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A serial killer of elderly women: Analysis of a multi-victim homicide investigation
Abstract
Between 1995 and 1997, in the territories of Southern Italy, there were fifteen murders of elderly women over the age of 70 years old. Initially, however, not all the murders were attributed to a single serial killer. The majority of the victims were stabbed multiple times in the neck, except for three cases in which the cause of death was manual strangulation. There was evidence of sexual assault in only one of the cases. All the victims were discovered in their own apartments, which were located on the ground level, with no signs of forced entry. In most of the cases, the offender stole money and/or jewellery. A multi-disciplinary team reviewed the cases during the investigation and created a profile of the killer. The team determined that the method of operation was completely unusual for the local criminal element. They suggested that the perpetrator could be an immigrant, who committed the murders for sexual motivation and who may have been arrested previously for sex-related incidents. On 15th September 1997, a suspect was arrested. He was identified as Ben Mohamed Ezzedine Sebai, a 35-year-old white male, originally from Tunisia. He was charged and convicted of four of the murders and was given a life sentence. In 2005, Sebai confessed to the murders of four additional elderly women, for which nine other people had already been previously tried and convicted, among them, a man who committed suicide in jail. In 2007, Sebai finally confessed to committing fifteen murders that occurred between 1995 and 1997. Sebai also admitted to experiencing sexual gratification at every homicide scene, even though there was no physical proof at most of the crime scenes. The goal of this article is to illustrate a little-known but noteworthy case concerning a serial sexual killer of elderly women that occurred in Southern Italy, highlighting the method of operation, the victim selection process, and the injuries inflicted. The article will also discuss his motivation, the mental health history of the offender, his clinical diagnosis, and his self-reported childhood abuse.
... Though scarce, attempts to integrate forensic pathology and psychology/psychiatry have been published (Campobasso et al., 2009;Gee, 1988;Konopka, Strona, Bolechala, & Kunz, 2007). ...
... An international collaboration between the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Molise, Italy; the Section of Legal Medicine and the Section of Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Bari, Italy; and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation resulted in the publication of a case report on a series of homicides of elderly women in Italy (Campobasso et al., 2009). A number of examples of crime scene features and medical evidence within these cases were identified. ...
... Crime scene features (commonly used in empirical profiling investigations) included (a) the accessibility of the victims 0 apartments, (b) signs of forced entry, and (c) evidence of ransacking and/or theft (Campobasso et al., 2009). ...
Excepting psychiatry, psychology and medicine remain largely separate disciplines. In forensic inquiries, the psychologist assesses the mind, whereas the pathologist examines the body. Both fields, however, actively participate in the same investigations, albeit from different standpoints, contributing to explorations of crime scene dynamics, identification of offenders, and legal proceedings. In recent years, peer review has become a staple of research, because subjecting work to scrutiny by other experts promotes accuracy. Forensic pathologists would benefit from insights provided by investigative psychology, particularly if asked to apply psychology to their testimony, and integration with forensic pathology may increase the acceptance of empirical profiling evidence in the courtroom. Additionally, incorporation of medical findings—such as wound patterns, evidence of range of fire, and cause of death determinations—could add another level of detail to techniques like smallest space analysis. The following functions as a proposal for the incorporation of forensic pathological findings into investigative psychology research and the application of investigative psychology to forensic pathology practice. Cooperation has the potential to extend the scope of knowledge in both disciplines, to increase their applicability to and acceptance in legal contexts and to maximize the probative value of evidence provided in the court of law.
... Bibliography Though scarce, there have been some attempts to integrate forensic pathology and psychology/psychiatry. [3][4][5] In 1987, a pathologist in the Department of Forensic Medicine at the University of Leeds, attempted to classify serial murder. [4] He devised three types of serial murderers: the first killed secretly, and concealed the bodies; the second endeavored to make the deaths appear natural or accidental; and the third made no attempt to conceal the victims or the nature of their deaths. ...
... [7] An international collaboration between the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Molise, Italy, the Section of Legal Medicine and the Section of Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Bari, Italy, and the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation resulted in the publication of a case report on a series of homicides of elderly women in Italy. [5] A number of examples of crime scene features and medical evidence within these cases were identified. ...
... Crime scene features (commonly used in empirical profiling investigation) included a) the accessibility of the victims' apartments, b) signs of forced entry, and c) evidence of ransacking and/or theft. [5] Medical evidence incorporated into the analyses included a) the presence or absence of defensive wounds, b) wound location, c) direction of the wound, which was used to determine d) perpetrator handedness, and e) other wound characteristics, used to determine f) weapon characteristics (i.e. if the weapon was a knife, the blade thickness, the presence of serration on one or both sides of the blade, etc.). [5] These features, however, appear to have been subjected to a descriptive rather than empirical analysis: deaths were described as "unusual for the local criminal element" without explanation of comparative study or exploration of crime scene statistics; and the conclusions drawn regarding offender characteristics and motivations were based on sources which utilized theoretical profiling methodologies. ...
A discussion of the benefits of collaboration between forensic pathologists and investigative psychologists
... Moreover, the ISTAT data demonstrate that the men who most frequently employ violent behavior within the couple are also those who adopt a violent relational style even outside the home (12). Among the principal, reported risk factors are the use/abuse of alcohol, as well as previous maltreatment of the partner by his father, (13,14) and witnessing episodes of violence between his parents (15). ...
