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

SERIAL MURDER FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 339
a 1989 crime victimization survey of 14 developed countries, 29% of the U.S.
households owned a handgun, while no other nation had a handgun-ownership
rate higher than 7% (Dijk, Mayhew, & Killias, 1991). In contrast, Aki (2003) found
that shooting was least likely to be the chosen killing method among Japanese
serial offenders because of unavailability of guns (possession of firearms is illegal
in Japan). Only five Japanese offenders used firearms as deadly weapons; these
offenders obtained guns either by stealing from a police officer or from a U.S.
military base. Japanese offenders were far more likely to kill for financial gain
than their U.S. counterparts.
Sexual Activities
American serial killers were slightly more likely to be involved in postmortem activities
including mutilation. American offenders were also nearly twice as likely to
exhibit paraphilic interests and were much more likely to be ritualistic in their process
of murder. For example, American serial killers were more likely to collect
body parts and record or photograph their crimes. In a rare Japanese case,
Tsutomu Miyazaki, a sexual predator, killed and mutilated four young girls for his
sexual pleasure. During one of his murders he cooked and ate the hands of a child
victim. However, lust murders were found to be relatively rare in Japan. Aki (2003)
also found that in some cases of Japanese serial murder there were no records of
prior offenses, especially for sex crimes. Without prior arrest records, law enforcement
personnel have much more difficulty in conducting their investigations.
SERIAL MURDER IN SOUTH AFRICA
Murder and how it is differentially expressed is often rooted in culture. South
Africa, for example, reports a variety of homicides that are similar to those in the
United States, including domestic murders, sexual predator killings, and mass murders.
South Africa has a murder rate over seven times that of the United States. In
2000 there were approximately 18,000 murders in the United States, a country of
260 million people. South Africa, with 43 million people, reports approximately
21,000 to 23,000 murders per year (for current statistics see the SAPS website
www.saps.gov.za). To sort out and investigate the more unique of these murders
and other crimes, South Africa has formed, as in many countries, a special unit to
assist with crimes that appear to have psychological motivation.
The Investigative Psychology Unit of the
Criminal Records and Forensic Science Services Division
of the South African Police Service
The Investigative Psychology Unit (IPU), which was formed in 1996, is headed
by Senior Superintendent Gerard Labuschagne, who teaches Psychologically
Motivated Crimes courses to homicide and sexual offences investigators. The