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Agreement of Agents Homicide
Type Classifications With
Presenters Classificationif
Agent Cases ClassiedCase Agreed Agggirgm
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evaluated the agreement of Agents in
classifying homicide by the type of
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Crime Scene and Prole
haraeierisfies of Organized and
Disorganized Murderers
. . . there were significant differencesin the crime scenes of organized and
disorganized offenders.
When requested by a law en-
forcement agency to assist in a vio-
lent crime investigation. the Agents at
the Behavioral Science Unit BSU! of
the FBI Academy provide a behavior-
ally based suspect profile. Using infor--mation received from law enforcement
about the crime and crime scene, the
Agents have developed a techniquefor classifying murderers into one of
two categories-organized or disorga-
nized, a classification method evolvingfrom years of experience and knowl-edge. ln the service of advancing the
art of profiling, the Agents were anx-
ious to know if this classificationsystem could be scientifically tested.
This article describes the researchstudy and statistical tests performedby a health services research staff on
data collected.
Obiectives of the Study
Thirty-six convicted sexual mur-
derers were interviewed by FBI
Agents for a study on sexual homicide
crime scenes and patterns of criminal
behavior. These study subjects repre-
sented 25 serial murderers the
murder of separate victims, with time
breaks between victims ranging from2 days to weeks or months! and 11
sexual murderers -who had committed
either a single homicide, double homi-
cide. or spree murder.
Rep5 »,-/
The major objectives of this study
were to test, using statistical inferen-
tial procedures, whether there are sig-
nificant behavioral differences at the
crime scenes between crimes commit-
ted by organized and disorganized
murderers and to identify variables
that may be useful in profiling orga- "l<»M
Crime scene of an organ/zed offender investigatedby Pierce Brooks in 1958 while a homicide detec-
tive sergeant with lhe Los Angeles Po/ice Depart-
ment.
Published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice!
115rinted from the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, August, 1985.s2¬;$e
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2 Victims of serial murderers have been noted to share
nized and disorganized murderers. In
order for the study to achieve its ob-
iectives, the Agents first had to classi-
fy the 36 murderers into the organized
or disorganized group, the breakdown
being 24 organized murderers and 12
disorganized murderers.
Results of Analyses
The study determined that there
were significant differences in the
crime scenes of organized and disor-
ganized offenders, and that certain
background differences were also
found between them. There were four
aspects of the crime where dif-
ferences between organized and dis-
organized murderers were analyzed:
! The murderers action during the
offense, ! victim characteristics,
! use of vehicles in the crime, and
! types of evidence left at the crime
scene. Table 1 provides the profile
characteristics that achieved levels of
significance between the organized
and disorganized murderers, while
table 2 shows the crime scene char-
acteristics for the two groups.X common characteristics.
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l
HGANIZED
; Average to above-average intelligence
Socially competent
Skilled work preferred
, Sexually competent
High birth order status
, Father's work stable
i Inconsistent childhood discipline
T Controlled mood during crime
Use of alcohol with crime
Precipitating situational stress
Living with partner
Mobility with car in good condition
Follows crime in news media
May change jobs or leave towni
l
Organized Offender: Profile
Characteristics
Organized offenders have a high
birth order, often being the first born
son in a family. The father's work his-
tory is generally stable, and parental
discipline is perceived as inconsistent.
