Criminal Profiling & Serial Killers

Criminal Profiling &
Serial Killers
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Jordan Green & Cecilia de Antueno

What is criminal profiling?
 Construction of a psychological,
behavioral and demographic profile of the
type of person likely to have committed the
crime
 Usually applied to serial crimes (serial

murders, serial rapes…)
First documented case
 New York City 1950’s

 “Mad Bomber”
 Psychiatrist James Brussell constructs a
profile:
 White male, 40’s - 50’s
 Lives with aunt or sister
 Hates father, loves mother
 Will wear double-breasted suit when
apprehended
“Father of profiling”
John Douglas
 25 years with the FBI, Investigative Support
Unit
 Developed profiling techniques now taught in
the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit
 Consulted on Atlanta child murders, Green
River killer, Unabomber
What to look for
 Signature
 Signature - something done to fulfill or satisfy
the offenders emotional state
 Not the same as Modus Operandi
 Modus Operandi - what is needed to

complete the crime
What to look for
 State of the crime scene
 Gives clues about the type of offender
 Age
 Race
 Motive
Organized vs. Disorganized
 Organized crime scene:
 Body is hidden
 Weapon is removed from scene
 Appears to be well-planned
 The victim is specifically targeted
 Restraints often used
 Aggression takes place before death
Organized vs. Disorganized
 Disorganized:
 Body not hidden
 Weapon is present
 Appears to be spontaneous
 Victim may be an acquaintance
 Aggression or sex post-mortem
What does it all mean?
 Organized crime scene suggests an
offender:
 Average or above average IQ
 Employed, usually quite skilled
 Socially competent
 Uses alcohol in commission of crime
 Uses car to drive to crime scene/hunt for
victim
 Obsessed with media coverage of his crimes
What does it all mean?
 Disorganized crime scene suggests an
offender:
 Below average IQ
 Unstable employment record, unskilled
 Socially isolated
 Lives close to crime scene
 Strict discipline as a child
 Extremely anxious
Criminal Profiling
 Statistics from FBI (1981)
 88 cases solved using profiling out of 192
 17% of these cases were solved by profiling
ALONE
 Canada & Profiling

 VICLAS (violent crime linkage analysis)
 Computer matches crimes with similar
characteristics
Canada & Profiling
 New technique developed by Canadians:

Geographic profiling
 Determine offender’s location by studying the

location of the crime scenes
 Computer program generates offender’s most

likely location & possible future target areas
Serial Killers
Definition of a Serial Killer
 Murder of three or more persons
 Involves a distinctive “cooling off” period
 Can be days to months to years
 Differs from Mass Murder (3+ persons

killed together) & Spree Killing (3+
persons killed in short period of time at
different locations)
Typical serial killer
 White male
 Late 20’s to early 30’s
 Kills within his own race
 Method of murder is “hands on”
(strangulation or stabbing)
 Victims selected because they share
specific characteristics (for example, Ted
Bundy chose young women with long
hair, parted in the middle)
The Lust Murderer:
subtype of a serial killer
 Sadistic and brutal crime

 Committed almost exclusively against
women
 Two types of offenders:
 Organized Nonsocial
 Disorganized Asocial
Organized Nonsocial
 Indifferent to the well-being of others
 Self-centered and narcissistic
 Manipulative and cunning
 Lives away from crime scene
 Crime appears controlled, methodical
 Pre and post-mortem mutilation and
torture
Organized Nonsocial
 Evidence of necrophilia
 Returns to crime scene to see status of
investigation
 Wants his crime to outrage the community;
feels he is “getting even” with society
Disorganized Asocial
 Described by others as a “loner”
 Inexperienced in relationships, unable to
socialize
 Crime is committed in a frenzied manner
 Lives close to crime scene because he
feels safe and secure in his own
neighborhood
 Weapon of opportunity - demonstrates
lack of plan
Disorganized Asocial
 Post-mortem mutilation
 Biting or slashing of breasts, genitals
 Insertion of foreign objects

 “an inquisitive child with a new toy”
 Exploring how body works
 Returns to crime scene often to continue

mutilation
Example of lust killers
 James Russell Odom & James Clayton
Lawson
 Met in a mental institution
 Talked about their fantasies regarding women:
Odom raping and Lawson mutilating
 Their crime:
 Kidnapped, raped and brutally mutilated a
woman
Lust Killers
 Lawson quoted as saying:
 I wanted to cut her body so she would not

look like a person and destroy her so she
would not exist.
 I did not rape the girl. I only wanted to
destroy her.
Profiling a Serial Killer: “The
Trailside Killer”
 San Francisco Mount Tamalpais August

1979
 Edda Kane (44 years) found dead
 Facedown, kneeling position
 Single gunshot wound to back of head
 No evidence of sexual assault
 No robbery
Trailside Killer
 March 1980
 Barbara Schwartz (23 years)
 Stabbed in chest
 Naked, kneeling position
 October 1980
 Anne Alderson (26 years)
 Shot in head
 BUT: not naked, not kneeling
Trailside Killer
 November 1980
 Shauna May (25 years)
 Found in a shallow grave NEXT TO Diana O’
Connell (22 years) who had been missing for
one month
 Both shot in head
Trailside Killer
 Same day: two more bodies
 Richard Stowers (19 years) and fiancee

Cynthia Moreland (18 years)
 Determined to have been killed the same
weekend as Anne Alderson in mid-October
Trailside Killer
 March 1981
 Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

 Ellen Marie Hansen (20) & Steven Haertle
 Threatened to rape Ellen, shot & killed her
when she protested
 Steven was shot but survived
 Able to give a description of the man
Trailside Killer: Constructing
a profile (John Douglas)
 Crime scenes in secluded areas only
accessible by foot: Killer was comfortable
in area, a local
 Victims attacked from rear in blitz-style

attack: Killer was asocial, not able to
charm victims with conversation. Blitz-style
attack was the only way he could control
victims
a profile
 Victims ranged in ages and
appearance: Killer didn’t know victims.
He is acting out a fantasy
 Victims were white: Killer is white
 Able to evade police: Low to mid 30’s
 Probably spent time in jail, possibly
attempted rape
 Blue-collar work
a profile
 Very intelligent
 Not random act - precipitating stressor
 History of bed-wetting, fire-starting
and/or cruelty to animals (as a child)
 SPEECH IMPEDIMENT
 Secluded, didn’t want to be seen
 Relied on over-powering victim
 Indicates a disability, but unlikely physical
because was able to control victim
Trailside Killer Caught
 David Carpenter
 White male, 50 (*profile of age incorrect)

 Industrial arts teacher
 History of attacking women and served jail
time
 Domineering and abusive mother
 Bed-wetting & cruelty to animals as a child
 SEVERE STUTTER
You be the profiler:
The Silence of the Lambs

Criminal Profiling & Serial Killers

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Criminal Profiling &

QuickTime™ and a QuickTime™ and a

Jordan Green & Cecilia de Antueno

 Usually applied to serial crimes (serial

 New York City 1950’s

 Modus Operandi - what is needed to

 Gives clues about the type of offender

 Canada & Profiling

 New technique developed by Canadians:

 Determine offender’s location by studying the

 Computer program generates offender’s most

 Differs from Mass Murder (3+ persons

 Sadistic and brutal crime

 Insertion of foreign objects

 Returns to crime scene often to continue

 Lawson quoted as saying:

 I wanted to cut her body so she would not

 San Francisco Mount Tamalpais August

 Richard Stowers (19 years) and fiancee

 Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

 Victims attacked from rear in blitz-style

 White male, 50 (*profile of age incorrect)

The Silence of the Lambs

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