... In nearly 50% of cases, the stalker of a woman is her ex-partner. In some ways, this confirms that a violent partner is unable to accept rejection or abandonment by the woman and continues to behave in the same violent way as before the relationship was broken off (12,30,31). ...
... Socio-environmental co-factors can also contribute to explain the phenomenon of IPV (12) and above all why, despite the frequency of such violence, there are so few reports to the authorities of violent partners in Italy. Among these, economic and social factors can contribute to explain the phenomenon. ...
In 2006, the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) conducted a survey over the entire national territory of women victims of sexual, physical, and psychologic violence, a few years after the first survey, conducted in 2002. For the 2002 survey, respondents were 60,000 women, 22,759 of whom were aged 14–59 years. For the 2006 survey, the sample consisted of 25,000 women aged 16–70 years. Owing to the sensitivity of the issues, the telephone survey technique seems best suited because it provides more anonymity and guarantee of protection. The survey showed that the phenomenon of violence against women is most commonly perpetrated by the partner or ex-partner, even in cases of homicide. A comparison of the Italian data with those of the U.S.A. for the period 2001–2006 showed a specificity of Intimate Partner Violence in Italy, that seems to be related to cultural elements and psychologic and psychopathologic factors.
... 1 Serial murders are relatively rare and present many challenges to criminal justice professionals. 2 Further because they are relatively rare there are few studies examining their aetiology and forensic evaluation. Speculation may outweigh valid and reliable research data. ...
... ''Target population'', i.e. ''beggars'' were alerted, migrated, and protected. A serial killer who attempted to elude the investigating authorities by travelling is also reported by Campobasso et al. 2 where the assailant travelled about 300 km to commit multiple homicides. The absence of personal relationships between the murderer and the victims further hampered the linkage of cases. ...
Serial murders attract attention from the media, mental health experts, academia, and the general public. We present a case of serial murders that took place in a limited area and which caused public anxiety and anguish in central India. All the victims were homeless beggars, who were bludgeoned to death (crush injury). Individual murders were initially investigated by different police stations; fortunately, since they sent all the bodies to a common autopsy centre, a forensic pathologist was able to link all the cases, the first person to do so. This emphasises the need for sharing information among police stations and autopsy centres.
... A way of unraveling the difficulties inherent in defining serial murder is, perhaps, to formulate an encompassing contemporary definition(s) that deviates from the criticisms and limitations of the aforementioned definitions. A cursory examination of the extant literature makes one believe that some uniformity has been reached in the way the term is defined (Allely, Minnis, Thompson, Wilson, & Gillberg, 2014;Campobasso et al., 2009;Culhane et al., 2011;Ioana, 2013;Lester & White, 2012;Simkin & Roychowdhury, 2014;White et al., 2011). However, a thorough examination of the same extant literature reveals three lines of research on serial murder. ...
... In addition, research results may have less utility when there are questions regarding the definition of sample from which data was obtained. The second category of researchers involves those who invoke and make reference to others' definitions or known serial murder cases (Allely et al., 2014;Campobasso et al., 2009;Gibson, 2006;Hickey & Harris, 2013;Ioana, 2013;Miller, 2014;Peck & Jenkot, 2008;Simkin & Roychowdhury, 2014). This would not have been a problem if there is/are universally accepted definition(s) of serial murder. ...
Over the years, researchers and law enforcement professionals have tried to achieve uniformity in the use of the term “serial murder,” but such efforts have rather proved futile. Endeavors aimed at achieving a consensus on the definition of serial murder have potentiated its precarious applications. Though the term continues to remain elusive, ambiguous and amorphous in the literature, recent efforts are suggestive of a trend towards the attainment of a standardized definition of serial murder. However, a review of both current research and legal definitions of serial murder revealed some discrepancies in how the term is defined. Built upon Skrapec’s (2001) definition, the current paper aims to revisit several key definitional issues and to propose a more comprehensive serial murder definition with three key elements: (1) Two or more forensic linked murders with or without a revealed intention of committing additional murder, (2) the murders are committed as discrete event(s) by the same person(s) over a period of time, and (3) where the primary motive is personal gratification.
... Serial murder occurs throughout the world (Gorby, 2000). Cases of serial murder have been documented in Australia (Gorby, 2000), Austria, Brazil (Lubaszka, Shon, & Hinch, 2014), Canada (Campos & Cusson, 2007), Germany (Harbort & Mokros, 2001), Hungary (Lubaszka et al., 2014), Israel (Kallian, Birger, & Witztum, 2004), Italy (Campobasso et al., 2009), Japan (Aki, 2003), Norway (Lubaszka et al., 2014), Russia (Myers et al., 2008), Sweden (Sturup, 2018), Switzerland (Lubaszka et al., 2014), United Kingdom (Jenkins, 1988) (Lubaszka et al., 2014) to name a few. Egger (2002) reported cases from China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Thailand, Singapore, and Turkey. ...
