Homicide Victims Chapter Five

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 2 Homicide affects not only the immediate victim whose life is cut short, but it has a lifelong impact on the victim’s family and friends. Survivors of homicide victims are those individuals who had special ties of kinship with the person murdered, and who were, thereafter, victimized not only by the loss of someone close to them but also by the horrific circumstances of that untimely death.

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 3 Nature and Extent of the Problem The FBI defines murder as the willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human by another. This definition does not include deaths caused by negligence, suicide, or accident, nor does it include justifiable homicide or attempted homicides. There was a sharp increase in homicides in the late 1980’s, with a sharp decline after Since 1999, the homicide rate has remained stable with approximately 5.6 per 1,000,000 persons. In 2003, the number of persons murdered was 16,420.

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 4 Types of Homicide Spousal homicide - the killing of one’s legally married partner Parricide - the killing of one’s parents Mass murderer - the killing of several persons at one time in the same location Spree killing - the killing of several persons at two or more locations with very little or any time break between the killings Serial murder - the killing of several persons over a period of time which can range from weeks to years

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 5 Types of Serial Murderers Holmes and DeBurger identified four types of serial killers: Visionary type Mission-oriented type Hedonistic type Power/control-oriented type Hickey classified serial killers into three distinct groups based on mobility: Traveling serial killers Local serial killers Serial killers who never leave their home or place of employment

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 6 Characteristics of Murderers Statistical facts drawn from arrest records indicate: Age ……………………… %+ Sex..………………………88% male 12% female Race ………………………46% White 51% Relationship ………… % Acquaintance 17% Family 20% Stranger 12% Unknown Weapon of Choice Firearm Source: Snyder, H., Finnegan, T., Wan, Y., and Kang, W. (2002). “Easy Access to the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports: ” Online:

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 7 Drinking, Driving, and Homicide According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 16,694 people were killed in alcohol- related crashes in This equals almost one death every half hour. These alcohol-related fatalities constituted approximately 39 percent of the 42,636 total traffic deaths that year.

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 8 Responding to Special Needs Family Relationships Mental and Emotional Responses Notification

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 9 Family Relationships The murder of a child is one of the least expected incidents in life. The murder of a spouse will affect the surviving spouse in a variety of ways. The murder of a parent may leave young children worrying about their own life and stability. The murder of a sibling may leave the other brothers and sisters neglected by the professional caregivers.

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 10 Mental and Emotional Responses Unexpected financial consequences Criminal justice system adds stress Impact on ability to function at their job or work Not uncommon for marriages to break up when children of that marriage are murdered Children within the family of survivors of homicide are also affected by the killing Religious faith may be weakened Scrutiny of an insensitive press adds stress May be revictimized by professionals within the criminal justice system May have mystical experiences

Victimology: Legal, Psychological, and Social Perspectives, 3 rd ed. Wallace and Roberson © 2011 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 11 Notification One of the most traumatic moments in a survivor’s life is receiving notification of their loved one’s death. Notification teams including a law enforcement officer and a crisis intervention worker can ease the pain of the survivor Have as much information regarding the death as possible for the notification Never, if possible, make notification by telephone Don’t take victim’s personal items at time of notification Should be done inside home, sitting down with appropriate relative(s) Be clear, direct, and simple