Counting Serial & Lust Murderers

Counting Serial & Lust Murderers

By Janet E. McClellan, Ph.D.

(Copyrighted excerpt from the book : Erotophonophilia: Investigating Lust Murder (2009) pages 11-13 , Cabria Press)

The FBI in the 1980s stated that approximately 35 to 100 serial killers operate in the U.S. at any one time (Eager, Done, Ford, Hickey, Kiger, & Vetter, 1990) and therefore serial murderers may be responsible for approximately 200 to 300 murders a year or only 2% of the annual U.S. homicide rate. However, the 2% figure may be quite misleading as each year since 1980, 6,000 or more homicides go unsolved. Six thousand unsolved homicides represents 33% of the current annual homicide rate of 18,000 as recorded between 1996 to 2006 (McClellan, 2007; Smith, 2003) and in those cases where the offender has not been identified and the victim was subjected to violent sexual assault, the specter of serial murder haunts.

As the claim made by the FBI in the 1980s about the existence of 35 to 100 serial killers operate in the U.S. at any one time, I undertook the task to determine the validity or refutation of that claim.

To do so, I conducted a LexisNexis Academic search and a similar search in FindArticles.com guided news search to compile a list of serial murderers in the U.S. for the years 1997-2007. A second search of smaller newspaper outlets was conducted using FindArticles.com that provided further information regarding persons charged with serial murder. The FindArticles search included the use of key words, specific names of known offenders, and trial outcomes. Key words used in the search included: serial killer, serial murder, mass murder, and the names of known arrested and accused serial killers.

The review of the search included over 2,500 articles associated with the key words used and the identification of 63 serial murderers apprehended, charged, and/or arraigned during the years 1997 to 2007. The data confirmed the relative soundness of the 1990 FBI claim regarding the magnitude of serial killers and killings in the U.S. For the period 1997 to 2007, the researcher identified 63 serial killers responsible for approximately 750 homicides during their time at-large committing homicides.

The serial killers and their offensive behavior further provided for an examination of some of their demographics, crime scene activities, and basic victimology/target information. Through a simple descriptive review of the data available about the 63 who were at-large from 1997 to 2007, three (3) key points emerged

-It was found that 75 persons were killed annually (predominantly females, at 94%).

-It was also found that the average number of homicides committed per serial killer was 12 a year.

-The data revealed that 19 of the serial offenders remained free (unapprehended) for more than 10 years and eight more than 15 years, 29 free between 2-8 years and only 18 were free less than a year.

Historical and contemporary researchers over the past twenty years have correlated the decrease in the solvability and clearance rates of homicide in the U.S. to an increase in recidivist perpetrators and the presence of social-structural and organizational bias associated with persons from lower socio-economic groups, persons of color, socially marginalized persons, and females. Additional support of the arguments are to be found in the research of Borg and Parker (2001), Lee (2005) and Regoeczi and Miethe (2003). The correlations and concerns presented in the historical and contemporary research identify three significant factors associated with the decline in homicide solvability and clearance rates of homicide investigation.

Those factors include:

--A change in the nature of homicide, e.g., stranger (recreational and/or lust murderers) vs. relationship murders (Litwin, 2004; Puckett & Lundman, 2003; Regoeczi & Miethe, 2003).

--The reduction in police investigative effectiveness (Borg & Parker, 2001; Lee, 2005).

--An increase in recidivist perpetrators, e.g., serial killers (Egger, 1990).