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Criminal Profiling — Part 2
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Douglas et al.: Criminal Profiling from Crime Scene Analysis
victim, (2) to commit additional acts with the body, and (3) to dispose of the
body. The time of day or night that the crime was committed is also important,
as it may provide information on the lifestyle and occupation of the suspect (and
also relates to the offender risk factor). For example, the longer an offender
stays with his victim, the more likely it is he will be apprehended at the crime
scene. In the case of the New York murder of Kitty Genovese, the killer carried
on his murderous assault to the point where many people heard or witnessed the
crime, leading to his eventual prosecution. A killer who intends to spend time
with his victim therefore must select a location to preclude observation, or one
with which he is familiar.
Location Factors
Information about location—where the victim was first approached, where the
crime occurred, and if the crime and death scenes differ—provide yet additional
data about the offender. For example, such information provides details about
whether the murderer used a vehicle to transport the victim from the death scene
or if the victim died at her point of abduction.
3. Crime Assessment Stage
The Crime Assessment Stage in generating a criminal profile involves the
reconstruction of the sequence of events and the behavior of both the offender
and victim. Based on the various decisions of the previous stage, this recon-
struction of how things happened, how people behaved, and how they planned
and organized the encounter provides information about specific characteristics
to be generated for the criminal profile. Assessments are made about the clas-
sification of the crime, its organized/disorganized aspects, the offender's selection
of a victim, strategies used to control the victim, the sequence of crime, the
staging (or not) of the crime, the offender's motivation for the crime, and crime
scene dynamics.
The classification of the crime is determined through the decision process
outlined in the first decision process mode]. The classification of a crime as
organized or disorganized, first introduced as classification of Lust murder (Ha-
zelwood & Douglas, 1980), but since broadly expanded, includes factors such
as victim selection, strategies to control the victim, and sequence of the crime.
An organized murderer is one who appears to plan his murders, target his victims,
display control at the crime scene, and act out a violent fantasy against the victim
(sex, dismemberment, torture). For example, Ted Bundy’s planning was noted
through his successful abduction of young women from highly visible areas
(e.g., beaches, campuses, a ski lodge). He selected victims who were young,
attractive, and similar in appearance. His control of the victim was initially
through clever manipulation and later physical force. These dynamics were
important in the development of a desired fantasy victim.
In contrast, the disorganized murderer is less apt to plan his crime in detail,
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW
18
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