Although the organized offender
has an average or better than aver-
Table 2
and Disorganized Murderers
ORGANIZED
Planned offense
Victim a targeted stranger
Personalizes victim
Controlled conversation
Crime scene reflects overall control
Demands submissive victim
Restraints used
, Aggressive acts prior to death
l Body hidden
3 Weapon/evidence absent
Transports victim or bodyCrime Scene Differences Between Organized
MSORGANEED l
Spontaneous offense
Victim/location known
Depersonalizes victim
Minimal conversation
Crime scene random and sloppy
Sudden violence to victim
Minimal use of restraints
Sexual acts after death
Body left in view
Evidence/weapon often present
Body left at death scene
116
.4__- ..... ..___»-------» ~ -~ "1 Profile Characteristics of Organized and Disorganized Murders
alcohol abuse, religiosity, etc.!DISORGANIZED
Below-average intelligence
Socially inadequate
Unskilled work
Sexually incompetent
Low birth order status
Father's work unstable
Harsh discipline as child
Anxious mood during crime
Minimal use of alcohol
Minimal situational stress
Living alone
Lives/works near crime scene
Minimal interest in news media
Significant behavior change drugl
age IQ, he often works at occupations
below his abilities, yet prefers a skilled
occupation. His work history is also
sporadic.
Precipitating situational stress,
such as problems with finances, mar-
riages, employment, and relationships
with females, is often present prior to
the murder. The organized offender is
socially adept and is usually living with
a partner.
The organized offender may
report an angry frame of mind at the
time of the murder or state he was
depressed. However, while committing
the crime, he admits being calm and
relaxed. Alcohol may have been con-
sumed prior to the crime.
The organized offender is likely to
have a car that is in good condition.
Evidence of continued fantasy is
present in terms of taking remem-
brances of the victim or crime scene.
Newspaper clippings of the crimes are
" The initial observation at the
mt= that some semblance of order exist-
?,§§§stranger and is targeted because hefound during searches of the
residence, indicating the of-
followed the criminal investiga-
in the newspaper.
2., t e Scene
scene of an organized offender
prior, during, and after the offense.jl scene of methodical organization%1;,§%|ggests a carefully planned crime is aimed at deterring detection.Although the crime may be
» anned, the victim is frequently a
éisense, the victim becomes a victim ofshe is in a particular locationstaked out by the offender. ln this
opportunity. Victims of serial murder-
ers have been noted to share
common characteristics. The offender 2
Z,
T521;<;-gitoften has a preference for a particular
type of victim, and thus, may spend
considerable time searching for the
"right" victim. As one offender said:
l'm a night person. Plenty of times
that l went out looking, but never
came across nothing and just went
back home. ld sit waiting, and as I
was waiting, l was reliving all the
others."Common characteristics of vic-
tims selected by an individual murder-
er may include age, appearance, oc-
cupation, hairstyle, or lifestyle. Target-
ed victims in this sample included ad-
olescent male youths, hitchhiking col-
lege coeds, nurses, women frequent-ing bars, women sitting in automobiles
with male companions, and solitary
women driving two-door cars.
The organized offender is socially
adept and may engage in conversa-
tion or a pseudo-relationship with the'
victim as a prelude to the attack. Of-
fenders may use impersonation as a
method to gain access to a victim.
The offender's demeanor is not usual-
ly suspicious. He may be average or
above average in appearance, height,
and weight; he may be dressed in a
business suit, uniform, or neat, casual
attire. ln the organized style of attack,
aimed at gaining the confidence of
the victim, there is first the effort to
use verbal means to capture the
victim rather than physical force. Theorganized offender frequently uses his
or the victim's vehicle in the offense.
Ftape, as well as murder, may be
the planned crime. Murder is always a
possibility following rape; the assailantthreatens the victim's life and bran-
dishes a weapon. Sexual control is
continued past conversation to de-
mands for specific types of reactions
fear, passivity! during the sexual as-
sault. When the victim's behavior
stops being passive and compliant,aggression may be increased by the
offender.Control over the victim is also
noted in the use of restraints, such as
a rope, chain, tape, belt, clothing,
chemical, handcuffs, gag, and blind-
fold. The way weapons are used maysuggest a sadistic element in the of-
fenders plan. The killing is eroticized,
as in torture where death comes in a
slow, deliberate manner. The powerover another person's life is seen in
one example in which a murderer de-
scribed tightening and loosening therope around the victim's neck as he
watched the victim slip in and out of a
conscious state.Fantasy and ritual dominate with
the organized offender; obsessive,compulsive traits surface in the be-
havior and/or crime scene patterns.