Scholars have explored and compared the experiences of people who use drugs (PWUDs), including encounters with the criminal justice system. However, there is a dearth of literature on police encounters with PWUDs in African countries, such as Ghana. This phenomenological study used semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of PWUDs with the police. Thirty-eight PWUDs (mean age = 38; SD = 10.40) were purposively sampled from six drug rehabilitation centres from three regions in Ghana. Three themes were developed from the participants’ responses: police encounters, ecstasy and the psychosocial consequences of drug use, such as the psychological effects, development of criminality, disruption of people’s lifestyles and collapse of familial relationships. The topic of police encounters included the sub-themes of sudden, unannounced police sweeps, ghettos, bribery and the non-deterrence of arrests. These themes are discussed in relation to the literature, and several recommendations are proffered.
... Serial murder occurs throughout the world (Gorby, 2000). Cases of serial murder have been documented in Australia (Gorby, 2000), Austria, Brazil (Lubaszka, Shon, & Hinch, 2014), Canada (Campos & Cusson, 2007), Germany (Harbort & Mokros, 2001), Hungary (Lubaszka et al., 2014), Israel (Kallian, Birger, & Witztum, 2004), Italy (Campobasso et al., 2009), Japan (Aki, 2003), Norway (Lubaszka et al., 2014), Russia (Myers et al., 2008), Sweden (Sturup, 2018), Switzerland (Lubaszka et al., 2014), United Kingdom (Jenkins, 1988) (Lubaszka et al., 2014) to name a few. Egger (2002) reported cases from China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Thailand, Singapore, and Turkey. ...
The topic of crime and violence often dominates discussions about South Africa. Excessive crime rates cause wide-reaching feelings of anxiety and fear of crime and associated violence among citizens. Research on the broad spectrum of crime and violence in South Africa has captured the imagination of many researchers internationally. Crime and violence have become part of daily life for many people living in South Africa. Commentators frequently report on the extreme prevalence of violent crime in South Africa and often label the country as one of the most violent in the world. The nature and the extent of crime and violence in the country not only influence citizens’ well-being but also have an overwhelming effect on the social structure of communities. Empirical evidence shows that the extent of violence and crime in South Africa is greater than the extent of violence and crime generally experienced globally. Why is violent crime so prevalent in South Africa? This chapter provides some insight into the violent characteristics of crime victimisation in South Africa. It provides a brief historical background of and insight into violence and crime in South Africa; describes the nature and the extent of violent crime in South Africa; explains the risk factors of crime victimisation and violence in South Africa; and illustrates South Africans’ perceptions and experiences of crime and violence. Instead of being based on theory alone, this chapter draws on the narratives of victims behind South Africa’s statistics of violent crime victimisation.
... Serial murder occurs throughout the world (Gorby, 2000). Cases of serial murder have been documented in Australia (Gorby, 2000), Austria, Brazil (Lubaszka, Shon, & Hinch, 2014), Canada (Campos & Cusson, 2007), Germany (Harbort & Mokros, 2001), Hungary (Lubaszka et al., 2014), Israel (Kallian, Birger, & Witztum, 2004), Italy (Campobasso et al., 2009), Japan (Aki, 2003), Norway (Lubaszka et al., 2014), Russia (Myers et al., 2008), Sweden (Sturup, 2018), Switzerland (Lubaszka et al., 2014), United Kingdom (Jenkins, 1988) (Lubaszka et al., 2014) to name a few. Egger (2002) reported cases from China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Thailand, Singapore, and Turkey. ...
The rising population of prisoners and the movement towards compassionate care for prisoners with mental health needs highlight the need to assess correctional mental health services in the Nigerian criminal justice system. This chapter seeks to foster prisoners’ rights, and the development of feasible correctional mental health legislations. Therefore, the chapter discusses the mental health of prisoners within the Nigerian criminal justice system and provides an overview of policies, studies, and facilitators and barriers to addressing prisoner mental health in Nigeria. The chapter concludes with a discussion of practical implications.
... The relevance of psychopathy on criminal behavior and violent conduct is widely recognized in the literature, and it is generally assessed by the gold standard measure Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare and Neumann, 2006) which covers two main factors, i.e., interpersonal and affective deficits and antisocial behavior (Carabellese et al., 2008;Leistico et al., 2008;Campbell et al., 2009;Campobasso et al., 2009;Kennealy et al., 2010;Yang et al., 2010;Ismail and Looman, 2018;Mazzoni et al., 2018). The association between psychopathy and sexual crimes emerged in several studies, including a meta-analysis conducted by Hanson et al. (2009) which found that the presence of psychopathy in sex offenders constitutes a predictive factor for criminal recidivism in sexual offenses and other types of offenses. ...
Sex-offenders are at risk of criminal recidivism. For the treatment to be truly effective, it must be individualized. For this purpose, an accurate assessment should focus on criminological, psychological, and psychopathological features. The present study compared sex offenders with other offenders on historical experiences (i.e., problems with violence, anti-social behaviors, problems with personal relationships, problems with substance use, traumatic experiences, and parenting style). In addition, given the association between life events and psychopathy, we explored whether the relation between life events and crime type (sexual crime vs. other types of crime) might be moderated by psychopathy traits (interpersonal and affective deficits and antisocial behavior). Eighty-eight sex offenders (76% of whom child molesters) and 102 other offenders were included. The Historical, Clinical and Risk Management - 20 item Version 3 (HCR-20V3) and Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) were administered. The scores of the HCR-20V3 Historical scale items were computed to assess life events. The scores of the PCL-R factors, F1 Interpersonal affective deficits and F2 Antisocial behavior, were recorded. The presence of a history of problems with non-intimate relationships was the only significant risk factor for sexual crime compared with other crimes. Interpersonal and affective deficits provided an increased likelihood of being sex offenders as compared with other offenders when problems with non-intimate relationships were possibly/partially or certainly present.
... Sexual violence can be defined as "actual, attempted, or threatened sexual contact with a person who is nonconsenting or unable to give consent" (Boer, Hart, Kropp, & Webster, 1998, p. 9). Such violence (Campobasso et al, 2009) is a major public health concern and the common public sentiment is that sexual offenders should receive strong punitive measures (McAlinden, 2012). Sex offenders, themselves, comprise a heterogeneous and largely diversified group reflecting a range of sociodemographic characteristics, evolutionary experiences (Di Cori, Fedeli & Sabatello, 2012), and criminal histories (Knight & Prentky, 1990). ...
The debate in the scientific literature about sex offender treatment and its effectiveness remains divided and controversial. Several studies have uncovered that psychological treatment reduces the risk of recidivism in such subjects (Gallagher, et al., 1999; Hall, 1995; Hanson, et al., 2009; Hanson et al., 2002; Lösel & Schmucker, 2005; Reitzel & Carbonell, 2006; Schmucker & Lösel, 2008, 2015), whilst other studies have shown that there is insufficient evidence for this conclusion (Furby, Weinrott, & Blackshaw, 1989; Harris, Rice, & Quinsey, 1998; Kenworthy, et al., 2004; Rice & Harris, 2003). In order to clarify which treatments are applied to the sex offender population in jail, together with the associations between these treatments and reduced risk of recidivism, the present study comprised a review of the literature to determine the current state of research in this area. © Pensa MultiMedia Editore – Rassegna Italiana di Criminologia-Anno 49° (XIV nuova serie) n. 3/2020.
... È stata evidenziata, peraltro, eterogeneità anche nel tipo di comportamento offensivo messo in atto , nella motivazione alla base dello stesso e nell'età in cui viene messa in atto l'aggressione sessuale (Margari et al, 2015;Sabatello, Stefanile, 2020). Sono state inoltre sottolineate differenze di tipo vittimologico, tra le quali età, sesso e tipo di relazione con l'autore dell'aggressione (Campobasso et al, 2009;Carabellese et al., 2012). ...
Objective. To identify the possible presence and degree of psychopathy, in a sample of detained sex offender and to further evaluate the possible effect of traumatic experiences. Materials and methods. As part of a larger national project, sex offenders of Puglia were selected among the prisoners at the Bari prison and in the detached section of Altamura. Psychopathy levels were measured through PCL-R. Item 8 of HCR-20 v.3 was used to evaluate history of traumatic experiences and victimization episodes. Furthermore, criminological information was collected. Results. Recruited detainees had received convictions for child sexual acts in 70% of cases. The levels of psychopathy that emerged, were in line with those found in other prisoner populations and generally in the medium-low range of PCL-R scores. Prisoners with a history of traumatic experiences had higher levels of psychopathy, as measured by the total PCL-R score and factor 1 ("interpersonal/affective"). Conclusions. The results emerged, deriving from a numerically limited sample, suggest a possible effect of early traumatic experiences in the qualitative and quantitative levels of psychopathy in sex offender. Keywords: sex offender, psychopathy, risk factors, childhood trauma. Riassunto Obiettivo. Individuare l'eventuale presenza ed il grado di psicopatia, in un campione di sex offender detenuti, nonché l'eventuale effetto di esperienze traumatiche precoci. Materiali e metodi. Nell'ambito di un più ampio progetto nazionale, sono stati selezionati i sex offender pugliesi detenuti presso la Casa Circondariale di Bari e presso la sezione distaccata di Altamura. I livelli di psicopatia sono stati misurati attraverso la PCL-R. È stato utilizzato l'item 8 della HCR-20 v.3 per valutare l'eventuale anam-nesi positiva per esperienze traumatiche ed episodi di vittimizzazione. Sono state inoltre raccolte in-formazioni di natura criminologica. Risultati. I detenuti reclutati avevano ricevuto nel 70% dei casi condanne per atti sessuali con minori. I livelli di psicopatia emersi sono risultati in linea con quelli ri-levati in altre popolazioni di detenuti e generalmente nella fascia medio-bassa dei punteggi PCL-R. I detenuti con anamnesi positiva per esperienze traumatiche hanno presentato livelli più elevati di psi-copatia, così come misurato dal punteggio totale PCL-R e dal fattore 1 ("interpersonale/affettivo"). Con-clusioni. I risultati emersi, derivanti da un campione numericamente limitato, suggeriscono un possibile effetto di esperienze precoci traumatiche nei livelli quali-quantitativi di psicopatia in sex offender. Parole chiave: sex offender, psicopatia, esperienze traumatiche, fattori di rischio. Sex offender e psicopatia: uno studio su un campione di detenuti pugliesi Psychopathy in sex offender: a study on a sample of apulian prisoners ANNO XV N. 1 2021 Double blind peer review How to cite this article: La Tegola D. et al. (2021). Sex offender e psicopatia: uno studio su un campione di detenuti pugliesi. Rasse-gna Italiana di Criminologia, XV, 1, 67-73.
