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For AUGUST 2003 issue

SCIENCE IN CRIME DETECTION-118

THE SEXUAL MURDERS

‑Dr. Anil Aggrawal

This time we will talk about sexual murders. Viewing the victim of a sexual murder is extremely difficult and disturbing, even for the most seasoned detectives and crime scene personnel. Detectives who investigate this type of crime seem to remember each and every detail precisely the way they observed it the day the crime was reported or uncovered. If you speak with these same detectives ten, twenty and even thirty years after the event, they can still relate in perfect detail the scene, their investigation and their interview with the suspect as if the murder just happened.

Detectives handle hundreds of other violent crimes, but the sexual killers seem to be the heartbreakers. In most cases, the victims are young and vulnerable and suffer greatly prior to their deaths. Sexual killings are, in several experts’ opinion, the most violent, and the victims the most visually graphic to witness.

The empathy for the victim is far greater for the crime scene detectives and personnel who process the scene than for other investigators involved in the case. A bond is formed between the forensic personnel and the victim because of the time spent with and the closeness to the victim at the scene.

This is also true of the medical examiner at the time of the autopsy. The medical examiner autopsies hundreds of men, women and children who have died for any number of reasons, but the sexual murder victims are the most disturbing.

In today’s society, where you can usually find someone willing to perform any type of sexual behavior for a price (or, in many cases, for free), it is hard to believe that these killings still occur. Yet all we have to do to get a taste of criminal deviant society is look at the many reminders we see daily. When we are having our morning coffee, we see the latest statistics of our missing young in our newspapers. In the US, one can see this information even on the side of the milk carton! As we read the morning newspaper, we undoubtedly come across a story of either sexual abuse or a sexual killing. During our morning commute, we observe at least one billboard for a missing children’s hot line. And in the evening, we watch a program dealing with missing or exploited persons.

Sexual homicides are the most complex of all homicides. They can involve one deviant sexual act or an elaborate ritual that is repeated from victim to victim.

Profile

Usually, the sexual predator killer is male. There are few females who kill for sexual reasons. Occasionally, a female helps her male partner obtain the victim or she assists in the actual killing, but to find a female killing for sexual pleasure is very rare.

Motives and Methods

The sexual killer may or may not have been abused as a child, but, in most cases, he experienced some type of sexual abuse that influenced his behavior as he matured. Sexual abuse can be inflicted by one or both of the parents, some other relative, a friend of the family or a stranger.

The sexual perpetrator begins by fantasizing every aspect of the crime, from the initial contact to his last moments with the victim. This includes the way the victim appears. When you have a series of these killings, the victims almost always share common characteristics, such as age, height, appearance and, in some cases, occupation.

It is important to remember that the victims of sexual homicide are the most vulnerable society has to offer. Children, both male and female (but statistics tend to favor the female child), and young women are almost always the victims.

A sexual killer has strong compulsions for deviant acts. The only way he can satisfy himself is by having his victim perform exactly as he commands, fulfilling his sexual needs.

The sexual killer shares a lot of characteristics with the serial killer. Both the sexual and serial killer are on the prowl, looking for vulnerable victims. They secure their victims in the same manner, they may kill in the same manner and they dispose of their victims’ bodies in basically the same manner. Like the serial killer, if the sexual killer is left to continue, he kills until he is apprehended.

The investigators have learned from interviewing these individuals that they continue their sexual acts with the victims until they experience a certain feeling of ecstasy. This type of sexual predator refers to this as a mental orgasm. This is not ejaculation, but a feeling of great energy and an emotional release that occurs only in the mind. Some sexual killers refer to this as a rush.

Investigation and Capture

Investigations vary with the incident. Usually with these types of killings, there is more than one victim, so the police will begin by looking at the MO (short for Modus Operandi or the usual method of killing), such as types of victims, method of killing, method of disposing of the bodies, location, where the bodies were disposed of, and will examine any evidence left at the scene. They will then begin to make a profile in an attempt to locate the killer. If warranted, a task force will be formed where a number of detectives will follow up on all leads developed on the case. The police will focus their efforts on stakeouts at dump sites or pick-up sites, and possibly use decoys in an attempt to draw the killer in. Capture will usually result from an unconscious mistake made by the killer or just good police work. When captured, the killer will usually confess to a good interrogator.

It is important to remember that if the killer experiences a mental orgasm, the detectives, medical examiners, forensic personnel and even the forensic laboratory workers may not find semen in, on or near the victim. Not all sexual killers have a physical ejaculation. They may just have a mental orgasm and thus leave no physical evidence.