The offender often brings a weapon
with him to the crime, taking it with
him upon departure. He carefully
117 Fantasy and ritual dominate with the organized offender. . .
avoids leaving evidence behind and
often moves the body from the death
scene.While sexual acts are part of the
fantasy planning of the crime, murder
may not be a conscious motive until
there is a triggering cue. This is illus-
trated by one murderer's following
statement:"l had thought about killing her . . .
saying what am l going to do when
this is over. Am l going to let her go
so she can call the cops and get
me busted again? So when she
took off runningthat decided it in
my mind that killing her was what l
was going to do."
Case Example of an Organized
Offender
The following case involves the
rapes and murders of five women by one
iuvenile offender:Victim 1: A woman in her late
20's was found about 150 yards into a
wooded culvert area outside herapartment. Her car was found in the
parking lot.Recreating the scene, police
speculated that the victim was ap-proached after she parked her car. lt
was known she arrived home late atnight from work. She was found in a
stream after being assaulted,
drowned, and strangled. Her head
had been held under water while she
was being strangled. There was no
evidence of severe beating to the
body; although some defense wounds
were present, mutilation did not occur.
The only item taken from the
victim was a ring of little value. The
victim was found partially clothed. Her
shoes, found further down the trail,suggested the location of the sexual
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assault. Footprints were present at
this site; tire tracks were not. The
victim lived in a highrise building with
many apartments, parking lots, and
cars.
Victim 2: A woman in her mid-
20's was found fully dressed in a
wooded area less than a quarter mile
from the location of the first victim.
She was not near water. She had
been stabbed to death repeatedly in
the chest. Although there was evi-
dence of sexual assault, there was no
overkill to the body, no mutilation.
Again, the victim was coming home
late at night. Apparently she parked
her car and was abducted prior to
reaching her apartment.
Victim 3: This victim was similar
in physical appearance, age, and
manner killed to the second victim.
There was evidence of sexual assault;
underclothing in disarray suggested
she was re-dressed after death. A
stocking was missing, although her
shoes were on.
Victim 4: Several months later, a
similar crime occurred in the same
general vicinity. A black woman, in her
early 3Os, was found dead. She usu-
ally worked late and arrived home be-
tween 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. Her car was
also parked where she would have
entered the apartment building. Al-
though discovered further away than
the other victims, she was still not
more than a halt mile from where she
lived. There was evidence of sexual
assault, and she too had been stran-
gled and drowned. The method and
location were similar to the first crime
scene and was consistent with the
work schedule of the victim.Victim 5: The fifth victim, a
woman in her mid~20s, was last seen
at a party at 1:30 or 2:30 a.m. She left
the party with several people and was
later found dead in the same wooded
culvert area as previous victims. She
was found stabbed several times in
the chest and had been partially
buried in the culvert. There was evi-
dence of sexual assault.
Considering the dynamics and
pattern of the aforementioned case,
the following crime scene assessment
and subsequent criminal personality
profiling would be possible.
The offender selects victims who
are returning home during the late
evening or early morning hours. The
assaults generally take place near the
victims homes, as they are walking
from their parked cars. The offender
is watching the parking areas for
single women returning during these
times. He takes the victims from the
apartment complex to wooded
areas close by for the assaults. He
chooses the time and place of as-
sault. Since no scream or resistance
is evident, one must assume the as-
sailant carries a weapon and instructs
the victims to accompany him to the
secluded area. This indicates a persua-
sive, articulate person who convinces
them no harm will come to them if they
do as he instructs." He would be
manipulative and have a history of anti-
social traits and behavior. He is youthful
and aggressive, probably macho.
Since he uses the same MO in
each assault, one must assume he
knows the territory well, both the trav-
eled built-up areas and the surround-
ing woods. He probably lives in the
area, is youthful, and has grown up
and played in the woods as a child.
He is a long-term resident.
