Essay on "Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations"

Essay 3 pages (1003 words) Sources: 2

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations

Over time, numerous reports have been prepared based on a review of several assaults and murders. In this text, I concern myself with the Yorkshire Ripper Murder Case. Before his eventual arrest, Peter William Sutcliffe had already murdered thirteen women in what came to earn him the name the 'Yorkshire Ripper.' This text explains why I chose to concern myself with the Yorkshire Ripper Murder Case and what the same means to me.

The Yorkshire Ripper Murder Case: An Overview

From 1975 onwards, Peter William Sutcliffe set off on an assault and killing spree that would eventually lead to his apprehension in 1980 (National Policing Improvement Agency, 2010). Most of Sutcliffe's victims were commercial sex workers whom he first murdered before mutilating their bodies (Crime and Investigation Network, 2011). His preferred tools of trade in most of the assaults and murders he committed were a sharpened instrument, knife and a hammer (Crime and Investigation Network, 2011). Prior to Sutcliffe's arrest, police officers had interviewed dozens of people suspected to be the perpetrators of the assaults and murders. A recorded tape that was later on branded a hoax also temporarily threw detectives off the track of the real suspect (Crime and Investigation Network, 2011). Although records show that he was interviewed several times in relation to the murders, none of the said interviews prior to his final arrest exposed him as the vicious murderer.

Reasons for My Choice of Topic

Several things informed my choice of the Yorkshire Ripper Murder Case as the subject of my research. To begin with, my choice of topic was influenced by the similarity of the said case to yet another case of equal cruelty -- the George Russell Murder Case. Similarities in both cases are largely in relation to the offenders' ritualistic behaviors and sexual degradation. For instance, when questioned by police, Sutcliffe claimed that some voice had earlier on instructed him to kill prostitutes (Crime and Investigation Network, 2011). Further, just like was the case with George W. Russell, Sutcliffe's tendency to mutilate his victims was also largely ritualistic. One of the many victims Russell mutilated during his murderous campaign was Andrea Levine (Keppel and Birnes 2008).

The two cases also have identifiable signature characteristics and Modus Operandi (M.O.). According to Keppel and Birnes (2008), "M.O. characteristics refer to the offender's actions during the commission of a crime that are necessary to complete the crime." In Sutcliffe's case, his modus operandi involved hitting victims from behind with a hammer after which he would use a knife to stab, slash and mutilate them. The victims in this case were largely prostitutes. Like Sutcliffe, Russell's victims were also female. When it comes to Sutcliffe's signature, the same had a number of key identifiable components. Signature characteristics in the words of Keppel and Birnes (2008) "are those actions that are unique to the offender and go beyond what is necessary to kill the victim." According to the authors, signature characteristics unlike M.O. are… READ MORE

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