Module 12 Flashcards
Why is there less research on mass murders overall?
They do not pose a problem for law enforcement (usually caught at the scene/die by suicide/killed by police); happens, then its over, and most die
Not the same public fear compared to a serial murder
Limited to one geographic location
Limited information - most don’t survive their crimes
What are the trends in mass killing incidents from 2006-2020
Family, usually a father killing the whole family, has the most incidents
Felony, something that occurs during a felony (bank robber killing witnesses) depends on the year
Public, someone going into the public, depends on the year
We do know that lots of people die, the most from mass killings, then mass shootings, then mass public shooting
What do we know about mass killings?
More likely in smaller, more rural settings (because the most common type is family)
Firearms are usually weapon of choice
Most target known victims (e.g. 40% family, 40% acquaintances, overall 80% is people they know)
Most are white, older, men
Clearer motives - usually revenge
What are the 5 types of mass killers in Fox & Levin 2003?
Revenge (most)
Specific victims
Specific group of victims
e.g. school shooters
disgruntled employees
Power
Pseudocommando killers
more likely to target strangers/public
e.g. mission-oriented killers, family killers
Loyalty
Save victims from hardship
Act of love or mercy
E.g. family annihilator who saves kids from life without their mother (usually)
Profit
Eliminate witnesses of a crime
E.g. robbery and kill all witnesses
Terror
Motivated by a specific extreme ideology
E.g. acts of terrorism, Manson Family; Jonestown
What are contributors to mass murder?
Predisposers: motivations
Chronic frustration - blame externalization, building resentment/anger
Goal blockage
Lack of coping skills
Blaming others
+ Catalyst (something that goes wrong) in relationship/employment)
Copycats as a catalyst - seeing someone else do it
E.g. older, family annihilators who build frustration
e.g. younger: school shooters who have frustrations
Facilitators: pushes them over
Increase likelihood and severity
Opportunity
Access to weapons
Access to victims
Caveat:
Rate is so low that prediction is not possible, hard to predict how these elements will interact in a person to make them commit mass murder
How should people respond to mass murder?
Will increasing mental health support help?
Only 11% suffer from mental illness
More driven by anger and frustration + internalized blame rather than mental health
Most are committed by older, white men, very unlikely to seek support
Will stronger gun control help?
Most cases have illegal guns
Has to be something with the types and how many a countries has (rates in US vs Canada)
Most have no criminal record, no prior history of violence, so they could get their hands on guns
Private sales not regulated, especially in small towns
What are the debates in literature about spree killers
It should be called Rapid sequence homicide offenders (RSHOs)
Definitional distinctions between spree/serial killers are muddled
How much time between killings required to distinguish them?
FBI stopped using “spree killer” in 2005
Are spree killers just disorganized serial killers who get caught quickly?
Does motivation or level of planning matter: serial killers: internal drive, Spree killers: more likely anger and revenge
What are the 4 main classifications, their prevalence, victims, and essence for spree killings? What are the characteristics of spree killers?
Anger and Revenge
30.6%
Victims: targeted, targeted and random-opportunistic, random-opportunistic
Essence: Know who they want to kill but generalized need to act or punish
Deadly Desperation:
7.2%
Victims: more random, but can include targeted (family)
Essence: seem to “snap”; nothing to lose must keep going
Mental illness
11.7%
Victims: Random (vs. targeted)
Essence: reactive (vs. planned) 31% die by suicide
Mixed multitcides
7.2%
All types of victims: gave examples of killers who were spree/mass, spree/serial, spree/mass/serial
72% suicidal
Most spree killers are white males operating alone. More likely to die during the commission of crime compared to serial killers