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Medical examination and crime
scene assessment show rape prior to
death, and death is sudden with mini-
mal mutilation, again indicating the
well-planned crime by the organized
antisocial criminal. The victims are
sized up" prior to the approach, and
the killer knows they will not resist if
he promises release after rape. He
has raped before the killing started,
but some life trauma has triggered the
taking of the life of victim #1. The of-
fender has had past problems with
law enforcement, and once he has
killed, he feels he must continue to kill
to avoid victims testifying against him.
He does not value the life of a victim
over the chance that she may identify
him to the police.
In summary, the assailant in the
five homicides is an organized, anti-
social personality. He is a youthful
white male, has good intelligence, is
articulate and manipulative. He fits
into the community and has lived
there for many years. He lives in
close proximity to all victims. He
precipitates his crimes with alcohol
and/or drugs, possibly is first born in
his family, and is sexually competent.
He probably has a girlfriend; yet had a
recent problem with her prior to the
first killing. Considering his age, he
would live with a single parent and
would have no car since he selects
victims on foot, sometimes using their
cars in the assault. He probably would
follow the media reports of the crime
and may be in a crowd of onlookers
when the police locate the bodies.
The police investigation in this
case of multiple rape-murder led to a
17-year-old white male living very
close to all victims who lived within a
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r1-mile radius in a large city suburb. He
was bright, yet a marginal achiever inschool, lived with his mother, and did
not own a car. He was known as amacho ladies man and a con artist"among his peers. He used beer and
marijuana to precipitate his offenseand selected victims in an area hegrew up in. He had a girlfriend hecalled "his fiancee who iilted himshortly before murder #1, when she
went away to college. He followed the
crime in the paper, and on one occa-
sion, watched the police investigatorfrom his window. He had a lengthy lu-
venile record, including sexual assault
and rape.
Disorganized Offender: Profile
CharacteristicsThe disorganized offender is
likely to be of below-average intelli-or of low birth status in the
family. Also, harsh parental disciplineis sometimes reported as a child. The
father's work history is unstable, andthe disorganized offender seems to
mirror this pattern with his own incon-
sistent and poor work history. Typical-ly, this offender is preoccupied withrecurring obsessional and/or primitivethoughts and is in a confused and dis-tressed frame of mind at the time of
the crime.The disorganized offender is so-
cially inadequate. Often, he has never
married, lives alone or with a parental
figure, and lives in close proximity to
the crime scene. This offender is fear-gence
119
iii -"' '"-mi-m|n-'1|'~~ - ,ful of people and may have developeda well-defined delusional system. Heacts impulsively under stress, finding
a victim usually within his own geo-
graphic area.The disorganized offender is also
sexually incompetent, often neverhaving achieved any level of sexualintimacy with a peer. Although the of-fenders in this sample claimed to be
heterosexual, there is a clear sugges-
tion that the disorganized offender isignorant of sex and often may have
sexual aversions.
Crime Scene
The overall imprint of the disorga-nized crime scene is that the crime iscommitted suddenly and with no set
plan of action for deterring detection.
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Pictured be/ow is a crime scene ol a disorganized
offender who, as a result of his paranoid psychoticdelusions, kil/ed an entire family and lelt their
bod/es floating in the pool. His residence, picturedleft, rel/ects his paranoid state ol mind in that theplank bridge leading to the shack was drawn each
night to protect him from his enemies. "
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#1.MrThe crime scene shows great disar-
ray. There is a spontaneous, symbol-
ic, unplanned quality to the crime
scene. The victim may be known to
the offender, but age and sex of the
victim do not necessarily matter.
lf the offender is selecting a
victim by randomly knocking on doors
in a neighborhood, the first person to
open a door becomes the victim. The
offender kills instantly to have control;
he cannot risk that the victim will get
the upper hand.
