Exploration of Crime Scene Characteristics in Cyber-Related Homicides

Abstract

Despite the alarming nature of homicides in which the offender meets the victim online, or cyber-initiated homicides, little empirical attention has been devoted to this phenomenon. The present study was designed to explore the behavioral patterns found prior to and during a cyber-initiated homicide event. Data on 61 homicide cases from various countries were collected through news media and legal sources. Smallest space analysis revealed that cyber homicides were characterized by four distinct themes: excessive violence, fatal escalation, crime-related incidents, and predatory behavior. Implications of the findings and avenues for future research are discussed.

Homicide and the Internet

“…The Internet may function as a source of information about potential homicide victims and may also provide a means of obtaining or interacting with victims. A number of Internet‐related homicide cases have involved online dating, where the perpetrator's initial intent in arranging a meeting was not to commit murder, but wherein a victim's refusal of sexual activity was met by violent rage (Gerard et al., 2020). The studies by Yardley and Wilson (2015) and Liem and Geelen (2019) both describe cases in which the Internet was used as a tool for targeting homicide victims.…”

“…Although predatory murders do not make up the majority of Internet‐related homicides, social media and ICT often play an important role in such cases: “Online grooming of young people that leads to an offline encounter leaves youth very vulnerable to homicide victimization, because the meeting is likely to take place in an environment controlled by the adult offender, and many grooming victims are seen merely as objects to be exploited by their offenders” (Gerard et al., 2020, p. 50). Cautionary tales about the dangers of the Internet often cite examples of so‐called “Craigslist killers” who allegedly located their victims through classified advertisements on the web (Gerard et al., 2020; Goode, 2011; Goodnough, 2009; Liem & Geelen, 2019). Several serial killers and other homicide offenders have used online dating sites or applications (apps) such as Grindr to identify and locate victims (Liem & Geelen, 2019), but these circumstances represent a small proportion of homicide cases in which the offender's Internet use was relevant.…”

“…Several serial killers and other homicide offenders have used online dating sites or applications (apps) such as Grindr to identify and locate victims (Liem & Geelen, 2019), but these circumstances represent a small proportion of homicide cases in which the offender's Internet use was relevant. Catfishing (using fake social media profiles or similar tools to gain someone's trust through deception) has also played a role in several homicides that have received detailed coverage in the news media (Gerard et al., 2020; Liem & Geelen, 2019).…”

“…Occasionally, such disputes involve conflict between persons who are not known to one another outside of the Internet but who subsequently meet offline to settle their disputes, sometimes violently. Gerard, Khatchatryan, and Browning (2020) found that over 40% of cyber‐related homicides could be classified as this type of “fatal escalation” case.…”

“…In a more recent study, Gerard et al. (2020) reviewed 61 cases of cyber‐related homicides in multiple countries reported in news media in various languages from 2000 to 2017. They employed a narrow definition of “cyber‐related homicide” for the purposes of their review: “a homicide event that occurs during the first face‐to‐face meeting between two or more people who became acquainted online” (p. 46).…”