Who are the men committing the rising number of serial homicides in the U.S. -- and why do they kill? The increase in these violent crimes over the past decade has created an urgent need for more and better information about these men: their crime scene patterns, violent acts, and above all, their motivations for committing these shocking and repetitive murders.

This authoritative book represents the data, findings, and implications of a long-term F.B.I.-sponsored study of serial sex killers. Specially trained F.B.I. agents examined thirty-six convicted, incarcerated sexual murderers to build a valuable new bank of information which reveals the world of the serial sexual killer in both quantitative and qualitative detail. Data was obtained from official psychiatric and criminal records, court transcripts, and prison reports, as well as from extensive interviews with the offenders themselves.

Featured in this book is detailed information on the F.B.I.'s recently developed Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP) and a sample of an actual VICAP Crime Analysis Report Form.

Autorentext

John Douglas is the legendary FBI criminal profiler and former Chief of the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit where he researched, investigated, and conducted interviews of some of America's most violent criminals. Over the past half-century, he either directly worked on or had overall supervision in over 5,000 violent crime cases. He is one of the foremost experts of the criminal mind, its methods, and motivations. Douglas is a veteran of the United States Air Force and holds a doctorate degree in Education, and lives with his wife, Pamela, in the Washington, DC, area.

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Contents

Figures and Tables

Preface

Acknowledgments

1. The Study of Murder

2. Growing Up to Murder: The Social Environment and Formative Events

3. Preoccupation with Murder: Patterned Responses

4. Antecedent Behaviors and the Act of Murder

5. After the Murder

6. A Motivational Model for Sexual Homicide

7. The National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime

8. Crime Scene and Profile Characteristics of Organized and Disorganized Murderers

9. Criminal Profiling from Crime Scene Analysis

10. The Role of Forensic Pathology in Criminal Profiling

    James L. Luke, M.D.

11. Interviewing Convicted Murderers

12. The Police Artist and Composite Drawings

    Horace J. Heafner

13. The Victim's Family and Its Response to Trauma

14. Victims: Lessons Learned for Responses to Sexual Violence

    Daniel L. Carter, Robert A. Prentky, and Ann W. Burgess

15. Murderers: A Postscript

    Appendix: VICAP Crime Analysis Report

    Index

    About the Authors