,W¢/2: W J»The offender uses a blitz style oi
attack for confronting the victim, who
is caught completely off guard. He
either approaches the victim from
behind, unexpectedly overpowering
her, or he kills suddenly, as with a
gun. The attack is a violent surprise,occurring spontaneously and in a lo-
cation where the victim is going about
his or her usual activities.
The offender depersonalizes the
victim, targeting specific areas of the
body for extreme brutality. Overkill or
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. . variables do exist that may be useful in a criminalprofile and that do differentiate between organized anddisorganized sexual murderers.
excessive assault to the face often is
an attempt to dehumanize the victim.Such facial destruction may indicateknowledge of the victim or that the
victim resembles or represents aperson who has caused the offenderpsychological distress. The offendermay wear a mask or gloves, use ablindfold on the victim, or cover thevictim's face as he attacks. There isminimal verbal interaction except fororders and threats. Restraints are notnecessary, as the victim is killed
quickly.Any sexually sadistic acts, often in
the form of mutilation, are usually per-formed after death. Offenders have at-tempted a variety of sexual acts,including ejaculating into an open stabwound in the victim's abdomen. Evi-dence of urination, defecation, and mas-turbation has been found on the victimsclothing and in the home. Mutilation tothe face, genitals, and breast, dis-embowelment, amputation, and vampir-ism may also be noted on the body.Disorganized offenders mightkeep the dead body. One murdererkilled two women and kept their bodyparts in his home for 8 years. Hemade masks from their heads anddrums and seat covers from theirskins. Earlier, he had exhumed the
bodies of eight elderly women fromtheir graves and performed similar
mutilative acts.The death scene and crimescene are usually the same in mur-ders committed by the disorganized of-fender, with the victim being left in theposition in which she or he was killed.lf the offender has mutilated the body.it may be positioned in a special waythat has significance to the offender.No attempt is made to conceal
he body. Fingerprints and footprintst
may be found, and the police have a
great dealinvestigation. Usually, the murderof evidence to use in their
eapon is one obtained at the scenew
and is left there, providing investiga-
tors with evidence.
Case Example of a Disorganized
Offender
Murder 1: A husband returning
from work at 6:00 p.m. discovered hiswife's body in the bedroom of their
home. An autopsy revealed she had
been murdered sometime in the morn-ing after being confronted by the as-
sailant as she went to empty the gar-bage outside. The victim was shot in
the head four times, and thereafter,disemboweled with a knife obtained in
her home. Other than slash woundsto breasts and mutilation to internalreproductive organs, no evidence of
sexual assault or molestation wasfound. The victim was first slashed inthe abdomen, and the assailant pulledher intestines out of the body cavity.The victim had what was later deter-mined to be animal feces in hermouth. Garbage was strewn about thehouse. A yogurt cup was found, andindications were that the murdererused the cup to collect blood from the
victim, which he then drank.Crime 2: On the same date, a
house bur lary occurred within one9quarter mile of the victim's residence.Garbage was strewn throughout thehome. Evidence indicated the burglarurinated on female clothing and also
defecated in the house. No one wa
home at the time.Crime 3: Two days later, the car-
cass of a dog was found in the samneighborhood. The dog had been shot
in the head, and the bullet was deter-used in the first murder. The dog was
disemboweled.Murder 2: Four days after the firstslaying, a woman, waiting for a male
friend to pick her up for a days outingwith her neighbor, noticed the mans
car had pulled into her neighbor'sdriveway. She telephoned to say she
would be right over; however, receiv-ing no answer, she looked out her
window again to note the man's car
was now gone. Becoming suspicious,she went over to the house and dis-covered the bodies of her male friend,her female neighbor, and the neigh-
bors child. A 22-month infant wasmissing from the home; however, abullet hole was found in the pillow of
the child's crib, along with what ap-peared to be brain and skull matter.This was also found in the half-filledbathtub, indicating the child had beenkilled and the body washed and re-moved from the scene. The femalevictim had been severely slashed andmutilated. She had been murdered inthe bedroom where she had been dis-emboweled from breast bone to pelvic
area. internal organs, includingspleen, kidneys, and reproductiveorgans, had been removed and muti-lated. No attack was noted to externalgenitals. The murderer had attemptedto remove an eye and also had insert-
ed a knife into the anal canal, cuttingthe victim severely in this area. Defi-nite fingerprints with blood were found
on the abdomen. shoulders, and legsof this victim. Additionally, a ring of
blood was found on the floor, indicat-ing a bucket-type container was used
to collect blood.The following information was ex-
tracted from a profile developed by
the BSU:Suspect description: White male
aged 25-27; thin, undernourishedS
8
mined to have come from the gun
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appearance; single, living alone in a
location within 1 mile of the
abandoned station wagon owned by
one of the victims. Residence will
be extremely slovenly and unkempt,
and evidence of the crimes will be
found at the residence. Suspect will
have a history of mental illness and
use of drugs. Suspect will be an
unemployed loner who does not
associate with either males or
females and will probably spend a
great deal of time in his own
residence. lf he resides with
anyone, it will be with his parents.
