Murder Flashcards
What is homicide?
Directly or indirectly, by any means, causing the death of a human being.
What is murder?
Homicide where the person who causes the death of a human being means to cause his death, or means to cause him bodily harm that he knows is likely to cause his death, and is reckless whether death ensues or not.
What is 1st degree murder?
Murder which is planned and deliberate; or when the victim is a peace officer, or where death occurred in the commission of an offence.
What is 2nd degree murder?
Is all murder that is not 1st degree murder.
What is manslaughter?
Homicide where the person who committed it did so in the heat of passion
What is infanticide?
Killing of a child by a parent.
What is the most common violent crime?
Assault
What are the three levels of assault?
1) Assault with weapon or causing bodily harm
2) Aggravated assault
3) other assaults
What are “other assaults?”
Assault on a peace officer, unlawfully causing bodily harm, discharge of firearm with intent etc.
What are traits of a juvenile homicide offender?
- Single victim, mostly male
- Parent is rarely the victim
- Firearms and gun play
- Severe educational difficulties
- Lack of parental monitoring
- High rates of family abuse
What are the 6 steps in the dynamic cascade model?
1) Adverse neighbourhood or family conditions
2) Harsh discipline or poor parental monitoring
3) Conduct problems early in school
4) Peer rejection / academic failure
5) Deviant peer associations
6) Persistent antisocial or violent behaviour
What is clinical approached profiling?
- Case focused
- Analysis of evidence gathered
- Single offender based on material
- Experience, training, subjectivity
What is the actuarial approach in profiling?
- Groups of offenders who have committed
similar crimes. - Accumulated data from behavioural pattern
What is a threat assessment?
Determine the validity and seriousness of a threat being carried out by a person or group.
What is a risk assessment?
Estimating the probability that a particular person will harm the self or others
What is Kim Rossmo’s Four hunting patterns (geographical profiling)?
- Hunter
- Poacher
- Troller
- Trapper
What is the basic flaws of profiling?
- Assume human behaviour is consistent
across different situations - Assume that offence style of evidence
gathered is related to personality character - Predictions are ambiguous and unverifiable
- Confirmation bias
What are the three different forms of multiple murder?
1) Serial murder
2) Spree murder
3) Mass murder
What is serial murder?
- An individual who kills 2 or more victims in
distinctly separate events - premeditated and planned
- cooling off period
What is spree murder?
- An individual who kills 3 or more victims
without a cooling off period - Usually two or more locations
- Could be serial or multiple murders
What is mass murder?
- Killing four or more at a single location with
no cooling off period. - Classic & Family types
What is a classic type mass murder?
Perpetrator enters location and randomly kills
What is a family type mass murder?
- At least three family members are killed
- Perpetrator is often another family member
- Sometimes end up in mass murder/ suicide
What is the prevalence on serial murders?
No accurate data on prevalence
What are typical victim selections for serial murders?
- Vulnerability
- Easy availability
- Often not noticed missing
- Strangers
With serial murders, what are the psychological motives?
- No one causal factor
- Media attention
- Not impulsive (deliberate and premeditated)
- Sexual gratification
- Most not delusional / psychotic
What are the Holmes & Deburger’s typology of serial murderes? (4)
- Visionary
- Mission-Oriented
- Hedonistic
- Power/ Control
What is the visionary typology?
Motivated by perceived external factors (visions or voices) which direct violence towards a particular groups of people. (homosexuals, prostitutes, etc)
What is the mission-oriented typology?
Personally chooses a group of people that needs to be destroyed.
What is the Hedonistic typology?
Derive pleasure and excitement from the suffering of others (lust / thrill / gain)
What is the power/control typology?
Satisfaction comes from control over the life or death of another.
Cottingham case. <— graphic
What are characteristics of female serial killers?
- 34 Documented in history, only 1/3 kill strangers. - Actively murder longer than males - Motives often material gain - Method is often poison or pill OD - Health care worker killings
Common forms of serial murders in females are?
- Angel of mercy (kill someone to help them
such as health care killings) - Black Widow (kill lovers to get something like
cheques or claims.)
What are the perpetrator characteristics of a mass murderer?
- Perceive life as a failure
- Interest in guns
- Socially isolated
- Plan to die at scene (Ex: death by cop)
What are the crime characteristics of a mass murderer?
- Triggered by significant loss
- Carefully planned
- Deliberate targets
What is Fox’s & Levin’s (2003) typology of mass murderers?
- Revenge
- Power
- Loyalty
- Profit
- Terror
What are common types of school violence?
- Assault (simple, aggravated)
- Robbery
- Sexual assault
- Shootings
What are the myths about school shootings?
- School violence is an epidemic
- All school shooters are alike
- School shooter is always a loner
- School shootings are motivated by revenge
- Easy access to weapons is a significant factor
- Unusual behaviours or interests are hallmarks
of violent students
What are some school shooter characteristics?
- Peer rejection
- Social rejection
- Lack of protective factors
- Cruelty to animals
- Interest in guns and other weaponry
- Planned attacks
- Intentions made known to others
What are “protective factors?”
- Cognitive developments
- Coping mechanisms
- Social abilities / supports
What are some psychological characteristics of school shooters?
Social rejection (bullying/teasing) PLUS:
- Psych problems (depression, antisocial)
- Interest in guns / weapons
- Fascination with death
What are the different forms of school violence / bullying behaviours?
1) Physical (Hitting, spitting kicking, punching
pushing, taking personal items)
2) Name calling, taunting, teasing, verbal
threats.
3) Spreading rumours, social exclusion,
extortion, intimidation.
