RT Article
T1 Does the Number of Victims Matter in Defining Serial Murder? An Analysis of Homicide Behavioral Characteristics in US Cases from 1985–2016
JF Victims & offenders
VO 19
IS 4
SP 641
OP 655
A1 Vincent, Jolene
A1 Williams, D J
A1 Huff-Corzine, Lin
A1 Corzine, Jay
A2 Williams, D J
A2 Huff-Corzine, Lin
A2 Corzine, Jay
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1888231610
AB Historically, definitions of serial murder in the academic and professional literature vary, sometimes considerably, based on numbers of victims, offender intent, and presence or absence of a psychological “cooling-off period.” To date, an agreed upon definition remains elusive. This study uses a multinomial regression analysis to examine important homicidal behavioral characteristics of serial killers (N = 1,258) in the US concerning offenders who killed two victims compared to counterparts who murdered three, four or five, and six or more victims, respectively. Important case characteristics between categories are observed and discussed. Findings support definitional recommendations that include a minimum victim threshold of three.
K1 Classification
K1 Victimization
K1 serial killing
K1 serial murder
K1 Homicide
DO 10.1080/15564886.2022.2150347