However, this is unlikely. Subject
will have no prior military history;
will be a high school or college
dropout; probably suffers from one
or more forms of paranoid
psychosis.
The police narrowed their search
to a 1-mile radius of the stolen vehi-
cle, seeking a man of the suspects
description. A 27-year-old white male,
5'11" and weighing 149 pounds, was
located in an apartment complex
within the same block as the aban-
doned car. The man was in posses-
sion ~of a gun that matched the
murder weapon in the slayings. Also
found in the apartment were numer-
ous body parts thought to be animal
and possibly human. The man had
previously been diagnosed as a para-
noid schizophrenic and had been
committed to a mental facility after he
was found sucking blood from a dead
bird. After he had been released, he
was found in the desert bloodstained
and wearing a loincloth. He told police
he was sacrificing to flying saucers.
He was released by police; however,
later a child's body was found in the
same vicinity. Evidence was found in
his apartment indicating his obsession
with blood, mutilation, and possible
cannibalism of humans and animals.Conclusion
ln summary, this research study
of differences between organized and
disorganized sexual murderers with
regard to profile characteristics and
crime scene indicators provides an
important foundation for the investiga-
tive technique of criminal profiling. By
achieving the two study objectives, we
have established that variables do
exist that may be useful in a criminal
profile and that do differentiate be-
tween organized and disorganized
sexual murderers. It is important to be
aware of the limitations of this study.
We do not mean to imply that all un-
solved cases can be profiled success-
fully. We wish to emphasize that this
study was exploratory and indicates
that we have identified significant vari-
ables in crime scene analysis.
A second important step can now
be takenthat is, performing test pro-
files using previously identified varia-
bles and comparing results with cases
which have already been profiled by
BSU Agents. These test profiles
would be the second phase for ad-
vancing the scientific study of the pro-
filing process.
Further refinement of profile char-
acteristics and deductive reasoning
used by "experts" will provide an ad-
vancement in the state of the art in
building an "expert knowledge-based
system for law enforcement. Expert
knowledge-based systems are a
subset of the field of artificial intelli-
gence and are derived by using
knowledge and reasoning patterns of
experts to create computer programs
which emulate these experts. These
systems are easy to use, require mini-
122
'lT___""' ' 'WW*"""" mal training, and have English-Ian.
guage interface with the users. Expert
systems, currently used in many
fields, are continually being adapted
as more knowledge is gained through
their use and application. As in these
other applications, expert systems will
never replace skilled law enforcement
representatives, but are a tool that is
continually being updated by the
knowledge gained through use. Fm
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Infeniiewingf iéchniques
Homicide Investigations
This article discusses techniques that' fhave been used in the interviews 0
persons who have already been
fficers convicted. Law enforcement 0
hould seek appropriate legal advice sbefore using these techniques inattempts to obtain judicially admissible
confessions.
