NCJ Number
196332
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 386-399
Date Published
August 2002
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article compares the offending processes of nonserial sexual murderers in order to understand the pathways used by the individuals committing sexual homicide.
Abstract
Focusing on a study of 36 sexual homicide offenders, this article discusses the varied pathways employed by these nonserial sexual murderers. After introducing the concept of sexual homicide and presenting the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s typology of murder as either organized or disorganized, the authors provide a brief literature review of the type of sexual homicide known as sexually sadistic murder. After describing the methodology used for selecting 36 sexual homicide offenders in Quebec, the authors present the results of the questionnaire answered by the study’s participants. Findings indicate that sexual offenders using the sadistic pathway planned their crimes, selected their victims, used physical force during the offense, and hid the bodies of the victims. By contrast, sexual murderers using the anger pathway did not plan their crimes ahead of time, used much less physical force, and left victims’ bodies at the crime scene. The findings from this study suggest that using sadistic pathway and anger pathway typologies might help criminal investigators in classifying crimes, victims, and potential criminal offenders. Tables, references