Establishing a model of sexual assault reflecting psychosocial and behavioral characteristics of perpetrators of sexual killing and rape is necessary for development in risk assessment and intervention. Methodological variations in defining sexual killing have amalgamated serial and non-serial offenders and perpetrators with direct and indirect associations between killing and sexual arousal. This study defined sexual killing specifying that killing should be directly linked to sexual arousal, and sampled 48 sexual killers, operationalized to include only those engaging in post-mortem sexual interference, with one or two known female victims (non-serial), from prison service national (England and Wales) databases. These sexual killers were compared with 48 non-homicide, life or indeterminately sentenced sexual aggressors on psychological and crime scene characteristics. Contrary to previous research, fatal outcomes were associated with neither stranger victims nor weapon presence; sexual killing was characterized by severity of violence less so than non-fatal assault. Sexual killers more often reported problems with emotional loneliness, empathic concern, and sexual entitlement than the sexual aggressors. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed.
Purpose: This paper considered the different ways the sexual element and the act of killing could be connected in sexual homicide cases by assigning each case as belonging to either directly or indirectly related groups.Methods: A total of 350 non-serial male sexual killers of females aged 14 years or over, who had been convicted and served a custodial sentence within UK Prison Service, were included in the study. The cases were assigned as belonging to either the direct (the sexual aspect and killing were closely connected) or indirect (the killing was not a source of sexual stimulation) group. Once classified, logistic regressions explored the factors related to the criminal events of the two perpetrator groups.Results: The results noted predictors that could effectively differentiate between the indirect and the direct cases. The presence of two of Ressler et al.'s (1988) criteria lowered the odds of the case being classed as indirect.Conclusions: The paper argues that the direct sexual killer is the 'true' sexual killer. This is because for these perpetrators the sexual element and the act of killing were integral in the criminal event, and thus the killing at some point provided a source of sexual stimulation.
This review explores the current state of knowledge about sexual homicide, which is often based on uncertainties and contradictory assumptions. In the introduction we examine some of the methodological issues, such as low prevalence rates and operationalisation problems, that contribute to the situation regarding the existing knowledge base. The research investigating the key types of sexual homicide and the possible characteristics distinguishing sexual killers from others types of sexual offenders are outlined in order to provide the reader with the background to the aims of this systematic review. Additionally, throughout the paper, we go back to the various methodological complications so that in the method section of this review we can note the ways researchers have tried to overcome them.While there are issues that make compiling accurate figures challenging (see later), the studies looking at the prevalence of sexual killing consistently show that it is a relatively rare phenomenon with estimates ranging from approximately 6% of all homicides in the UK (Beech, Fisher, & Ward, 2005) to 4% of homicides in Canada (Roberts & Grossman, 1993) and 1% of homicides in the USA (Chan & Heide, 2009). Further, it seems that in North America, the number of homicides assessed as sexual in nature has been declining (James & Proulx, 2014). Although estimated to be rare, the statistics from the UK note that in June 2012 in the UK there were 6320 men serving a conviction for murder or manslaughter, and 840 of these men killed with an apparent or admitted sexual element (Planning and Analysis Group, National Offender Management Service, NOMS, personal communication, August 2013). This means that out of all men detained for murder or manslaughter in the UK prison population, 13.3% are assessed as sexual murderers and this number represents an increase from the May 2003 estimate of 6% (Beech et al., 2005).The topic of sexual homicide has been extensively examined for the last two decades (Chan & Heide, 2009). Despite this examination, the many methodological complications encountered by researchers, as discussed in this review, hamper our ability to better understand and draw conclusions about this crime and its perpetrators. Specifically, both the low prevalence rates noted above and the difficulties in accessing detailed descriptions of the offense inevitably mean that small sample sizes are usually used in studies (Porter, Woodworth, Earle, Drugge, & Boer, 2003). Accounting for the different role that killing can play in relation to sexual behaviour could help to improve our understanding of this crime (Stefanska, Carter, Higgs, Bishopp, & Beech, 2015). It is worth noting that while the term sexual killing, murder and homicide tend to be used interchangeably, they generally encompass cases of murder, manslaughter as well as cases of diminished responsibility, with or without a hospital order.
Purpose: The study aimed to develop an empirically driven checklist guiding clinicians in the decision-making process that would enable them to determine the functional role of the killing in a newly proposed classification of sexual homicides.Methods: Classical Test Theory, Exploratory Factor Analyses and Two-parameter item response theory were conducted on a sample of 361 male sexual killers assigned as either belonging to the direct or indirect group.Results: The results revealed that an eight-item checklist was the best empirical solution. The items included: sexual sadism; followed by the use of sexually related disinhibitors; stalking behaviours; the use of restraints; the presence post-mortem sexual activity; the presence of other sexual activities; an unusual interest following the murder; and the presence of biting were indicative of a direct sexual homicide.Conclusions: Using the direct/indirect typology automatically directs clinicians to consider how, and at what point in the timeline, the sexual element and the act of killing were related. This, allows to address any arising inconsistencies as well as minimise the risk of either assuming sexual motives in the killing in the indirect cases or not addressing management of sexual urges in the context of extreme violence for the direct cases.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.