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

VICTIMS 283
Also, the number of place-specific offenders has decreased, in part because of
methods of killing. Poisons such as arsenic and cyanide, once commonly used by
women killers to murder their families and friends, are now more easily detected.
Consequently, between 1975 and 2004 the number of victims killed by placespecific
offenders in this study declined significantly. The percentage of victims
killed by local offenders between 1975 and 2004 increased noticeably. There was
also a smaller decline in the number of victims killed by traveling offenders during
this time.
Two major 20th-century homicide studies by Wolfgang (1958) and Po-korny
(1965) found that the number of victims of homicides was divided almost equally
between those killed in the home and those killed in areas outside the home. By
the end of the 20th century, patterns in serial murder were well established. Victims
were more likely to be killed away from their homes, suggesting that they may be
vulnerable in areas of the community where their assailants have easy access.
According to the numbers for the three mobility groups in Table 10.4, placespecific
cases were the least common and were responsible for the smallest percentage
of homicides but represented the greatest average number of victims per case. These
findings contradict the general belief that serial killers are primarily offenders who
travel across the United States, murdering many victims as they go. According to
these data, perhaps a greater area of concern should be focused on serial killing in
hospitals, nursing homes, and private residences.
A commonly held notion about serial murder is that offenders have a tendency
to operate in pairs or groups, making the abduction and/or killing of a
victim an easier task. Of the 431 offenders surveyed, 27% had at least one partner
in committing their homicides. Although the number of team offenders in this
study is significant, the majority of offenders apprehended tended to commit
their murders alone.
Another important issue concerns the types of victims serial killers single out.
One of the most common beliefs concerning serial killing is that the offender
often develops a pattern in his or her modus operandi. However, to a great extent
the offender’s behavior is directly related to the type of victim selected. For homicides
in general, victimologists agree that sometimes the offender and the victim
are “partners in crime”—or at least that the victim can precipitate his or her
own demise. Many domestic disputes that lead to fatalities are initiated by the
victim. Karmen (2004) refers to this notion of shared responsibility as victim
blaming. Homicides in general often include this element, especially because of
the prior relationship of the victim to the offender. In Wolfgang’s (1958) study
and Pokorny’s (1965) Cleveland study, a replication of Wolfgang’s work, the
findings showed a similar pattern. In both studies, those directly involved in the
homicide were usually family relatives or close friends. A common assumption,
however, is that victims of serial murder are killed primarily by strangers. Using
the three categories of family, acquaintances, and strangers as potential victims,
Figure 10.2 indicates that stranger-to-stranger serial homicides increased markedly
between 1950 and 2004. According to these data, the number of offenders killing
at least one stranger continued to increase until 2004.