Criminal Profiling and Serial Killers

Planned, victim targeted, little evidence, weapon is taken, body is moved, restraints used, controlled crime scene, controlled conversation, submissive victims, personalizes the victims

• Missionary Killer

• Visionary Killer

• Organized Killer

• Disorganized Killer

Characteristics may included spontaneous, victim unknown, depersonalized victim, minimal conversation, chaotic crime scene, sudden violence, sex after death, victim not moved, weapon and evidence left

• Organized Offender

• Missionary Killer

• Visionary Killer

• Disorganized Offender

What is Modus Operandi?

• Motivation of a crime

• Repeating habit at each crime (signature)

• The method of operation (how they kill)

• Victim Assessment

Planned, victim targeted, little evidence, weapon is taken, body is moved, aggressive acts, restrains used, controlled crime scene, controlled conversations, submissive victims, personalizes the victim.

• Organized Offender

• Missionary Killer

• Visionary Killer

• Disorganized Offender

Characteristics may include: highly intelligent, socially adept, sexually competent, lives with partner, high birth order status, inconsistent discipline during childhood, situational stress, charming, mobile, follows crime in media

• Missionary Killer

• Organized Offender

• Disorganized Offender

• Visionary Killer

If a killer: Kills 3 or more people over a period a month, has a cooling off period between murders, uses time to unwind and come down from "killing high", has motivation usually on psychological gratification, rarely displays rational motive, commits murders that appear unconnected and the victim is usually a stranger, this killer would be called...

• Signature

• Serial Killer

• Criminal Profiling

• Physical Evidence

If a killer has below average intelligence, socially inadequate, sexually incompetent, works at unskilled labor, low birth status, received harsh discipline, has an anxious mood, stress is not a factor in committing a crime, lives alone, poor personal hygiene, not interested in social media, nocturnal, significant behavioral changes after a crime

• Missionary Killer

• Organized Offender

• Disorganized Offender

• Visionary Killer

Goals of criminal profiling

• provide social and psychological assessment of offender

• Narrow down suspects in investigation

• provide interview suggestions & strategies

• None of the above

Which of the following is an example of a signature at a crime scene?

• Drawing a smiley face on each victim

• Only killing blonds

• Strangling Victim

• Killing at night

Unusual characteristics of a murder that are repeated at several crime scenes and serve to satisfy the emotional and psychological needs of the offender and usually define the theme of the crime. It stays roughly the same throughout each crime scene.

• Signature

• Psycopath

• Victim

• Sociopath