This component will involve the most work as it is the longest part of the paper. The focus here should be on the behavior of the killer. Tell me about their victim selection, sophistication, and their motives and signature.
1.
o Victim Selection
a. What do we know about victim compliance? Where they coerced, convinced, attacked, or ambushed? Did the victims resist? What type of resistance?
b. What was the method of attack? How much force was used? What do we know about the weapons used and the wounds on the victims? What does this tell us about the offender?
c. What types of victims were these? Look at the type of people they were and the lifestyles they led. How did these factors play a role in their victimization if at all? What can we surmise about the killer knowing this information?
d. How do the different victims’ deaths compare to one another? Do they show an evolving killer or someone who does the same thing each time?
2.
o Sophistication and Crime Scenes
a. What do we know about the different crime scenes? What type of location? Were there secondary locations? Secondary, tertiary, or intermediate scenes? What about dumpsites? What do these factors tell us about the killer?
b. Where there any missing items? What types of items were missing, if any (evidentiary, valuable, personal)?
c. Where there any opportunistic elements to the crime scenes, or does it seem like everything was meticulously planned?
d. How were bodies found? Were they staged? What other information was left with the bodies? Did the killer leave anything on purpose?
e. How do the different crime scenes compare over time? Do they show a consistent or evolving killer?
f. Was our killer organized or disorganized? How so? Again, cite your sources.
3.
o Motive & Signature
a. What do we know about the killer’s motives? What about the killer’s intent?
b. What type of behavior does the crime scene and victim tell us the killer portrayed? What does this tell us about the type of person we are looking for?
c. What were some behaviors related to the MO of the offenders?
d. What are some signatures that let us know that our unsub was responsible for these killings? What does this tell us about our offenders?
e. Had your killer contacted the police or media? To what extent and how often? What did these messages entail? What does this tell us about the killer?
