Modus Operandi (16 page)

The second victim was sexually assaulted and strangled and the necklace was removed. The second victim was more easily controlled; perhaps a handgun was used this time.

Shortly after or perhaps during the sexual assault, the victim was strangled. The chain was removed from the victim's neck, not for monetary gain, but to keep as a trophy, which our suspect may use in later sexual fantasies.

At first blush these two deaths seem only to be minimally related. But understanding and using the theory of learned behavior assists many detectives in apprehending suspects. By studying the crime scene, the detectives identify and interpret different pieces of evidence that can link one crime to another. Suspects with a long history of arrests and incarceration time change their M.O.'s as practice shows them what works and what doesn't.

Passion Killings

A passion killing usually takes place with little forethought and very little, if any, planning. An argument may begin over who takes out the trash, and the rage will become so intense that one person will lash out at the other. A physical assault will take place, and a weapon, if close at hand, will be used.

Domestic Assault

In a case where the assault takes place in a home, let's say in the kitchen, a knife or a large carving fork may be within easy reach. If there is a firearm in the house, the killer will seek it out and use it. The victim will be left at the scene, which will show signs of a struggle, but no attempt will be made to cover up the crime.

Homicide-Suicide

With jilted lovers, the rejected boyfriend will plan a meeting with his lover as a desperate last attempt at reconciliation. The meeting will be conducted in a semi-secluded area, such as a familiar park, perhaps a place that has special meaning to the couple. The man, on realizing that his attempts to reunite are not working, will pull out a weapon, usually a handgun, shoot his lover and then himself.

The Disgruntled Employee

We've heard a lot about disgruntled employees recently, most notably, stressed-out postal service workers who go into their former offices and begin shooting. A disgruntled employee is often distraught over the promotion of a co-worker or over being fired and usually plans revenge, including a hit list of people he wants to kill. He will obtain enough weaponry to complete his mission and then some. Once he has made up his mind, there is no stopping him. The killing spree will occur at the work place during working hours.

Premeditated Domestic Killing

When one spouse kills another for insurance money or other financial gain (also known as a profit murder), or because of threats of divorce or personal disclosures, the suspect will attempt to cover up his act by acting the part of the grieving husband. The suspect will plan the murder and arrange the scene using props and prearranged scenarios to cover up his involvement.

One way this is accomplished is by being a victim himself. He will injure himself to show the police that he attempted to subdue the criminal or protect his loved ones. He will break doors, open windows, ransack the house, place a ski mask and gloves outside on his property just to show that he could not possibly be involved.

Prior to or after the stage is set, the victim will be killed in a way consistent with the scenario. If the story told to police is that the victim fell down a flight of stairs, head injury will be the cause of death. This head injury can be caused by blunt force trauma to the head with an object like a baseball bat—we're sure you get the picture.

Poisoning is usually the preferred method of a very intelligent person who understands the complex procedures needed to cover up this act. On the other hand, a very dumb person, not knowing of the toxicology examination performed at an autopsy, may feel that this is the best way to commit his crime.

Another scenario may be that the spouse places a sedative of some type into a beverage or a dish at dinner. Once the victim passes out, he will be pushed down a flight of stairs or even placed into a vehicle and an accident will be staged. In rural areas, the victim may be put in a situation where the death seems to be caused by animal behavior, such as a kick to the head by a horse.

Adjunct Homicide

When a detective is looking at a homicide, he must take into account the whole scene. He cannot zoom in on just the body; he must look at the complete picture.

Take for example, a burglar surprised by the victim during the course of burglarizing his home. Prior to killing the homeowner, the suspect gained entry into the house. He had to enter rooms and look for items of value to steal. He had
to locate something to
carry his loot out of the house. This is our criminal's M.O. The killing is secondary. By studying the M.O. of the burglary, the homicide detective can also determine the murderer.

The Cover-up Murder

In
a perpetrator's mind, they sometimes must kill people to cover up other acts of crime and violence.
a
juvenile offender robbing a house is discovered by the
homeowner
as he walks into his bedroom. The victim will be able to positively identify the juvenile to the police. He will use a weapon at hand, or with the increasing tendency to carry handguns, shoot and kill the victim with the hopes
of
covering up his burglary.

Sex Offenders

A sex offender will sometimes kill at the conclusion of his sexual assault, usually by some form of strangulation. He may even kill as part of his sexual gratification. This is done in many ways during his assault upon the victim. The sex offender may cause additional mutilation after the killing—vampirism, cannibalism and physical probes of the victim are not uncommon. Souvenirs are sometimes taken, in-

cluding photographs, videotapes or articles of clothing. Multiple stab wounds and bite marks around the breasts and genitalia are also common.

This type of behavior is the signature aspect of a crime. These criminals will repeat a certain behavior at each crime scene. By acting out their personal fantasies, the killing becomes almost ritualistic as the crimes continue. However, as time goes on, these signatures may expand to more gruesome mutilations postmortem.

When dealing with sadistic or ritualistic criminals, it is important to consider their psychological behavior. The ritualistic or sadistic killer performs to satisfy his mental needs. One of these needs may be to strike fear into the general public, and he wants the world to know that he is the one committing these terrible crimes. To stimulate his own personal fantasies and achieve notoriety, he will incorporate a signature into the killings.

Serial Killers

It is not uncommon for multiple or serial killers to leave a taunting bit of evidence for the police, usually referred to as a calling card. These calling cards are intended to direct police to the suspect or to new victims.

