“Drop the Body”: Body Disposal Patterns in Sexual Homicide

Abstract

The current study investigates body disposal patterns in sexual homicide and examines whether offender’s behavior differ between solved and unsolved cases. To address these two research questions in line with rational choice perspective, a series of logistic regression analyses was conducted on a sample of 250 solved, and 100 unsolved sexual homicide cases in Canada. Within solved cases, results show that if victim is a prostitute, body found concealed, and found lying face down, it is likely the body was moved. For unsolved cases, the role of victim as a prostitute, and body recovered outdoors suggest that the body was moved. Further, results indicate that post-crime phase factors predicted the most whether the victim’s body was moved in solved cases. Whereas within unsolved cases, crime-phase factors contributed the most at predicting whether the body was moved post-homicide. Theoretical and practical implications from this study are discussed.

Body dismemberment in sexual homicide cases: lust murder or rational decision?

“…In order to explore this question, we conducted multivariate analyses to identify which type of behaviors are associated with criminal dismemberment. Our findings allow to determine that criminal dismemberment was more strongly associate with lust murder (i.e., sexual gratification in the act of killing) characteristics (Aggrawal, 2009(Aggrawal, , 2010Holmes, 2017;Holmes & Holmes, 2002a;Holmes & Holmes, 2002b;Purcell & Arrigo, 2006) than with detection avoidance strategies used by SHOs Chai et al, 2020;Chopin et al, 2020).…”

“…Body recovery and forensic awareness strategies. Several studies suggested that SHOs could be forensically aware and could use criminal dismemberment as a strategy to try to avoid police detection Chai et al, 2020;Chopin et al, 2020;Dogan et al, 2010;Holmes, 2017;Petreca et al, 2020;Püschel & Koops, 1987;Ziemke, 1918). To test the association between criminal dismemberment and the offenders' ability to avoid police detection, we used a total of seven variables describing the postcrime phase.…”

Psychological contributions to cold case investigations: A systematic review

“…Table 1 summarizes the key features of the studies included within the systematic review categorized as preventative methods. Four studies [ 17 , [19] , [20] , [21] ] examined criminal offenses with a sexual motive (sexual homicide, rape, and other sexual offenses), one focused on contract killings [ 13 ] and one [ 73 ] investigated general homicide.…”

Sexual Homicide and Its Investigation: New Perspectives to Improve Police Practices

“…Findings indicated that sadistic/organized sexual murderers are more likely to use a vehicle, transport their victim by utilizing multiple crime scenes, choosing locations that are farther away from their homes, and tend to conceal the victim's body. Moreover, the presence of an accomplice and the access to a vehicle predict the victim's body disposal as well as the fact that sex trade workers are more likely to be moved from the crime location (Chai et al, 2020;Hewitt et al, 2017).…”

“…Despite the commission of apparently irrational acts, several studies demonstrated that sexual murderers followed a rational choice approach (see e.g., Chai et al, 2020;Chopin & Beauregard, 2020d;Chopin, Beauregard, & Bitzer, 2020). In other words, the rational choice approach (Cornish & Clarke, 1986, 1987 states that offenders make decisions to gain more than what it costs to commit the crime.…”