South African Serial Homicide: Offender and Victim Demographics and Crime Scene Actions

Abstract

There is an abundance of literature on serial homicide from a Western perspective that outlines operational definitions, types of offenders and how they prey upon their victims. However, currently, there is a lack of studies that compare serial homicide in different countries. The current study aims to give an overview of the demographics of serial homicide offenders and victims in South Africa and compare these to the demographics of offenders and victims from other currently available empirical studies of other countries. The sample consisted of 33 out of the total 54 solved series in South Africa between 1936-2007, which includes a total of 33 offenders, 302 victims, and 254 crime scenes. Results of the sample as a whole showed that South African serial homicide offenders are similar to offenders in other countries in terms of their actions at the crime scene and victim choice, with some notable exceptions. Additional analysis looked at the offender's consistency of targeting certain types of victims across their homicide series in comparison with the patterns of serial homicide offenders in other countries.

Classification of Planning and Violent Behaviours in Serial Homicide: A Cross‐National Comparison Between South Africa and the US

“…Cross‐national comparisons can help us identify the common features of serial homicide in general and the distinct features that are influenced by the country in which the homicides occur, and by so doing increase our understanding of the phenomenon both from a theoretical standpoint and in terms of the practical application of the models in the investigative process (Lafree, ). Cross‐national research enables us to explore local contextual differences in two domains: (1) tool availability and physical environment and (2) psychological factors (Salfati, Labuschagne, Horning, Sorochinski, & De Wet, ). The first domain may impact how the offender plans to commit his or her crimes and what means he or she chooses to accomplish them.…”

South African Serial Homicide: A Victim‐Focused Behavioural Typology

“…However, the per cent of Black offenders was slightly underrepresented in terms of the racial distribution of the population. Generally, racial composition of serial homicide offenders reflects that of the population where the homicide takes place (Salfati et al ., )…”

“…Salfati et al . () also found that in South Africa, some common victim groups were women seeking employment and children, but sex workers were rarely targeted. According to Egger (2002), certain members of society are deemed as having less ‘human worth’, and therefore, they are more subject to violence.…”

“…In South Africa, it is not uncommon for a stranger to offer a job prospect and for that person to follow the stranger to meet a potential employer. In South Africa, women seeking employment constitute one of the most targeted groups of victims (Pistorius, 2002; Salfati et al ., ). Some serial homicide offenders have used this point of vulnerability as a way of luring their willing victims to follow them to isolated locations.…”

“…The homicide rate, including serial, is nine times the international average, with 27 murders occurring every day (SAPS: Crime Information Analysis Centre website, 2002, as cited in Hodgskiss, 2004). The recorded serial homicide rates from 1990 to 1996 show an increase of almost 900% in the average annual incidence of serial murder (Hodgskiss, 2004), and there are approximately five new series identified per year (Salfati, Labuschagne, Horning, Sorochinski, & De Wet, ). There is a great need to identify specific patterns of South African serial homicides.…”