When there is an ejaculation and the assailant is wearing a condom, the condom lubrication left on the victim can be collected, analyzed and compared for future evidence against him. This is a technique of which few police officers are aware.

Two Common Sexual Killer Profiles

There are basically two general types (what experts refer to as profiles) of sexual murderers. The first is the more intelligent, methodical killer, similar to Ted Bundy. The second is more impulsive and may use a partner in the killings, as did Henry Lee Lucas.

The Ted Bundy Profile

Ted Bundy was a handsome, charming and very deadly sexual killer who terrorized Florida in the 1980s. Bundy was a law student and a Young Republican and often kept his arm in a sling to appear less threatening. Women who stopped to help him with his groceries were abducted, raped and beaten to death. Bundy was executed by the state of Florida in 1989 for the deaths of twenty-two women, but he was believed to have been responsible for even more.

In the Bundy-type profile, the killer usually has above average intelligence and uses this intelligence as a tool to overcome obstacles. He attracts his victims with his charming personality and good looks, making them feel at ease until he has total control of them.

When he carries out his fantasies, he does so with cool cunning, which will be a great advantage to him because the police tend to key in on the nervous suspect. This type of sexual killer is not distracted by weird fantasies or delusions.

The Bundy-type killer doesn’t usually have long-term life goals and is extremely self-centered. Despite his charm and good looks, he does not interact well socially. His only sexual encounters are those of convenience; “love” and “marriage” are not terms in his vocabulary.

The Bundy-type killer shows no shame or remorse for his actions. He is more than likely a loner who feels no one is good enough to become a friend of his.

This killer starts his fantasy with a plan or a strategy about what will occur and may even make contingent plans in case the initial ones are altered.

Because he seeks strangers, he feels a need to become familiar with his victims. He asks a series of well-thought-out questions to become familiar with them.

He attempts to control all aspects of the crime. He demands that the victim speaks, acts and behaves in a certain manner. If the victim is not submissive, the Bundy-type killer becomes very aggressive and demands that she conforms; if she doesn’t, he just kills her. In planning for this contingency, the killer brings his weapon or weapons with him.

When he kills, he often uses guns or knives and rarely uses his hands. Because these murders are so well planned, the killer usually has a restraining device ready to use because the act of restraining the victim is part of the fantasy.

When examining the Bundy-type scene, the crime scene technicians find little or no evidence, and there is a good possibility that the actual scene of the crime will never be uncovered. Once the act is completed, the body is removed and placed in a different location than the scene of the crime. This is done primarily to cover up the crime and to distance himself from his victim.

Since this killer is a loner and not likely to have marital or other such ties, he is extremely capable of moving from one location to another to avoid apprehension. Similarly, he usually acts alone rather than use a partner.

Finally, the Bundy-type killer may keep the victim alive for a time or keep the victim’s corpse around, believing there is no rush to dispose of the victim.

I would like to give here – for the benefit of our readers, a quick checklist of all characteristics of Ted Bundy type Profile. Here it is:

Ted Bundy Profile Checklist

Very intelligent

Charming personality

Physically attractive

Works alone

Makes detailed plans, with contingencies

Asks victims a series of questions to become familiar with them

Controls all aspects of the crime scene

Prefers to use a ruse rather than physical violence to abduct the victim

Has weapon when abducting the victim

Has restraints ready

Demands victim act in a certain way

Leaves little evidence at the crime scene

Removes body from the killing scene

The Henry Lee Lucas Profile

Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole traveled US highways looking for victims. Upon finding a suitable candidate, one of the pair controlled the victim while the other took charge of the getaway. After they felt they were a safe distance from the pickup site, they tortured, sexually abused and killed their victim. It is believed Lucas and Toole killed hundreds of people this way. They now await execution in Texas.

The Lucas-type killers were usually reared fatherless or with little contact from their fathers. They almost always had strong matriarchal figures - mothers, grandmothers, aunts - who took care of them. It is not uncommon for them to have been born into poor or lower-middle-class neighborhoods. Because of low self-esteem and the lack of proper supervision, they are more than likely of below-average intelligence. They are society’s outcasts and probably live alone. They have little or no contact with the outside world and frequently move from one low-paying, unskilled job to another.

Another difference between the two types of sexual killers is that the Bundy type is very interested in any post killing media coverage. For example, he clips articles out of newspapers and videotapes news media coverage. If given a chance, he is more than ready to offer assistance to the media if they request it. The Lucas type hides in fear after committing his murders. He may keep written notes or clippings from a newspaper to assist him in his fantasies and set up altars or discreet hiding areas to secrete his souvenirs. But remorse is quite possible, and he may attempt to seek some type of counseling or religious forgiveness. It is not uncommon for him to return to the crime scene to assure himself he left nothing behind that may link him to his crime.

