Page:FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 54 (8).pdf/22

 "Fantasy and ritual dominate with the organized offender..." often found during searches of the subject's residence, indicating the of­ fender followed the criminal investiga­tion in the newspaper.

Crime Scene

The initial observation at the crime scene of an organized offender is that some semblance of order exist­ed prior, during, and after the offense. This scene of methodical organization suggests a carefully planned crime that is aimed at deterring detection.

Although the crime may be planned, the victim is frequently a stranger and is targeted because he or she is in a particular location staked out by the offender. In this sense, the victim becomes a victim of opportunity. Victims of serial murder­ers have been noted to share common characteristics. The offender often has a preference for a particular type of victim, and thus, may spend considerable time searching for the "right" victim. As one offender said: "I'm a night person. Plenty of times that I went out looking, but never came across nothing and just went back home. I'd sit waiting, and as I was waiting, I was reliving all the others."

Common characteristics of vic­tims selected by an individual murder­er may include age, appearance, oc­cupation, hairstyle, or lifestyle. Target­ed victims in this sample included ad­olescent male youths, hitchhiking col­lege coeds, nurses, women frequent­ ing bars, women sitting in automobiles with male companions, and solitary women driving two-door cars.

The organized offender is socially adept and may engage in conversa­tion or a pseudo-relationship with the victim as a prelude to the attack. Of­fenders may use impersonation as a method to gain access to a victim. The offender's demeanor is not usual­ly suspicious. He may be average or above average in appearance, height and weight; he may be dressed in a business suit, uniform, or neat, casual attire. In the organized style of attack, aimed at gaining the confidence of the victim, there is first the effort to use verbal means to capture the victim rather than physical force. The organized offender frequently uses his or the victim's vehicle in the offense.

Rape, as well as murder, may be the planned crime. Murder is always a possibility following rape; the assailant threatens the victim's life and bran­ dishes a weapon. Sexual control is continued past conversation to de­mands for specific types of reactions (fear, passivity) during the sexual as­sault. When the victim's behavior stops being passive and compliant, aggression may be increased by the offender.

Control over the victim is also noted in the use of restraints, such as a rope, chain, tape, belt, clothing, chemical, handcuffs, gag, and blindfold. The way weapons are used may suggest a sadistic element in the of­ fender's plan. The killing is eroticized, as in torture where death comes in a slow, deliberate manner. The power over another person's life is seen in one example in which a murderer de­scribed tightening and loosening the rope around the victim's neck as he watched the victim slip in and out of a conscious state.

Fantasy and ritual dominate with the organized offender; obsessive, compulsive traits surface in the be­havior and/or crime scene patterns. The offender often brings a weapon with him to the crime, taking it with him upon departure. He carefully avoids leaving evidence behind and often moves the body from the death scene.

While sexual acts are part of the fantasy planning of the crime, murder may not be a conscious motive until there is a triggering cue. This is illus­trated by one murderer's following statement:

""I had thought about killing her ... saying what am I going to do when this is over. Am I going to let her go so she can call the cops and get me busted again? So when she took off running-that decided it in my mind that killing her was what I was going to do.""

Case Example of an Organized Offender

The following case: involves the rapes and murders of five women by one juvenile offender:

Victim 1: A woman in her late 20's was found about 150 yards into a wooded culvert area outside her apartment. Her car was found in the parking lot.

Recreating the scene, police speculated that the victim was ap­proached after she parked her car. It was known she arrived home late at night from work. She was found in a stream after being assaulted, drowned, and strangled. Her head had been held under water while she was being strangled. There was no evidence of severe beating to the body; although some defense wounds were present, mutilation did not occur.

The only item taken from the victim was a ring of little value. The victim was found partially clothed. Her shoes, found further down the trail, suggested the location of the sexual 20 / FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin