Sexual Murder - Justicia Forense

Table 10.2BurglariesDifferentiating Characteristics of Fetish and VoyeuristicType of Burglary Sexual Dynamics BehaviorsFetishVoyeuristicOvert: stimulatedby sexualattraction tononliving objectsCovert: stimulatedby urge to lookFetishism (begins in late childhood).Burglary to get fetish objects (begins inadolescence). Steals objects, commonlyfemale underwear, shoes, hairbrushes;sometimes soils premises.Voyeurism (begins in late childhood).Burglary with urge to look and inspectpremises (begins in adolescence). Stealsobjects of minimal value; stealing isrationalized.Source: From Schlesinger, L.B., Serial Offenders: Current Thought, Recent Findings, CRC Press,Boca Raton, FL, 2000, p. 9. With permission.killed in their residences, 77% were killed by an individual who had a historyof burglary. These findings not only have clinical interest but significantinvestigative implications as well.The combination of fetishism, voyeurism, and burglary occurs in thecase histories of numerous compulsive murderers. Frequently, an author listsburglaries in an offender’s background information without realizing thesignificance of this behavior and its connection to sexual murder. Table 10.3lists 14 fairly notorious compulsive murderers who had a history of fetish orvoyeuristic burglary. In fact, 30% of them were apprehended not for committinga murder but for committing a burglary.Therefore, adolescent burglaries — particularly those committed soloand under bizarre circumstances — where material gain is minimal or rationalized,often have a strong underlying sexual basis with ominous significance.In some cases, voyeurism in adolescence is preceded by an obsessiveinterest in pornography, which is, in essence, “voyeurism lite.” Ted Bundy,who was alleged to have killed 40 women, claimed his problem began withpornography. Rather than being another example of Bundy’s lying — whichhad been assumed when he made this comment just prior to his execution— his claim provides useful information regarding the genesis of his actingout. In this case, Bundy’s obsessive interest in pornography escalated, and hewent on to commit acts of voyeurism, which then led to burglary, sexualassault, and finally sexual homicide.10.1.2.9 Unprovoked Attacks on Females, Associatedwith Generalized Misogynous EmotionsUnprovoked aggression against females, even if relatively minor, often precedesa compulsive homicide by weeks, months, or sometimes many years.