... Burrell, Bull, Bond, and Herrington (2015) measured behavioural similarity using Jaccard's coefficients and used Kruskal-Wallis tests to examine the differences between the linked samples. Campobasso et al. (2009) discussed the suspect's motivation, mental health, childhood experiences and other issues in an in-depth study of 15 murder cases of older women over the age of 70. Farrell, Keppel, and Titterington (2013) conducted a special study on female serial murderers. ...
At present, serial theft case linkage remains at the stage of empiricism. In order to overcome this subjective arbitrariness, this study proposes using a ‘two‐step cumulative probability model’ for investigation. In the first step, based on expert grading method, the opinions of 99 policemen were combined to quantify the serial theft case characteristics. In the second step, when a new case occurred, the characteristics of it were compared with the characteristics of each serial theft case, and the corresponding probabilities were added according to the calculations of the second step; when the accumulated points exceeded the threshold, we considered concatenating the new case with the corresponding serial cases. The results demonstrated that the average accuracy of the two‐step cumulative probability model was 87.5% and that the average response rate of the irrelevant case (control group) was 12.3%. We concluded that the two‐step cumulative probability model could assist in criminal investigations.
... Estas visiones han llevado al análisis ecológico del crimen y la criminalidad agregando información de un nivel individual a uno colectivo. Los sistemas de información geográfica son más útiles para el análisis ecológico que el individual y han mostrado que existe una gran semejanza entre los estudios criminológicos y los estudios epidemiológicos (Chainey, 2005). Para este de análisis es importante tener ciertos criterios que impidan la comisión de serios errores como el de la falacia ecológica (Langbein, 1978). ...
El caso de La Mataviejitas es emblemático por la gran cantidad de víctimas de la tercera edad. Las situaciones aparentemente únicas del caso (mujer asesina serial, componente sexual en ancianas) aunque en realidad conocidas por la criminológica, llevaron en forma de prejuicio a falsas pistas a los investigadores. En este artículo se presentan algunas respuestas a la pregunta de si hubieran servido las herramientas de la geografía ambiental en el caso.
... Estas visiones han llevado al análisis ecológico del crimen y la criminalidad agregando información de un nivel individual a uno colectivo. Los sistemas de información geográfica son más útiles para el análisis ecológico que el individual y han mostrado que existe una gran semejanza entre los estudios criminológicos y los estudios epidemiológicos (Chainey, 2005). Para este de análisis es importante tener ciertos criterios que impidan la comisión de serios errores como el de la falacia ecológica (Langbein, 1978). ...
El caso de La Mataviejitas es emblemático por la gran cantidad de víctimas de la tercera edad. Las situaciones aparentemente únicas del caso (mujer asesina serial, componente sexual en ancianas) aunque en realidad conocidas por la criminológica, llevaron en forma de prejuicio a falsas pistas a los investigadores. En este artículo se presentan algunas respuestas a la pregunta de si hubieran servido las herramientas de la geografía ambiental en el caso.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_cni943DKuqRVhmdFhkaVdxRGc/view
... Hickey, çoğu seri katilin çocukluğundaki reddedilme veya bırakılma deneyimleri nedeniyle öldürdüğünü iddia etmektedir (5). Yazındaki seri katil vaka bildirimleri ve çalışmaların çok büyük bir kısmında çocukluk çağı travması bildirmiştir (5,9,19,28,29). ...
... Other risk factors predisposing to elderly mistreatment include different biological, cultural, social, environmental and economic conditions that might be prevented with effective protective measures and strategies [5]. In fact, abuse can take many forms: physical-also including the inappropriate use of drugs and punishment of any kind [6][7][8], or a non-consensual sexual contact [9][10][11]; psychological-such as the use of words or actions that cause stress and anxiety, such as fear, commands in the form of insults, humiliation, offenses, threats of punishment; financial-from improper use of funds and embezzlement for financial exploitation; and neglectpaying no attention to the elderly, or failing to care for them [7]. ...
Elderly abuse is still a hidden problem, often underestimated. It is much more common than the data available suggest. Unfortunately, the incidence is expected to grow with the progressive increase in the elderly population in the future. The aim was to examine the available literature in the last 5 years to define the state of art on this phenomenon, with particular regard to the nursing role in elderly abuse, focusing on the possible types of mistreatment, the motivations and preventive interventions. Articles published in the last 5 years regarding the mistreatment of the elderly were selected, by using scientifically recognized databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge. Several keywords were used for the query among which were: "elderly abuse" and "elderly abuse in nursing home". Moreover, to better understand the entity of the phenomenon, we also searched the corresponding keywords for child abuse. Considering the Scopus database, only 78 out of 1,342 published articles in the last 5 years deal with abuse of the elderly in relation to nursing, representing a very small part (5.81 %) of the considered sample. Comparing the number of articles, the ratio child/elderly is equal to 1/0.04, underlying the poor interest of research on this phenomenon. Moreover, it was observed that elderly abuse in nursing homes is still underreported in both original articles and reviews. Despite the aging of the population, elderly abuse and neglect still remain hidden problems, overlooked and also underestimated in the literature.
