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49 Fed. Probation 29 (1985)
Profiles in Terror: The Serial Murderer

handle is hein.journals/fedpro49 and id is 207 raw text is: Profiles in Terror: The Serial Murderer By RONALD M. HOLMES, ED.D., AND JAMES E. DEBURGER, PH.D. University of Louisville OMICIDE is a crime which has historically galvanized public attention to the work of law enforcement personnel. In past decades, when the situational context of most homicides en- sured or at least enhanced the probability of rapid solution, law enforcement personnel were lauded for their investigative skills. In recent years, however, both the public and those in law enforcement have expressed frustration and concern regarding the growing humber of unsolved murders in this Nation. Since 1960, the solution rate for homicides has declined from over 90 percent to approximately 76 percent in 1983 (Newsweek, 1984). This dramatic decline in the solution rate coincides with a period of increasingly sophisticated technology and an in- crease in the number of police officers per capita. Given the increased technology available for scien- tific investigation of these violent crimes, a fair con- clusion is that the decrease in the solution rate can be attributed more reasonably to the character of many contemporary homicides than to the ability of the investigators. While about 20 percent of all homicides today have no apparent motive, in 1966 only 6 percent of all homicides were motiveless. Many of the currently unsolved homicides are believed to have been perpetrated by serial murders. Serial murder, the focus of this article, is not a totally new kind of criminal behavior. Generally, however, this crime represents the emergence of a form of homicide which is very different from murders commonly investigated in earlier times. Stranger-perpetrated, this form of murder often reflects neither passion nor premeditation stem- ming from motives of personal gain. More frequent- ly, it tends to reflect nonrational or irrational motives or goals and its victims stand in a deper- sonalized relation to the perpetrator. One alarming aspect of contemporary serial murder is the extent to which its perpetrators believe that violence against human beings is a normal and acceptable means of implementing their goals or motives. While the major purpose here is to describe a systematic typology of serial murders, an initial comment will be made on the significance of violence in the everyday social context as a possible contributory factor in the emergence of this form of violent crime. Social-Cultural Context of Violence There is growing evidence to support the view that social and cultural factors in postindustrial American society tend to enhance the probability of interpersonal causes and perpetration of criminal violence. And it also seems likely that serial murder represents an advanced form if not an ultimate ex- tension of violence; for here is a form of homicide which by rational standards is pointless and unac- companied by remorse or a sense of responsibility on the part of the perpetrator. Studies by Wolfgang and his associates on the subculture of violence (Wolfgang and Ferracuti, 1982; Wolfgang and Weiner, 1982) have clearly demonstrated the ways in which personal and contextual factors may in- teract to produce violent criminal behavior. It is dif- ficult to establish the specific mechanisms by which a culture of violence may be translated into specific criminal acts such as serial murder. But it seems likely that the basic processes of socialization which affect individual behavior from childhood through adulthood are saturated with a potential for violence in interpersonal relations. Both in terms of contemporary life in America and in terms of this society's European roots, there is a fertile cultural seedbed of violent examples for behavior. Currently, violence as a normal or ap- propriate response in many situations has explicit or implied approval in many facets of our American culture. This may stem largely from the recurrent, extensive, and essentially pointless violence that is commonly portrayed in mass media. There is a sensitivity-dulling exposure to it that reaches all age groups and pervades the waking hours of both children and adults. Television depicts violence in movies and in videos; rock stars, in their entertain- ment acts make use of hammers, swords, clubs, etc. One study of childrens' TV programs by a Senate Committee found 16 violent incidents per broadcast hour. Such material connotes at least passive accep- tance of violence. The news media provide further real-life examples of recourse to violence in politics, racial and ethnic relations, labor relations, and the American family. The role of TV as an influence on personal acceptance of violence and as a precursor of violent behavior is still being researched and debated:

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