ReprinteOne goal of the study of sexual
homicide crime scenes and criminal
h wbehavior patterns was to explore 0
murderers commit their crimes. An in-" ' ' ' h con-depth analysis of interviews wit
urderers allowed us to re-victed mtrieve first-hand information about
atterns of values and beliefs,their ppatterns of information storage, levels. . . nof recall on the crimes, and admissio
of responsibility for the murders.
' ation U S Depart"!This article presents our experi-
ences in interviewing convicted serial ofsexual murderers with the hope
dd' to law enforcements knowl-a ingedge of interviewing techniques. Al-
thou h our interviews were conducted9with murderers already convicted and
incarcerated, we believe our observa-
tions provide insight tor interviewingsuspects in order to identify a killer.
ent of Justice! Published by the Federal Bureau of Investig . - -_ Enforcement Bulletin, August, 1935-d from the FBI Law
123
. . the interviewer needs to be thoroughly familiar with anypertinent existing information, including crime scene
Terms of the interview
Before beginning any interview,the interviewer needs to be thoroughly
familiar with any pertinent existing in-
formation, including crime scene pho-tographs, records, and files. This in-
formation can be used not only to
draw conclusions but to establish a
focused interest in the offender. Byshowing interest, respect is conveyed
to the suspect, an initial objective inestablishing rapport. Although it is
often difficult in cases of violent and
brutal crimes, this show of respectoften allows the interviewer to get to
the point of the interview more quicklysince less time will be spent by the
subject in evaluating the interviewer.
To be successful, the interviewer
needs to convince the subject that the
interview can be beneficial for him or
her. ln our study, some offenders ad-
mitted their crimes. ln these situationsthey found value in the interview, be-lieving they were contributing to in-
creased understanding or to clarify
other peoples conclusions aboutthem. Offenders who would not admit
to their crimes cooperated in order topoint out why it was impossible for
them to have committed the crimes.
Other offenders consented to the
interviews in order to teach police
how the crimes were committed and
motivated. Those who refused inter-
views had reasons ranging from
advice of an attorney to their own
psychotic states.
The Communication Link
Rapport was the key communica-
tion link in our interviews. Once estab-lished and recognized, it allowed theinterviewer to lead the interview andto re-establish communication when it
broke down. Rapport was frequentlygained when the investigator mirrored,
below the level of conscious aware-
ness, the subject's spoken and un-
spoken behavior. This included
matching the words of the subject,adopting aspects of his posture, andspeaking in a similar tone and rate of
speech.
Eliciting Information
Once communication had been
initiated and rapport established, thequestioning began. ln our study, the
what/where/when sequencing anddescriptions of places where the
crime events occurred were sought
first. Next, the interviewing Agentsasked questions about how the victim
was chosen. Finally, questions about
thoughts, feelings, and images were
posed.Questions were generally orga-
nized around four phases of themurder. These phases are: ! Theprecrime phase, ! the murder event,! the disposal of the body, and !
the postcrime phase.Precr/me Phase-Conscious motivefor the murder was often elicited byasking what triggered the murder.Those murderers with conscious intentwere able to describe this in detail.
Those without conscious motive would
usually say they could not rememberwhy they killed, but they were able to
describe their feelings prior to the mur-
der. Reconstructing the scene prior to
the murder helped interviewing Agentsdetermine the cues that moved the
offender's murder fantasy into action.For example, offenders were asked to
describe their day prior to the murder
and their thoughts and feelings before
encountering the victim.
W ' ' ' """"'""'"'1r ' ~ - " iM photographs, records, and files.
The Murder EventMemory
recall of details specific to the mur_
ders varied among the offenders inter-
viewed. Those murderers who deliber-
ately planned the murder through a
fantasy generally continued to remem-
ber details about certain aspects of
the murder. During one interview, theAgents remarked that the subjectseemed to have almost total recall.
