Criminal and Behavioral Aspects of Juvenile Sexual Homicide

Abstract

This preliminary research provides a descriptive, systematic study of juvenile sexual homicide. Fourteen incarcerated juveniles, identified through a department of corrections computer search, were assessed using a structured diagnostic interview, an author-designed clinical interview, and a review of correctional files and other available records. Five of the offenders' victims survived the homicidal attack, but their cases were nevertheless included in this study as the offenders' intent was clearly to kill their victim, and the victim's survival was merely by chance. All victims were female and all offenders were male. Their crimes typically occurred in the afternoon, and involved a low-risk victim of the same race who lived in the offender's neighborhood. The sexual component of the crime consisted of vaginal rape in over one-half of the cases. Weapons, typically a knife or bludgeon, were used in all but one case. Thirteen of these youths had a prior history of violence, and twelve had previous arrests. Chaotic, abusive backgrounds and poor adjustment in school were typical for these boys. A conduct disorder diagnosis was present in twelve of the youths, and violent sexual fantasies were experienced by one-half of the sample. The findings in this study suggest that juvenile sexual murderers comprise less than 1% of juvenile murderers, and are likely to be an emotionally and behaviorally disturbed population with serious familial, academic, and environmental vulnerabilities.

An exploration of the current knowledge on young people who kill: A systematic review

“…In addition to the work of Heide (1997Heide ( , 1999Heide ( , 2003, other studies have examined the criminal involvement of parents (Busch, Zagar, Hughes, Arbit & Bussell, 1990;Lindberg et al, 2009;Zagar, Arbit, Sylvies, Busch & Hughes, 1990), gang membership Zagar et al, 1990), and previous arrests (Carter, 1999;Myers, Burgess & Nelson, 1998;Zagar & Grove, 2010).…”

An Empirical Analysis of 30 Years of U.S. Juvenile and Adult Sexual Homicide Offender Data: Race and Age Differences in the Victim–Offender Relationship

“…Most sexual homicidal offenders in these studies were White (60–95%) and committed intra‐racial killings (41–45). Same race victim selection was particularly true in a study of 14 juvenile sexual murderers, most of whom were White (46); 86% selected intra‐racial victims.…”

A neuropsychiatric developmental model of serial homicidal behavior

“…In autistic serial killers such a maladaptive psychological infrastructure may facilitate the emergence of mental phenomena involving an integrated set of symbols resulting in a unified theme or story that may be a prelude or substitute for action, that is, fantasy formation. Some investigators have proposed that long-standing sexual fantasies constitute a necessary component in the development of many sexual serial killers (Prentky et al, 1989;Schlesinger, 2004;Miller, 2000;Myers, Burgess, & Nelson, 1998;Ressler et al, 1988). However, the specific clinical factors underlying fantasy development that may lead to serial killing have not been sufficiently studied in a systematic manner.…”