How to Describe a Crime Scene
People ask me why I use the terms “Organized,” “Disorganized” and “Mixed” for describing criminals. The practice dates to when I first began research into the mind of the killer. Then, I noticed that the behavioralists were using psychological jargon — “psychopaths,” “antisocial,” “sociopath” — to describe basically the same person. These terms were very confusing to me as well as to others in law enforcement.
Serial Killer Edmund Kemper’s Trophies
Reliving the Crime Extends the Fantasy
Killers like to take trophies and souvenirs from their victims. Keeping some memento — a lock of hair, jewelry, newspaper clips of the crime — helps prolong, even nourish, their fantasy of the crime. In my research, I’ve seen this happen again and again.
Here’s what to look for in an investigation: Is there anything missing that belongs to the victim? Often police will mistakenly look for valuable missing items. But I’m not talking about a stereo component — that’s an impersonal item. I’m talking about something more personal — a ring, earrings, even costume jewelry — something the victim was wearing at the time of the crime.
Humiliation, Rejection, Inadequacy
Ask a woman what her greatest fear is, and she’ll tell you it’s finding herself in a situation where she’s alone and under attack. Ask a man the same question — his greatest fear is of being humiliated, especially in front of others.
When a young boy feels disgraced, rejected or backed into a corner, you may see a fight break out in the playground. It might be over something silly, like a Twinkie or marbles, but it’s really more about trying to recoup after losing face. You’ll see the same kind of thing between leaders in warring countries. Strategy over an escalation to war or a return to peace may really be a face-saving scenario.
Experience Brings Sophistication to Their Methods
How does a profiler determine a killer’s age? Among the characteristics we profile, it is always one of the hardest to pin down because emotional age and experiential age don’t always match up with chronological years.
But the rule of thumb is: the older the victim, the younger the subject.
Learning About the Crime and the Killer
John Douglas Interviews Edmund Kemper
In order to understand the artist, you have to look at the artwork. It’s the same thing with killers — you really have to study the crime. You have to look at how it was done and then you can begin to understand why.
