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"Because of the importance of fantasy to sexual homicide, information about a subject's fantasy can be valuable." decide what to do with the body. At this phase, the murderer may first consciously realize the reality of his act. Our questions concentrated on what was done with the body, how the offender left the scene, what (if anything) was taken from the body or the crime scene, and what thoughts and feelings did the murderer experi­ence during these various acts.

Postcrime Phase—A series of be­ haviors occur after a murder. We asked each offender what he did right after the murder (did he wash or change clothes, go out with friends, go to sleep, or eat); how he thought and felt about it; whether he dreamt about it; whether he returned to the crime scene, attended the funeral, read about the murder in the newspa­per; or talked to police. We were careful to include questions about the recovery of the body (did the offender assist police in the recovery, was he present when the body was recov­ered, and was his confession neces­sary for police to find the body).

Specific Techniques

Because of the importance of fantasy to sexual homicide, informa­tion about a subject's fantasy can be valuable. However, people with a longstanding fantasy life may not talk about it easily. Often a low-key ap­proach is successful in encouraging the discussion of the fantasy. A fanta­sy is an elaborate thought with great preoccupation and emotion. The person keeps going back to the thoughts. The subject may only be aware of images, feelings, and inter­nal dialog at certain heightened times.

One of the indications of the presence of a fantasy is the great amount of detail provided by a sub­ject, details that provide the best in­ formation on how the subject oper­ates. For many of the murderers we interviewed, their detailed planning was their statement of superiority, control, and cleverness. The fantasy usually provided a sense of power and control, as well as emotional stimulation. In some instances, the fantasy appeared to protect them from becoming totally disorganized or psychotic.

We discovered this, through interviews, in their reports of becoming enraged when victims 28 / FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin