Aggression homicide and rejection homicide: a communicative classification of homicide

Based on a 10-year sample of homicides (n = 50), the hypothesis was tested that it is possible to differentiate between aggression and rejection homicide. The aggression homicide results from the offender/victim relationship, which is no longer accepted for some reason. In contrast, in the rejection homicide the offender radically strives for a goal which can only be reached if the victim is eliminated. Based on forensic-psychiatric expert opinions (n = 50), the case analyses yielded 31 aggression homicides and 18 rejection homicides, one case could not be classified. Aggression homicides differed significantly from the rejection homicides with regard to their main motives. Hate in quarrel (n = 8), violent occupation of the victim (n = 7), delusions (n = 5), revenge (n = 3), self-defence (n = 2), and jealousy (n = 1) characterized the aggression homicides, whereas rejection homicides were dominated by economic motives (n = 14). Two offenders intended to get rid of the victim and one offender wanted to rescue a third person. From a forensic-psychiatric point of view, the pertinent statistical data (social data, diagnosis, criminal responsibility) are reported and the significance of the differentiation between aggression homicide and rejection homicide for medico-legal or criminological case profiling and for the prognosis of the risk potential is discussed.     

Aging and homicide rates

There are no published studies concerning the effect of mortality rate on the rate of homicide by habitually violent offenders. On the basis of nation-wide statistics in Finland, the frequency of homicide is 61% lower among 50-year old males than among 30-year old males. However, when the 4.9-fold mortality of habitually violent offenders is taken into account, the homicide rate is only 43% lower among 50-year old males than among 30-year old males. This is an important issue in forensic psychiatry and that requires further attention, as age is used a predictive factor when assessing the risk of violent behavior.     

African-Americans and serial homicide

African-Americans are usually over-represented among offenders arrested in “normal” homicide cases, making up a considerably larger proportion than would be expected from the Black presence in the population at large. Among serial murderers, however, African-Americans are much less in evidence—perhaps one-fifth or less of known American serial killers are Black. It may be that African-Americans are in fact less involved in serial murder activity than are Anglo Whites or Hispanics; but it must also be asked whether this is simply an impression gained from the ways in which serial murder activity is identified and investigated. For a number of reasons, law enforcement agencies might be less likely to seek or find evidence of serial murder activity where the victims are Black. As homicide is primarily an intra-racial crime, this would then mean that Black serial killers would be far more likely to escape detection.     

The future of homicide offenders. Results from a homicide project in Copenhagen

As a part of a Copenhagen homicide project, 52 released homicide offenders were followed during a mean period of 9 years. Pessimistic expectations were confirmed as post-release rates of criminality, psychiatric admission, and suicide were all very high. By logistic regression analyses, young age by release, and long stay in prison were found to increase the risk of further criminality, and previous psychiatric admission was found predictive of future admission. The problems in using logistic regression analysis on variables--all of whom may be viewed as "parallel" indicators of a common tendency to adverse behaviors--are discussed. In conclusion, the results have been used for a tentative division of homicide according to the offender-victim relationship into intra-family homicide and extra-family homicide. In intra-family homicide the most important dimension seems to be the psychic state of the offender, in extra-family homicide more impact should be attributed to the social dimension.     

Understanding sexual homicide

Abstract

Sexual homicide is a crime that receives much media attention, but one that still has a relatively small research base compared to other crimes. Although the idea of someone deriving sexual gratification from or during the killing of another is an anathema to many, forensic professionals need to understand sexual homicide and the range of circumstances and motivations that lie behind it. This paper explores this complex crime: it illustrates the various definitions and labels used; it suggests that sexual homicide is rare and is committed by individuals who, although having troubled histories, may not differ from other offenders. Then, by examining the various legal and behavioural circumstances in which sexual homicide can occur, this paper illustrates the diversity of sexual homicide and presents it in a more understandable manner. Finally, the paper suggests that knowledge of this diversity is required both for investigative and clinical purposes.     

Social support and homicide in transitional Russia

Like the United States, Russia is a large industrialized nation with high violence rates. Although its overall homicide rate is among the highest in the world, however, local rates of crime vary widely. Similarly, the level of social support provided by the state varies throughout Russia due to former Soviet policies, the differential pace of political and economic change, and the level of development. Relying upon recent criminological literature on social support theory, this study tested the hypotheses that areas with higher levels of social support will have lower homicide rates and that the effects of negative socioeconomic change on homicide rates will be moderated by levels of social support. Utilizing data from Russian regions (n = 78) and controlling for other structural covariates, negative binomial regression was employed to estimate the effects of social support on regional homicide rates. As expected, negative socioeconomic change was associated with higher homicide rates, but the results provided no support for direct or conditioning effects of social support on homicide. The findings are discussed in the context of Russia-specific conditions and of the meaning of these findings for recent research on social support and crime.     

Segregation and latino homicide victimization

A growing concern exists that an increase in Latino urban violence is the result of social and economic inequality. One structured form of inequality is segregation. Research indicates that many Latino communities have moderate to high levels of segregation. Prior criminological research has revealed that segregation is a strong predictor of black violence. The present study extends this line of research to the issue of Latino crime by examining the link between Latino segregation and Latino homicide victimization. Two measures of segregation are employed in the current research: residential segregation and social isolation. Using census data and mortality files, regression models indicate that while social isolation is a significant predictor of Latino homicide victimization, residential segregation is not significantly related to Latino rates of homicide victimization. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Criminal Justice Association, Clearwater, FL, 2001.     

Spousal homicide and the subsequent staging of a sexual homicide at a distant location

The case of a 63-year-old man who killed his 52-year-old wife and then staged a sexual homicide at a distant location is reported. A review of all evidence, a forensic psychological interview, and psychological testing indicated that the murder was the result of a narcissistic rage reaction during which the subject beat his wife to death with a paint can, a clothing iron, and a rock. He then drove her body to a field 87.3 miles away, and positioned it in a manner that exposed her breasts and her underwear. He turned himself into the police two days later. There is no controlled empirical research on staging, although this single case supports the criminal investigative theory that staging exists, and is done to deliberately mislead homicide investigations (Douglas et al., 1992).     

Georgia and Thieves-in-Law

Georgi Glonti and Givi Lobjanidze (2004), Professional'naya Prestupnost' v Gruzii. Vory-V-Zakone (Thieves-in-law. Professional Criminality in Georgia)

Tbilisi: TraCCC, 212 pp, Price Not Available, ISBN 99928-0-826-8 paperback     

Asphyxial homicide in two Scandinavian capitals

In the Oslo and Copenhagen capital areas, 94 asphyxial homicides were committed in the 10-year period 1985-1994, accounting for 22% of all homicides in that period. Sixty-nine (73%) of the asphyxia victims were female. The most common method of asphyxiation was manual strangulation. Seventeen (18%) of the victims were below the age of 10, accounting for 59% of all homicides in that age group. Whereas 38% of the female victims were killed by their spouse, this was the case for only one male victim. The motive was not known in a great proportion of cases. Fifty-seven percent of the victims had been subjected to additional violence, and in this respect there was no difference between the sexes. In 12 of the cases the offender was female; in 9 such cases the victim was her offspring. More than half of the victims had no blood alcohol. When disregarding the victims less than 10 years of age, 33% of the male and 49% of the female victims had no blood alcohol. The crime scene was the victim's domicile among 72% of female and 52% of male victims. Forty-two percent of the female and 11% of the male victims above the age of 10 years were married or cohabitant.     

Erotomania, triangulation, and homicide

A case of homicide by a 29-year-old male with erotomanic delusional disorder and various personality disorders is reported. Following a month of pursuit of a female stranger with whom he had briefly conversed in a local bar, he assaulted an automotive plant where she worked, delusionally believing that she was at imminent risk and needed to be rescued. One plant manager was killed and two police officers were wounded. The case illustrates the phenomenon of triangulation, where rage toward the rejecting object is displaced onto a third party, which is then perceived as impeding access to the victim and may be at risk for violent assault.     

Psychopathology and weapon choice: a study of 103 perpetrators of homicide or attempted homicide

Bone marrow (BM) analysis is of forensic interest in postmortem toxicological investigation in case of limited, unavailable or unusable blood samples. However, it remains difficult to determine whether a drug BM concentration is therapeutic or represents overdose, due to the lack of studies on this alternative matrix. Given the variations in BM composition in the body, sample location was suggested to be a relevant factor in assessing BM concentration. The aim of the present study was to compare postmortem caffeine concentrations in various BM sample locations and secondly to consider the correlation between BM and blood concentrations. Six BM samples (right and left side: proximal and medial femur and 5th rib) and a blood sample were collected from 21 forensic autopsies. Gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was performed. Blood caffeine concentrations ranged from 60 to 7591ng/mL. Femoral and rib BM concentrations ranged from 51 to 6171ng/g and 66 to 7280ng/g, respectively. Blood concentrations were always higher than BM concentrations. As a good correlation was demonstrated between blood and rib BM and between blood and the average of the four femoral BM concentrations, blood caffeine concentrations could be correctly extrapolated from BM concentrations. BM caffeine concentration was found to depend on sample location. Rib BM caffeine concentrations appeared to be systematically greater than averaged femur values and concentrations were much more variable between the 4 femur BM samples than between the 2 ribs. From a practical point of view, for caffeine analysis, rib BM appeared more relevant than femoral BM, which requires multisampling to overcome the concentration variability problem.     

Criminal recidivism in sexual homicide perpetrators

Forensic psychiatric reports on 166 sexual homicide perpetrators in Germany were retrospectively analyzed for criminal risk factors. Follow-up information about release and reconvictions from federal criminal records was available for 139 offenders; 90 (64.7%) had been released. The estimated recidivism rate (Kaplan-Meier analyses) for 20 years at risk was 23.1% for sexual and 18.3% for nonsexual violent reoffences. Three men (3.3%) were reconvicted for attempted or completed homicide. Only young age at the time of sexual homicide resulted in higher sexual recidivism, whereas increased nonsexual violent recidivism was related to previous sexual and nonsexual delinquency, psychopathic symptoms, and higher scores in risk assessment instruments. Increased recidivism with any violent reoffence was associated with age-related factors: young age at first sexual offence, at homicide, and at release and duration of detention. The impacts of the results for risk assessment, relapse prevention, and supervision are discussed.     

Suicide and homicide away from home

In 1980, suicides in the United States that occurred outside the victim's home state were most often committed by young single or divorced men. Hanging was the most common means of suicide. Homicide victims who were killed outside their home state were usually male, black, divorced, young, and killed by unusual (other) means or by law-enforcement officers.