... Numerous studies have found significant relationships between drugs abuse and the likelihood of violence: research evidence indicates that alcohol abuse is more clearly established as a predictor and precipitant of violent behaviour in males than females (4). Instead, drug abuse, as distinct from alcohol abuse, has been found to predict subsequent violent behaviour in females as well as males (5)(6)(7)(8). ...
Unlabelled:
An ample volume of research evidence supports the conclusion that drug use/abuse is correlated with violent behavior. Some studies have shown that co-morbidity also appears to be predictive of violent behavior. The research evidence indicates gender differences, while socio-economic and familial factors play a role, too.
Method:
We conducted a retrospective study of the clinical files of four public psychiatric outpatient facilities during five years. The objectives of the research were to identify and analyze relationships between: a) cannabis use/abuse and violent behavior and b) cannabis use/abuse, psychopathology, and violent behavior. The study sample consisted of 1,582 subjects. The data, gathered in a dedicated database, were processed by applying univariate and multivariate analysis models.
Results:
Subjects who used/abused cannabis showed a high prevalence of violent behavior, Regardless of the type of psychiatric disorder, the use of cannabis appears to be an evident risk factor. Significant correlations also emerged between cannabis use/abuse and the type of violent behavior, especially self-inflicted injury. Evidence also emerged that other factors are implicated. This is consistent with the current literature proposing multi-casual explanations of violent behavior.
Maltreatment of older adults is a worldwide social issue that is only beginning to emerge as a forensic entity that requires medicolegal adjustments to recognise, and investigate fatal. Like other segments of the population that are dependent on others, such as children, become vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Older adults can become reliant on others for care and subsequently vulnerable to maltreatment because of the high prevalence of age-related changes, diseases, and associated complex polypharmacy that can result in physical and cognitive decline. The abuse of older people is slowly emerging as a public health and criminal justice concern. In cases of datal elder maltreatment, the forensic pathologist, in partnership with the death investigation team, may be tasked with the detecting and the investigation of these deaths. This is challenging because the criteria of detecting elder maltreatment have not been established, the social isolation that is more frequent in this cohort and the unique pathophysiology due to age-related changes and diseases.
Despite contemporary media portrayals, violent crime has continued to decrease in recent decades. Consistent with traditional types of violent crime (e.g., homicide), serial homicide has also continued to decrease. Although the methods of investigation for traditional violent crime have been examined thoroughly, research specific to serial homicide is scarce. In a study of 671 serial homicide perpetrators, we examined the timeline of each investigation and identified the methods used by law enforcement to identify, and sometimes apprehend, serial killers. Overall, there were 22 distinct methods of investigation. The most common methods were victim survived, DNA, turned in by an associate, family, or friend, fingerprints, prior offending history, body found in home, and being arrested for an unrelated charge. This study also describes how methods of investigation vary over time and trends across decades. Implications of the findings are discussed.
In 2018 the Bruce McArthur serial killer case became the largest forensic homicide investigation in Toronto, Canada’s history. Victims of serial killers tend to be portrayed negatively by newspapers because they often embody stigmatized identities. However, this research asks, How do newspapers frame victims who belong in between marginalized and liberated identities? Under the frameworks of post-gay and intersectionality theory, the identities of many of McArthur’s victims reflect an opportunity to analyze how serial killer victims are puzzlingly framed by newspapers. Through an analysis of 277 articles in three major Canadian newspapers, the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, and the National Post, findings show that the framing of victims through textual accounts as nonpartisan is discrepant with their negative visual representations. While newspapers tend to simply frame these victims as belonging to Toronto’s gay village without layering stigma around queerness onto them explicitly, most articles provide close-ups, passport photos, and occasionally mugshots of victims, ultimately portraying them in undesirable ways. This inconsistent framing between textual description and image selection highlights the important role photos, activists, and non-profits can play when featured or quoted in newspapers as they can humanize and dignify victims in the absence of family or friends to do so. This textual-visual discrepancy shows that deeply racialized queer injustices can exist in newspaper framing despite the absence of overtly prejudicial narratives.
This article describes the application of the concept of geographic profiling in hunting a serial child rapist in Kasur, Pakistan. It also discusses, how DNA became the prime witness against the serial rapist in the court of law. In January 2018, the blind rape and murder case of Zainab Amin hit the headlines. Following autopsy and the subsequent forensic examination, the only piece of evidence, the agencies had, was the DNA profile of the perpetrator and the information that the source of DNA profile is a serial child rapist, involved in at least seven more cases. The analysis of all crime sites and the distance between them strongly suggested that the offender most likely was a local resident. Mass DNA screening in the target region was conducted by CSI teams of Punjab forensic science agency. The DNA matched with suspect number 814 who later confessed all his crimes. In Polygraph examination, the offender revealed his modus operandi which was in line with the hypotheses made during the geographic profiling of the crime scenes. Thus, geographic profiling proved to be a very useful investigative tool in predicting the probable location of the criminal involved in a series of crimes.
