Burglaries and Sexual Homicide
The true incidence of sexual homicide and of burglaries with sexual dynamics remains unclear. The FBI's Uniform Crime Reports categorize assaults as sexual only if they have distinct manifestations of genitality (such as rape). whereas definite sex murders, even with such overt signs, are listed under murder and are not specified as an independent group. Similarly, even those burglaries with overt sexual dynamics are listed only as burglaries. Nevertheless, we believe that sexual burglaries are not an uncommon event, and we also agree with Ressler et 228 J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, Vol. 27, No. 2, 1999
Sexual Burglaries and Sexual Homicide al. ' ' that sexual murders occur more frequently than has been thought and are increasing in number. Forensic clinicians have long observed that many sexual murderers often have a history of burglary. Table 1 lists and describes 14 notorious sexual murderers with a recorded history of burglaries. Unfortunately, the details of many of the burglaries were not explored. probably
because they were seen as unrelated to the progression of crimes culminating in homicide.
Ressler and his associates' ' found that at least 2 of the 36 sexual murderers in their FBI-sponsored study had committed sexual burglaries days or hours before they committed a sexual homicide. Unfortunately, these authors did not report the total number of burglaries in their case histories. ~eppel'~ has described in considerable detail 1 1 cases of notorious serial sexual murderers whom he either
studied or investigated as a profiler. Five of these 11 cases (45%) had a history of burglary. In Ressler and ~hachtman's'" description of 19 serial sexual murderers, 6 (32%) had a history of burglary. Douglas
and 01shaker'~ similarly report on 16 sexual murderers of which 6 (38%) had a history of burglary.
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