When this Lucas-type kills, it is usually with little planning; an occurrence of some kind draws his attention and stimulates a response. This could be a beautiful woman walking down the street, a young girl or boy in a vulnerable position or a hitchhiker who looks like an easy victim. He usually does not kill persons with whom he has relationships, but will instead seek strangers. He knows, however, where to find his victims-a local tavern or some such familiar area he frequents or the route he travels to and from work.

There is little or no verbal contact between the Lucas-type killer and his victim before or during the commission of the murder. Since this type of murderer is extremely haphazard, selecting his crime scenes at random and conducting little to no preplanning, the killing is swift and violent and the crime scene technicians will find a fair amount of evidence left behind. Remember, his victims are usually found on the spur of the moment, so he must quickly gain control over them, take them to remote locations and, upon completion of his sexual acts, kill them. There have been many arrests of these types of killers because eyewitnesses or the police themselves observed the murders.

Because of the swiftness of his action, the Lucas-type killer needs no type of restraints to control his victim. More than likely, he commits his sexual acts on his victim after she is dead. Little or no effort is made to cover or conceal the victim’s body, and any weapons used are usually left at the scene. These weapons can be sticks, pipes, rocks, boards or, unlike with the Bundy type, the killer’s own hands.

Because of the Lucas type’s carelessness, foolishness and low intelligence, the police usually have little problem apprehending him, especially if he has a prior criminal record. In addition, if the killer has committed multiple killings, all are easily linked to the suspect because of similarities in the crime scenes. In most cases, the victim’s body is not even removed from the initial killing scene.

The Lucas-type sexual killer may take on an assistant if he feels one is necessary. This is usually the case because this type of sexual killer has low self-esteem and feels he needs someone of greater intelligence to assist him.

If the partner is female, the killer may use her to ease the suspicions of an intended victim. For example, if a female hitchhiker is looking for a ride, she is more likely to get into a vehicle with another female present than alone with a male. Or the killer may use his female associate to lure victims to a remote location. Women generally suspect harm more from men than they do from other women, so the female accomplice is often able to bring victims to where the killer waits with less difficulty than if the killer himself attempted it.

In extremely rare cases, the partner assists in the act. In one such case, a young couple was visited at home by a male friend who was recently released from jail. To celebrate his release, the couple decided to throw an impromptu celebration with alcohol and drugs. As the night progressed, all parties involved became highly intoxicated and the newly released acquaintance talked his friend’s wife into having sex while her husband was passed out on the couch.

While they were thus engaged, the husband awoke. He began protesting in a loud and violent manner, causing the ex-con to reach into his pants pocket and remove a handgun. With the wife’s assistance, the ex-con secured the husband with bathrobe ties and made the husband watch while the other two both enjoyed themselves in front of him. While this was happening, the two photographed themselves so the husband could have mementos of the evening.

When the husband again showed his disgust at his wife’s behavior, the ex-con shot him. After the murder, the wife and the excon continued to have relations. When the time came to remove the victim from the scene, the wife went to the garage, retrieved a saw and, with the assistance of her new lover, proceeded to remove her husband’s limbs. Prior to doing this, however, they removed his penis, and the wife began to use it in a sexual fashion while the ex-con took more photographs.

Once the victim was properly dissected and bagged, he was subsequently removed from his apartment and buried in a wooded area. The wife stayed on with her new lover and assisted him in collecting more victims for his sexual killings.

When two male sexual killers work together, things are a bit different. Rather than lure a victim to a remote location, a male-male team usually snatches the victim with force. One of the men subdues the victim while the other drives them to the murder scene. Often, the two males will have different reasons for killing. Lucas was a necrophiliac, for example, while Toole was more concerned with cannibalism. Their common ground was extreme sadism and a lust for homicide. Their incredibly high body count attests to how well their interests meshed.

Henry Lee Lucas Profile Checklist

Here is a quick checklist of the profile we have just discussed

Below-average intelligence

Little contact with outside world

Hides in fear after crime and may feel remorse

May return to the scene

Makes no plans, acts on the spur of the moment

Little or no verbal contact with victim

Leaves much evidence

Kills quickly and violently

Needs no restraints, but often carries restraining equipment

Uses whatever weapon he finds at the scene (hands if necessary)

Does not remove body from killing scene

May have a partner

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Dr. Anil Aggrawal, M.D.

Professor of Forensic Medicine

Maulana Azad Medical College

New Delhi‑110002