Multiple murder and the media: A study of the reporting of multiple murder in The Times (1887–1990)

Abstract

This study of The Times over a hundred years (1887–1990) identified reports of 2,274 cases of murder of which 237 (or 10 per cent) involved multiple killing. Up until the last decade (1980–90) multiple killing was primarily a familial matter. It further emerged that during the four years 1887–90, around the time of the original Ripper cases, there was an early use of reports from abroad which obscured the reality of multiple killing in England. From the mid-1890s to the mid-1970s the remarkable feature is the paucity of reports of multiple killings in The Times. However, the finding of the incredible rise in reports of multiple killings taking place outside the family context in the most recent decade (1980–90) shows that they are much more widespread than the crimes of child murder and serial killing which have been highlighted by the media. The theoretical puzzle to confront is why the phenomenon of multiple killing has recently expanded in so many guises.

Key Words:

• multiple murder
• victims
• media reporting