A Behaviour Sequence Analysis of Serial Killers’ Lives: From Childhood Abuse to Methods of Murder

Abstract

The aim of the current research was to provide a new method for mapping the developmental sequences of serial killers’ life histories. The role of early childhood abuse, leading to types of serial murder and behaviours involved in the murders, was analysed using Behaviour Sequence Analysis. A large database (n = 233) of male serial killers with known childhood abuse (physical, sexual, or psychological) was analysed according to typologies and crime scene behaviours. Behaviour Sequence Analysis was used to show significant links between behaviours and events across their lifetime. Sexual, physical, and psychological abuse often led to distinct crime scene behaviours. The results provide individual accounts of abuse types and behaviours. The present research highlights the importance of childhood abuse as a risk factor for serial killers’ behaviours, and provides a novel and important advance in profiling serial killers and understanding the sequential progression of their life histories.

Key words:

• behaviour sequence analysis
• crime
• homicide
• profiling
• serial killer

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

Ethical standards

Declaration of conflicts of interest

Abbie Marono has declared no conflicts of interest. Sasha Reid has declared no conflicts of interest. Enzo Yaksic has declared no conflicts of interest. David Keatley has declared no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Notes

1 It is possible that other, unmeasured variables play an important role in the sequence; however, the current research is presented as a framework foundation on which more complex sequences can be built in the future. The methods and statistics are open to additions being imputed into the sequences at later times, to develop more complex sequential chains.

2 Owing to limitations of the dataset, behaviours for each sequential murder are not known. Therefore, overall behaviours across murders are presented in the current dataset. While we acknowledge this is a limitation of the study, it still indicates typical crime scene behaviours for each individual killer.