated by time, place, or both. Data on 20 sexually sadistic serial murderers suggested they represented a group of serial murderers whose demographics, offense behavior, and victim acquisition techniques were surprisingly consistent; 95 percent were white males and 65 percent were from middle class origins. They repeatedly executed murders that reflected careful planning, the use of preselected locations, captivity, various painful sexual acts, sexual bondage, intentional torture, and death primarily by means of strangulation or stabbing. The murders were consistent over time and reflected sexual arousal to victim pain, fear, and panic. Murderers choreographed assaults that allowed them to intrude upon and control victim deaths. One man who murdered victims by manual strangulation told of breathing air into his dying victim so he could watch more closely her realization that he was in fact going to kill her. A sense of being powerful and in control of the life and death of another human being was reported by some men as one of the most exhilarating aspects of their sexual experiences and of their crimes. The study suggests that the sexually sadistic killer represents a distinctive type of serial murderer whose expertise and thoroughness make him a particularly dangerous threat to society. 19 references and 3 tables