Serial Murderers and their Victims, 5th ed. - Brainshare Public ...

30 CHAPTER 1
stimulated not by insanity or economic circumstances but by “behavioral rewards
and penalties.” The “patterns of learning” are related to “significant others” who
in some way reinforce homicidal behavior. A second assumption involves an “intrinsic
locus of motives,” whereby motives are explained as something only the
offender can appreciate because they exist entirely in his or her own mind. Most
“normal” people have great difficulty in fathoming why someone would want to
kill other people. However, in the mind of the killer the motivations are often very
meaningful. In a final assumption, Holmes and DeBurger explain that the reward
for killing is generally psychological even though some killers may benefit materially
from their crimes. According to these “core characteristics” Holmes and
DeBurger (1988) identify the following four types of serial killers:
1. Visionary Type—such murderers kill in response to the commands of
voices or visions usually emanating from the forces of good or evil. These
offenders are often believed to be suffering from some form of psychosis.
2. Mission-Oriented Type—these offenders believe it is their mission in life
to rid the community or society of certain groups of people. Some killers
may target the elderly, whereas others may seek out prostitutes, children, or
a particular racial/ethnic group.
3. Hedonistic Type—offenders in this category are usually stereotyped as
“thrill seekers,” those who derive some form of satisfaction from the
murders. Holmes and DeBurger also identified subcategories in this typology,
including those who kill for “creature comforts” or “pleasure of life.”
This would include individuals such as Dorothea Montalvo Puente of
Sacramento, California, who was arrested in November 1988 for
allegedly poisoning to death at least seven destitute elderly victims in order
to cash their social security checks. Another subcategory Holmes and
DeBurger refer to is “lust murderers,” which includes offenders who
become sexually involved with the victims and often perform postmortem
mutilations.
4. Power/Control-Oriented Type—in this typology Holmes and DeBurger
contend that the primary source of pleasure is not sexual, but the killer’s
ability to control and exert power over his helpless victim. Some offenders
enjoy watching their victims cower, cringe, and beg for mercy. In one case
an offender killed his young victims only after he had been able to break
their will to survive. Once the victim had acquiesced, the offender would
complete his task and slaughter him or her.
These general classifications of serial killers are useful in organizing existing
data. Such motivational taxonomies help us to understand why certain offenders
take the lives of their victims. Levin and Fox (1985) have also constructed types
of serial murders including sexual or sadistic killings that appear to mirror
Holmes and DeBurger’s subcategory of “lust murders.” Another typology similar
to Holmes and DeBurger’s hedonistic subtypes is described by Levin and Fox as
murders of expediency or for profit (1985, pp. 99–105). Their third typology
identifies “family slayings” as a major category of murder. This type does not