Linking Criminal History to Crime Scene Behavior in Single-Victim and Serial Homicide: Implications for Offender Profiling Research

• NCJ Number: 233854
• Journal: Homicide Studies Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2011 Pages: 3-31
• Author(s): Carrie Trojan; C. Gabrielle Salfati
• Date Published: February 2011
• Length: 29 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the crime scene behaviors of single-victim and serial homicide offenders to identify patterns that could be compared to themes in their prior offending.

Abstract

Research has consistently shown that the average individual who commits one or more homicides is likely to have a criminal record, but little research has focused on whether individuals behave in a psychologically or thematically consistent way in both their homicide crime scene actions and prior offending. The current study examines the crime scene behaviors of single and serial homicide offenders to identify patterns that can be compared to themes in their prior offending. The results showed that crime scene actions occurred on a continuum from hostile to cognitive actions with serial offenders concentrating at the latter end of this continuum. However, only a small group of the serial homicide offenders committed similarly themed prior offenses and homicide behaviors, which raises questions regarding the hypotheses of behavioral consistency underlying offender profiling. (Published Abstract) Tables, figures, and references