Dark Side: Homicidal Recidivism

 

Serial homicide has rarely been examined from a global perspective, and empirical studies of serial homicide offenders worldwide are sparse. There is some evidence, however, that German serial homicide offenders differ from the serial killers in the United States. It was shown in a study on German serial homicide offenders that the offenders did not seem to have the same motive for each homicide, and robbery as a motive was as frequent as the sexual motive. Furthermore, the offenders had typically minimal to average intelligence, an emotionally abusive childhood, and a history of criminal behavior. The study also suggested that in Germany these offenders do not rearrange the crime scene, and they rarely leave behind a signature or take trophies.

 

Owing to the lack of research on European homicidal recidivists, the purpose of the present study was to investigate offense and offender characteristics among Finnish recidivistic homicide offenders. Because of the dissent regarding the number of victims needed to define a case as a “serial homicide,” this term is replaced here with “homicidal recidivists.” Some basic questions about homicidal recidivism were explored: whether a set of empirically valid offense characteristics was typical for this group of offenders, and whether such characteristics are in line with previous literature and research on serial homicide.

 

The research was designed to address the following questions.

1. What are the sociodemographic and psychopathological characteristics of recidivistic

homicide offenders?

2. What is the nature of the offender-victim relationship in these offenses?

3. Is homicidal recidivism in Finland associated with sexual and sadistic crime scene

behavior?

The research is empirical and descriptive. Information available in existing police records and forensic psychiatric examination reports is used. Information concerning homicides was obtained from the Finnish National Authority for Medicolegal Affairs (NAMA), which is responsible for organizing the forensic psychiatric evaluations. More than 90% of homicides committed in Finland are solved by the police, and 70% to 85% of all homicide offenders undergo a forensic psychiatric examination.

 

According to Finnish law, courts decide if a forensic psychiatric examination should be conducted. Both the prosecutor and the defense are allowed to request the examination. After deciding that an examination is required, the court asks the NAMA to arrange it. Forensic psychiatric examinations include data gathered from various sources (family members, relatives, medical and criminal records, school and military records), psychiatric evaluation, standardized psychological tests, interviews by a social worker and a psychologist, evaluation of the offender’s physical condition, and observation of the offender by the hospital staff for approximately 2 months. The overall quality and reliability of Finnish forensic psychiatric examinations is considered high by both courts and scientists. The data on homicidal recidivism were obtained retrospectively by examining the history of criminality among offenders who had been subjected to forensic psychiatric examination because of being accused of a homicide. The NAMA’s archives were searched for all homicide cases for the period 1995–2003. Cases in which, according to the examination report, the offender had previously committed a homicide or an attempted homicide were identified and collected for data analysis. The computerized Criminal Index File of the Finnish Police was searched for additional information on the selected cases. The Criminal Index File includes both quantitative data and an open-ended narrative appendix. All cases were retrospectively analyzed for several variables regarding the offense and offender characteristics. The variables correspond to criminological, psychological, sociological, and medical issues that have been defined in accordance with accepted judicial, clinical, and diagnostic standards. The list of variables was the same that has been used and tested.

 

All data reported represent minimum estimates of the actual frequency of the variables studied; it should be noted that the data were collected from sources of information not designed specifically for research. The relation between the victim and the offender was divided into the following groups: (blood) related, (ex)intimate, acquaintance, stranger, and other. A case was referred to the “acquainted” group, if the parties knew each other at least by name or by sight and to the “stranger” group if they did not know each other at all. The ethics committee of the NAMA and the Ministry of Interior approved the study.

 

Most of the homicidal recidivists (84%) had previously been convicted of one (attempted) homicide. Two offenders had two previous convictions of a completed homicide; one offender had two previous convictions of attempted homicides; one had previous convictions of three attempted homicides and one of one homicide and two attempts; and finally, one offender had a previous convictions of three homicides and one attempted homicide.

 

In 89% of the cases the body was found at the crime scene, and in 39% of the cases the offender remained at the scene. The offender was arrested within 24 hours of the killing in slightly more than half of the cases (52%). In 73% of the cases the body was found in an apartment—in nearly half of these cases in the offender’s apartment. In four cases the body was found in an uninhabited area, such as woods or water. None of the cases involved binding, gagging, or any symbolic writing at the scene. Sexual abuse during childhood was present in one case. Altogether, 18% of the parents were known to have mental health problems. In all, there were no indications of parental alcohol abuse, physical or sexual abuse, or parents with mental health problems in only 21% of the offenders.

To conclude, in all the offenders had a history of multiple violent crimes: 88% of them had previously been convicted for an aggravated assault, 84% for theft, 44% for robbery, and 11% for arson. Only one of the offenders had a previous conviction for rape. More than half of the offenders came from families with criminal activity. A history of criminal activity of a parent, parents, or siblings was present in 52% of the cases. Seven offenders (16%) had a relative or family member who had previously been suspected of a homicide.

 

Acknowledgements:

www.politie.nl  and a Chief Inspector – Mr. Henk van Essen©

www.aivd.nl       AIVD – Mr. Erik Akerboom ©

 

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