The subject corrected the Agents:
Actually, thats overblown because
l really don't remember everything!.l have shabby memory on things l
don't want to remember, and things
that are shocking or very vivid, l
don't forget. l trip on those for
years."What the subject avoids or re-
fuses to talk about provides informa-
tion on areas where strong emotionsmay exist. In one case, the murdererbegan the interview by stating he
would not discuss his family.! Theinterviewer should concentrate on im-portant aspects of the event, such as
how the suspect gained access to the
victim, conversation and behavior in-
volving the victim, transporting the
victim from one location to another,
what the murderer did sexually before,during, and after the victim's death,
methods of torture, behaviors after
the victim's death such as mutilationor amputation!, and thoughts and feel-
ing during these acts.Disposal of the Body-Our inter-
views with the murderers made clear
the importance of a fantasy in dispos-ing the victim's body. Once the actwas committed, the murderer had toi
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Because of the importance of fantasy to s
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d d what to do with the body. AtThis sketch, and those that /0//ow, were drawn by egi 9a convicted rapist who was interviewed as part of this phase the murderer may rstm /-"aw /1 .H /< d . . .div sreseam pmgram aw as 8 '0 consciously realize the reality of hisHimse/fafayoungeragen, act. Our questions concentrated onwhat was done with the body, howthe offender left the scene, what ifanything! was taken from the body or
the crime scene, and what thoughts
and feelings did the murderer experi-
ence during these various acts.Postcrime Phase-A series of be-
haviors occur after a murder. We
125asked each offender what he did right
after the murder did he wash orchange clothes, go out with friends,go to sleep, or eat!; how he thoughtand felt about it; whether he dreamtabout it; whether he returned to thecrime scene, attended the funeral,
read about the murder in the newspa-per; or talked to police. We werecareful to include questions about therecovery of the body did the offenderassist police in the recovery, was he
present when the body was recov-
ered, and was his confession neces-
sary for police to find the body!.
Specific TechniquesBecause of the importance of
fantasy to sexual homicide, informa-tion about a subiect's fantasy can be
valuable. However, people with alongstanding fantasy life may not talk
about it easily. Often a low-key ap-proach is successful in encouragingthe discussion of the fantasy. A fanta-
sy is an elaborate thought with greatpreoccupation and emotion. Theperson keeps going back to thethoughts. The subiect may only be
aware of images, feelings, and inter-
nal dialog at certain heightened times.One of the indications of thepresence of a fantasy is the greatamount of detail provided by a sub-ject, details that provide the best in-
formation on how the subject oper-
ates. For many of the murderers we
interviewed, their detailed planning
was their statement of superiority,control, and cleverness. The fantasy
usually provided a sense of powerand control, as well as emotionalstimulation. ln some instances, the
fantasy appeared to protect themfrom becoming totally disorganized orpsychotic. We discovered this,through interviews, in their reports ofbecoming enraged when victims inter-
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7rupted their plans. These murderers
were very sensitive to being called
crazy or maniacal, as they associated
those characteristics with carrying out
acts in ways that are stupid, foolish,
and not in control.
The importance of terminology
used in the interview was illustrated in
one case:
Agent: Do you think your fantasy
life was out of control?
Subject: lm going to have to
change your terminology, not
because l'm banting words, but my
fantasy world, no l don't think it was
out of control, l think my world of
realism was out of control. My
perception of the real world was
distorted. -
This exchange illustrated how the
murderer felt in control of his fantasy
and out of control in the real world.
ln contrast to murderers who
consciously plan a crime through fan-
tasy, our interviews revealed that
some murderers acted more in re-
sponse to external cues. Such people
may not be able to relate why a par-
ticular act happened. These murder-
ers were concerned with particular
acts at certain times; suddenly, they
lost control. lt is possible to talk about
the existence of the fantasies without
eliciting details of them and to obtain
information about the serial murderer's
blockage of certain memories:
Agent: Did you have any unusual
fantasies preoccupying you to any
period of time or that you felt you
were over-involved in?
. . . Himself now. . ._/
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