South Africa has recorded a high number of serial murders in its modern history. Since the mid-1990s, over 170 murder series have been identified by the South African Police Service (SAPS). This led to the SAPS creating a specialised unit to deal with this and related crimes in the mid-1990s, fashioned along the lines of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Units. This chapter sets the historical context of serial murder in South Africa and reviews the existing research on South African serial murder including the landmark 2015 research conducted in conjunction with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and is one of the largest serial murder studies using police case files in the world to date. Insights into how the SAPS adapted to investigate these cases are also provided. Case studies are used to bring the local nuances of South African cases to life.
Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death globally. From a pathological perspective, the causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD) are different in young individuals compared with older ones where chronic degenerative diseases predominate. Most patients with heart disease are elderly, but aging is not synonymous of disease. Many people live past the age of 65 up to 90 and over without evidence of cardiac diseases and in many autopsies of elderly individuals, no specific lesions can be discovered that provide a clear cause of cardiac death. Where age-related changes are observed and no other cardiovascular findings can be related to an arrhythmic or mechanical mechanism of SCD or to myocardial infarction (MI), the senile myocardial degeneration is an inappropriate diagnosis although it is a common expression used by public health physicians and pathologists as cause of death. Age-associated changes in senile myocardium predispose to pathophysiological disease mechanisms and they can be a substantial substrate causing SCD even after acute emotional or physical stress as triggers of myocardial ischemia or arrhythmia. However, distinguishing the age-related physiological processes from the associated pathological changes and their role in a case of SCD is not always possible, since a heart failure (HF) can be the final cardiovascular aging pathway especially in elderly victims. Furthermore, unnatural deaths can be erroneously reported as natural deaths, leaving accidents or homicides undetected. The differentiation between sudden death and fatal elderly abuse is a difficult and critical diagnostic decision that needs a careful post-mortem investigation also in SCDs. To the best of our knowledge, there is no protocol for distinguishing SCD from elderly abuse fatalities. A specific protocol for sudden deaths also in elderly (similar to those already available for infant and child) could enhance the public and professional awareness on elder abuse fatalities as well as on the underlying mechanisms of cardiac deaths. In cases of sudden, unexpected deaths in healthy elderly, it is strongly suggested an accurate post-mortem investigation including a complete examination of clinical signs and medical history, toxicological and/or chemical laboratory tests, circumstantial data related also to the scene-of-the event.
El análisis de imágenes basado en objetos (OBIA) se ha mostrado
como la mejor opción cuando se trabaja con imágenes de satélite
de muy alta resolución (VHR). El primer paso OBIA es la segmentación
o delineación de los objetos de interés. La determinación de
una segmentación óptima es crucial para el éxito de la segunda
etapa en OBIA, la clasificación. El objetivo principal de este trabajo
es evaluar el algoritmo de segmentación de multi-resolución
incluido en eCognition para delinear invernaderos a través de
ortoimágenes multiespectrales de WorldView-2, y encontrar la
relación entre la bondad de la segmentación y la exactitud de la
clasificación supervisada. La atención se focaliza en la búsqueda
de los parámetros óptimos de la segmentación multi-resolución
(Escala, Forma y Compacidad) para invernaderos de plástico. La
evaluación de la calidad de la segmentación se llevó a cabo mediante
la Distancia Euclidea 2 (ED2). Por último, hemos demostrado
que existe una clara relación entre la bondad de la segmentación
en los invernaderos de plástico y la precisión de la clasificación OBIA
alcanzada cuando se utilizaron las características como los índices
espectrales, texturales y de vegetación. La mejor precisión global
alcanzada con la mejor segmentación fue ligeramente superior
al 95%.
Resumen La primera criminología consideraba el entorno criminal im-portante para comprender el crimen, pero llegó el positivismo desechando los avances teóricos y promulgando al criminal casi como único factor del crimen. A consecuencia de esto, llevó tiempo reconstruir una criminología que analizara el entorno, hoy conoci-da como criminología ambiental. Dentro de ella, se encuentra el perfilamiento geográfico y en particular, el modelo matemático de Kim Rossmo que busca medir –mediante la localización de los crímenes de un perpetrador-la probabilidad de que cada punto de un mapa sea el lugar habitual de un homicida serial. El modelo ha sido existoso para algunos de los casos en que se ha puesto a prueba y para un número menor, no. Sin embargo, no ha habido suficiente evaluación de casos para este modelo ni de otros del mismo tipo, en parte por su alto costo. En este trabajo se aplicó el modelo retrospectivamente a los 36 homicidios perpetrados por La Mataviejitas –una de las homicidas con más víctimas en la historia-con el fin de determinar si el modelo hubiera sido útil o no en las pesquisas, mediante programación en Python en el software libre gvSIG. El modelo es útil en un caso que reúne los perfiles más extraños: homicida serial mujer, que ataca ancianas con alto éxito en sus intentos. Resultó un modelo adecuado debido a que hubiera permitido reducir la búsqueda en un XX%. Abstract The early criminology considered the criminal environment to be important as crime factor. Then came positivism discarding theoretical advances and postulating the criminal as the almost unique factor of crime. As a result, it took time to rebuild a criminology that analyzed the environment, now known as environmental criminology. Within it is geographic profiling and in particular the Kim Rossmo mathematical model that seeks to measure the probability that a site is the usual place of a serial homicide using the location of a kit of crimes of some perpetrator. Follow the existing literature, that model has been successful for some cases and for a less number no. However, there has not been enough case assessment for this type of model, perhaps because its high cost. In this work it has been retrospectively applied the model, to the 36 homicides attributable to La Mataviejitas-one of the most productive homicidal in history-in order to determine if the model would been useful in police research. It was programmed in Python running under gvSIG. Model was succesful because it allow us to reduce the criminal search by XX%, so in this case the technique is adequate. Palabras clave: Perfilamiento geográfico criminal, homicidio serial rossmo, Barraza.