Very violent homicides can be brought on by sexual fantasies manifested by the killer. These fantasies become uncontrollable, causing the suspect to act out his fantasies, slowly at first, but eventually with a growing frenzy. Sexual abuse may occur pre- or postmortem. Serial killers often attack only a particular type of person. His fantasies dictate the victim including hair color and/or length, facial features, body type, age, nationality, or a resemblance to someone from his past.

Sexual assault plays only one part in the modus operandi of serial killers. Some kill because they enjoy the victim's fear and the act of killing. On occasion, serial killers kill the victim in front of family members to gain a sense of domination.

To gain control over victims, a serial killer will use a number of different methods. He may coax a prostitute into his vehicle on the premise of using her services. He may coax a victim into his vehicle by asking directions or offering a ride. He may even ask for assistance in repairing his vehicle or locating a lost animal.

Once inside the vehicle, control is the first objective. This is done through physical force and/or possession of a weapon. When young people are the victims, verbal threats are used. Another method is to say that they won't be harmed but will be used for a particular situation, such as to gain entry into a building.

These types of homicides usually are performed on victims who are social outcasts. The victims are not involved with family members and are likely to not be reported as missing. Secondly, the criminal wrongly believes when they are reported missing, because they are social outcasts, police will not pursue the case as efficiently.

The victim allows himself to become a victim by being in situations and locations where few people will observe an abduction. One example is a prostitute who stands on street corners in undesirable areas and has no problems with getting into a stranger's vehicle.

Some homicide scenes will be left in such a way that it is shocking or disturbing when they are discovered. Other killers will insert spoons or pieces of wood in the victim's genitals. This is done mainly for curiosity's sake and usually points to a younger male with little or no sexual experience. Mutilation of the victim's genitals usually points to a sexual sadist.

The suspects will, during the course of the crime, have the victim perform certain functions in an attempt to hinder detection by destroying evidence. The victim may be made to shower or wash up after sexual acts. The victim may also be made to clean up areas where the suspect feels evidence might be obtained.

When suspects know the victim prior to killing them, it is not uncommon for the suspect to actively assist the police in an attempt to steer them away from the crime. They will even comfort family members and render assistance to them. This behavior is overly cooperative but can be very distracting to the investigators.

Contract Killing

Contract killings are used by gangs — organized or otherwise—to rid themselves of a member who is perceived as disloyal, a screw-up, or a danger to the gang. La Cosa Nostra, the most notorious organized crime gang of the twentieth century, will usually hire an outsider. They often choose Irish mobsters known as The Westies, because they live predominately on the west side of New York City, and who are calculated, cold-blooded killers who will kill at any time and any place. Their weapon of choice and usual killing method is a shot from a small caliber handgun to the head.

Other contract killings are done by outlaw biker gangs called the 1 percenters. The 1 percenters were given this name in a speech by the president of the American Motorcycle Association. In this speech he stated only 1 percent of all motorcyclists in the United States belong to outlaw biker gangs. The 1 percenters biker colors include the club's emblem, gang name, chapter number and/ or chapter location.

Organized crime members like to use the 1 percenters and the Westies because of their vicious nature and their loyalties. They will not divulge to law enforcement the circumstances involved. These contract killings can be as simple as placing an explosive device under the front seat of the target's vehicle. This device is activated when the car is started or by a remote-control device. Other hits could be in the workplace, a sidewalk, a restaurant or any other place where one can easily kill the target.

An assassination could take place as follows: The target is driven to a remote location under the pretense of performing a task. While the target is occupied, a gunman will come up from behind and shoot him at close range in the head. The victim is left where he is shot. Assassins do not want to be apprehended with a body in the trunk of their vehicle. The weapons used are dumped, preferably

into a river, making it very difficult, if not impossible, to recover them.

Inner-city gangs generally deal with problem members or members of other gangs themselves. Everyone has heard of drive-by shootings. This is the usual assassination method of ethnic gangs. A plan is formulated and a location, almost always on the opposing gangbanger's turf is picked. Sometimes, a car will be stolen and other times they will use their own vehicle. The vehicle is loaded with four or five gangbangers who drive to the location with the passenger's side facing their target. Upon arrival, they indiscriminately open fire.

Gangbangers prefer high-capacity, large-caliber weapons of mass destruction. They want to spray as many bullets as possible in the shortest time possible. They will use both semiautomatic and fully automatic weapons. AK-47s and 9mm or .45 caliber semiautomatic pistols are most often used. Some of the flashier gangbangers choose chrome-plated weapons. Gangbangers have even been known to possess military hand grenades.

Ritualistic Cults

During the 1960s and early 1970s, Satanism was popular. Satanists believe that the more they kill, the more power they will achieve in hell. The more innocent their victims, the more power they will receive. Thus, babies and virgins are in demand. People are attracted to Satanism because they are attempting to receive the power of demons and use it for themselves. Satanism is growing again and the crimes related to it are increasing, but there is no statistical way to measure the threat. When criminals are arrested, they are arrested for the crime, not for what they believe in.

In teen occult practices, you may or may not find symbols and instruments related to Satanism. In some satanic circles, where sacrificing is performed, ritualistic symbols and other paraphernalia will abound.

A noteworthy case of satanic killing is the night stalker Richard Ramioez who was accused of killing fourteen people. The satanic ritual aspect of the case came out when pentagrams were found at several of the homicide scenes and when a witness testified that she was forced to swear to Satan that she would not call for help when Ramioez left from the scene.