Multiple murderers: The characteristics of the persons and the nature of their crimes
Abstract (summary)
The problem. The purpose of this study was to initiate the establishment of a data base to support research on multiple murderers. A systematic, descriptive study was conducted on a sample of multiple murderers and their crimes, using historical, cross cultural and recent American cases. The specific purposes of the study were to determine the characteristics of multiple murderers and their crimes, including commonalities and differences, and to analyze the characteristics of the persons to determine what, if any, correspondence existed between them and their crimes.
Method. Available, published materials were used to describe 27 well-known multiple (or episodic) murderers. These cases were considered representative of the countries, time periods and diversity of crime-types that constitute the phenomenon of multiple murder. To provide accurate and reliable case descriptions, two research instruments were developed from the content themes reviewed in the literature: the "Life History" and "The Crimes." The procedures to be followed in data collection were specified. These instruments ensured that the descriptions were highly structured and that the descriptive data covered a range of variables and issues.
Results. The majority of multiple murderers studied were found to be white males whose families clustered at or near middle-class status. There were few instances of abuse or neglect, and the childhoods were found to have few major traumas. It was concluded that life histories of multiple murderers cannot account for their crimes.
Common personality traits include egocentrism, ambitiousness, greed, feelings of superiority, and, in general, high dominance-feeling and psychopathy, with the latter two traits being the most important for explanatory purposes.
As multiple murderers tended to employ diverse methods and often to select dissimilar victims, it was concluded that, at present, there is no such thing as a "typical" serial murder pattern. It was further concluded that multiple murder is a chosen career and not a psychopathological response or sign of mental illness.
Indexing (details)
Social psychology
0451: Social psychology