The differential diagnosis between self-inflicted and nonself-inflicted, suicidal and homicidal, injuries is difficult or impossible in many cases and, above all, cannot be made on the basis of information obtained solely from the autopsy or the medicolegal clinical examination. The purpose of this study is to analyze the literature on suicidal and homicidal sharp force injuries and identify the relevant parameters that may help differentiate between suicidal and homicidal deaths. To achieve this goal, a review of 595 potentially relevant articles was performed. After excluding the nonrelevant papers by screening the titles, all abstracts were reviewed, and articles meeting the inclusion criteria underwent a full-text review. The following parameters were compiled into a table: number of cases, localization of the injuries, and number of injuries. The data were statistically analyzed and compared with those available in the forensic literature. On the basis of the heterogeneity of data revealed by the present review, a simple and short checklist of the parameters that should be included when reporting suicides and homicides by sharp force has been proposed.
© 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
In this paper, South African serial homicide cases will be used to illustrate how practice can inform research and how research can aid practice by highlighting key questions that need to be answered and practice-based assumptions that need to be empirically tested. The cases will also be used to highlight some of the unique features of series in South Africa. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multiple and serial murders are rare events that have a very profound societal impact. We have conducted a systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines, of both the peer reviewed literature and of journalistic and legal sources regarding mass and serial killings. Our findings tentatively indicate that these extreme forms of violence may be a result of a highly complex interaction of biological, psychological and sociological factors and that, potentially, a significant proportion of mass or serial killers may have had neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder or head injury. Research into multiple and serial murder is in its infancy: there is a lack of rigorous studies and most of the literature is anecdotal and speculative. Specific future study of the potential role of neurodevelopmental disorders in multiple and serial murder is warranted and, due to the rarity of these events, innovative research techniques may be required.
A case of serial killing by poisoning by a 59-year-old practical nurse is discussed. Following a report by an emergency-room doctor of an attempted murder, police performed an investigation into all deaths of patients in the nurse's care. Earlier, a medico-legal cause-of-death investigation had been performed on two of these cadavers, but in the other three cases the death certificate had been issued after a medical investigation only. In two of these latter cases, the body had been cremated, but fixed histological samples taken at medical autopsy were available, while in one case the person had died recently and the body was thereafter exhumed and autopsied. All of the suspected victims were older people who required nursing, and the nurse's course of action was consistent in all cases. In the absence of ordinary post-mortem toxicology samples in the medical cases, extraordinary evidence - paraffin-embedded liver tissue samples originally taken for histology at autopsy - was successfully recovered in two cases and analyzed for drugs. In all five cases, drugs not prescribed to the patient were detected, including digoxin, dixyrazine, citalopram, venlafaxine, and benzodiazepines (diazepam, chlordiazepoxide, temazepam, and oxazepam). The nurse was eventually found guilty of five murders by poisoning, five attempted murders, and three aggravated assaults. The nurse was sentenced to life imprisonment. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In this chapter, the epidemiology of homicide in Italy is detailed. Sources of data are the mortality tables of the World
Health Organization (1979–2003), the records on death by homicide of the Italian National Institute of Statistics (1946 till
today), and the information archived by the EURES, a database specifically dealing with homicide, active in Italy since 1990.
Data on victims will be analyzed by sex, age, and geographical location. Data on aggressor will be presented according to
judiciary investigations. Details will be offered on special topics, such as infanticide, parricide, and matricide, homicide
by the partner, murder-suicide, spree killing, and serial killing. The role of mental disorders in both the victim and the
assailant will be reviewed. Additional information will be detailed about aggressor–victim relationship, by distinguishing
familial kinship, romantic affair (including domestic violence), friendship, and none (as often but not always in robbery).
Prevention of homicide in Italy is mainly expressed through police investigation, aimed at reducing the risk of homicide by
robbery, by vengeance, and by criminal organizations such as the “mafia.” In the last decade, more attention has been paid
to the role of intra-domestic violence as a risk factor for homicide, and specific programs were addressed to reduce the incidence
and the consequence of infant abuse and domestic violence. The role of mental disorders and substance abuse as risk factors
for homicide is still poorly recognized, but greater attention is paid to mental health issues than in the past.
This paper examines the research on serial murder and its relationship to antisocial personality disorder and sexual sadism. The concept of malignant narcissism is also discussed. Case studies of serial killers are examined regarding the nature of sexual violation and crime scene behavior.
American Psychiatric Association
- . C P Campobasso
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth ed., American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC, 1994. C.P. Campobasso et al. / Forensic Science International 185 (2009) e7–e11 e11
Serial Murder: Multi-disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators
- R J Morton
- M A Hilts
R.J. Morton, M.A. Hilts, Serial Murder: Multi-disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators, US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2008.