week 6

Question 1

What distinguishes serial, spree, and mass murders?

Answer 1

Serial Murder: 3+ murders with cooling-off periods/ Spree Murder: Multiple killings without cooling-off, across locations/ Mass Murder: 3+ victims in one location, no cooling-off.

Question 2

What are the four classifications of homicidal offenders?

Answer 2

1. Criminal Enterprise: Motivated by material gain.
2. Personal Cause: Driven by strong emotions. 3. Sexual Homicide: Contains a sexual element. 4. Group Cause: Linked to shared ideologies.

Question 3

How do serial killers typically select their victims?

Answer 3

They target vulnerable people who are easy to access, such as sex workers, runaways, and socially isolated individuals.

Question 4

What are the three components in Schlesinger’s theory of serial homicide?

Answer 4

1. Sexual Sadism.
2. Intense Fantasy.
3. Compulsion to act on fantasy.