Strangulation in sexual homicide: Is it opportunity, victim's vulnerability or sadism?

Kim, Anny; Beauregard, Éric; Chopin, Julien

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2023.102488

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Although a significant portion of sexual homicides involves the use of weapons 67 , the articles revealed that sexual murderers showed a preference for strangulation, asphyxiation, or beating 8,12 . An exceptional situation was described only by Myers et al 42 , with five cases of sexual homicide resulting from autoerotic asphyxiation, four in the US and one in Russia, all associated with the offender's sexual sadism.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar to other violent crimes, sexual homicides can be committed using weapons. However, strangulation, asphyxiation, or beating appear to be more common in sexual homicides 12,13 . Men are generally identified as the main perpetrators 7 , with a wide range of thoughts and emotions motivating them for the crime, from planning and choosing the victim to the outcome of an impulsive and furious act 4,14,15 .…”

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confidence: 97%

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What do we know about the perpetrators of sexual homicide of adult victims? A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis

Vitória Barros Moreira,

França Visoto,

Rayanne E. Silva Noll

et al. 2024

jhgd

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Introduction: sexual homicide is defined as lethal violence associated with sexual elements or motivations, predominantly perpetrated by men against women. Despite being a less frequent crime, there is a growing clinical and forensic interest in its specificities and the characteristics of the aggressor. Objective: to review the scientific literature on men who commit sexual homicide against adult victims. Methods: systematic review with MeSH ((“Sex Offenses”[Mesh]) AND “Homicide”[Mesh]) in the databases of MEDLINE, LILACS, MENDELEY and SciELO, between 1992 and 2023. The PICO strategy was used with the studied population (male sexual offenders), intervention (homicide of adult victims), context (sexual violence), and outcome (potential relationship between the issues). The stages of article selection and analysis involved two independent researchers. Original studies were included, excluding reviews, editorials, conference proceedings, books and chapters, theses, and dissertations. The selected articles were presented through qualitative meta-synthesis. Results: of the 70 selected articles, 66 articles (94.2%) adopted quantitative methods, 2 (2.9%) qualitative design, and 2 (2.9%) case reports. We found 41 articles (58.6%) conducted in North America and 22 articles (31.4%) in Europe, totaling 63 articles (90.0%). Another five articles (7.1%) were from Asia, one (1.4%) from Africa, and one (1.4%) from Oceania. In 52 articles (74.3%), there was an emphasis on aspects related to psychiatric, behavioral, or psychological disorders of the perpetrator, sexual sadism, or forms of sexual violence or lethal outcomes employed. Conclusion: sexual homicidal men possess characteristics that set them apart from other homicidal offenders or those who commit sexual violence, directing their crimes towards a heterogeneous group of adult victims. Studies have focused on the psychiatric and behavioral disorders of the perpetrator, as well as the relationship with traumatic experiences in childhood.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 97%

What do we know about the perpetrators of sexual homicide of adult victims? A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis

Vitória Barros Moreira,

França Visoto,

Rayanne E. Silva Noll

et al. 2024

jhgd

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Several other similarities to previous studies on child SHOs were also found, including the presence of deviant sexual fantasies prior to the offense, the use of restraints, strangulation/asphyxiation, and the hiding of the victim's body (Beauregard et al., 2008; Beauregard & Proulx, 2002; Darjee & Baron, 2018; Dietz et al., 1990; Page et al., 2022; Spehr et al., 2010; Stefanska et al., 2015). The finding that child SHOs more commonly used strangulation/asphyxiation as method of killing may indicate a heightened preference for a close and intimate homicide or alternatively reflect the opportunistic nature of these crimes and child victims being less likely to have a physically strong build (Eichinger & Darjee, 2021; Kim et al., 2023). The overall similar levels of sexual sadism found in both subtypes of SHOs could explain why Australian and New Zealand SHOs did not differ regarding the premeditation of their crimes and the dismembering of their victims' bodies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing child and adult sexual homicides in Australia and New Zealand: A retrospective study

Ricono‐Kaufhold,

Czarnietzki,

Darjee

et al. 2024

Behavioral Sci & The Law

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The present study examined distinctions between child (n = 30) and adult (n = 212) sexual homicide offenders (SHOs) in Australia and New Zealand, contributing to the limited international research on the subject. Data, primarily sourced from judges' sentencing comments on AustLII and New Zealand Legal Information Institute, revealed significant differences. Child SHOs displayed elevated rates of pedophilia, sexual deviance, and adverse childhood experiences, including sexual abuse. They were more likely to be married, cohabitate, and target familial victims. Their crimes were more often committed during daylight and outdoors, involving tactics such as victim conning, restraints, strangulation, and hiding victim's bodies. No significant group differences emerged regarding offenders' psychopathy or sexual sadism scores. Results were interpreted in line with child SHOs' deviant sexual preferences and the routine activity theory. The study, as the first investigating child sexual homicides in Australia and New Zealand, sets the foundation for an evidence‐based approach to policy and practice.

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“…The significance of particular variables and their association with a naked disposal is not surprising when examined through the lens of sexually sadistic behaviors. For instance, asphyxiation is the most common method of death used among sadistic SHOs (Kim et al , 2023) so it follows that it is also associated with a naked disposal, as leaving the body naked could be viewed as another way to further humiliate the victim (Chopin and Beauregard, 2022). Similarly, overkill is frequently seen in sadistic crimes not only as a potential investigative awareness tactic to hide the identity of the victim, but also to shock whomever finds the body, which the offender can garner additional pleasure from (Chopin and Beauregard, 2021a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Naked body disposal: an indicator of the type of sexual homicide

Georgoulis,

Beauregard,

Chopin

2023

JCP

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate whether sexual homicide offenders (SHO) who dispose of the victim’s body naked present with particular crime scene characteristics. Design/methodology/approach This study aims to answer this question through the use of a sequential logistic regression to test the individual effects of each set of crime scene variables against the manner of disposal using a sample of 662 solved cases of extrafamilial sexual homicide from an international database. Findings Results demonstrated that the modus operandi behaviors of sexual penetration, asphyxiation, dismemberment and overkill were significantly associated with the body being disposed of naked. In addition, removing or destroying evidence from the scene was also significantly associated with a naked victim. In contrast, the body was more likely to be dumped clothed if the contact scene was deserted and the victim was a stranger. These results suggest that SHOs who dispose of the body naked are more in line with the sadistic sexual murderer, while clothed victims are often disposed of by angry offenders. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the particular manner of disposing the victim’s body naked in cases of sexual homicide.

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Strangulation in sexual homicide: Is it opportunity, victim's vulnerability or sadism?

Cited by 10 publications

References 37 publications

What do we know about the perpetrators of sexual homicide of adult victims? A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis

What do we know about the perpetrators of sexual homicide of adult victims? A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis

Comparing child and adult sexual homicides in Australia and New Zealand: A retrospective study

Naked body disposal: an indicator of the type of sexual homicide

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