As with most homicides, you need to do a victimology assessment on the victim
I. Victimology: Why did this person become the victim of a violent
crime?
A. About the victim
Lifestyle
Employment
Personality
Friends (type, number)
Income (amount, source)
Family
Alcohol/drug use or abuse
Normal dress
Handicaps
Transportation used
Reputation, habits, fears
Marital status
Dating habits
Leisure activities
Criminal history
Assertiveness
Likes and dislikes
Significant events prior to the crime
Activities prior to the crime
B. Sexual Assault: Verbal Interaction
Excessively vulgar or abusive
Scripting
Apologetic
II. Crime Scene
How many?
Environment, time, place
How many offenders?
Organized, disorganized
Physical evidence
Weapon
Body disposition
Items left/missing
Other (for example, witnesses, escape plan, wounded victims)
III. Staging
Natural death
Accidental
Suicide
Criminal activity (i.e., robbery, rape/homicide)
IV. Forensic Findings
A. Forensic analysis
Hair/fibers
Blood
Semen
Saliva
Other
B. Autopsy results
Cause of death
Trauma (type, extent, location on body)
Overkill
Torture
Facial battery (depersonalization)
Bite marks
Mutilation
Sexual assault (when, sequence, to where, insertion, insertional necrophilia)
Toxiological results
V. Investigative considerations
A. Search warrants
Home
Work
Car
Other
B. Locating and interviewing witnesses
-Last known location, and last contacts
-Physical traits
-Education
-Has she ever been in trouble with the law ?
-Anyone in her family immediate or otherwise ever been in trouble with the law?
-Any medical history (psychological or physical)
-Did she have ay problems?
-Was she on any meds?
-For What ?
-How often administered?
-Did she do this regularly?
-How was her financial situation?
-Did she have any problems at work?
-Did anything recently happen or change in her life ?
-How was her mood in the days prior to her murder?
-Was there anything in her lifestyle that would make her a target ?
-Was she or is there any indication she was involved, with anyone either professionally, or romantically?
-Did they have any problems if she was?
-Did she keep a diary, or any writings?
-Any drug or alcohol use , if so has it increased, recently?
-Was she afraid of anything or anyone? (had she ever mentioned being stalked?)
-List of friends especially anyone who visited recently
-Any unusual occurrences prior to the disappearance?
-Past employment history
-Would anyone be willing to help with the investigation? Names ?
-Any break ins, robberies, sexual assaults, or home invasions in the area?
-Any arrests if there were?
-Was anything of value missing from the residence?
-Was there any sign of forced entry ?
-Any sign of a struggle inside the residence ?
- Is there any conflicting investigative factors?,
-Has there ever been a burglary or attempted burglary at this residence?
-If so how long ago?
-What was taken if so?
-Was this ever resolved (arrest made etc.) ?
Once we establish a baseline for the victim, in terms of behavior, we can assign a risk category for the offender in this case.
In terms of risk, per victim lifestyle her risk is elevated, due to her fathers occupation, and prominence in the media.
Primarily if she was ever featured, on TV, as an attractive woman this exposes her image to potential stalkers etc..
The area in which they lived, was a well to do area, low crime, however supposedly not all that alien to break ins at the time.
Depending on how prominent these break ins were this may or may not elevate her risk further.
Even with the factors that did elevate her risk, this was still a VERY high risk offense for her killer.
Burglarizing, a residence while people are home, at ANY time is risky, even in the 60's burglar alarms weren't uncommon, even in low crime communities, and apparently this house was equipped with a panic alarm, that was manually activated, by the victims mother upon discovery of the intruder
It would be interesting to find out of there was an alarm equipped on the door the killer entered, and how large the pane of glass was that was cut to provide entry.
The time of the break in is interesting as well, approx. 4:40 am, with daylight approaching, in a dwelling that is obviously occupied during the time of the break in.
So lets look at the circumstances : her mother heard the sound of breaking glass, approx. 4:40 am, lays there for approx. 10 minutes (4:50 am) , hears a moan, walks approx. 25 paces down the hall , opens her daughters bedroom door sees a male figure standing over her mortally wounded daughter.
While her mother retreats, and sounds a panic alarm style device, the killer apparently retraces his path back through the house bypassing the front door, to use his point of entry to escape.
So in theory the entire attack (excluding the escape) occurs within a 10-15 minute time frame.
By the time their neighbor who is a physician arrives, he declares Valerie dead.
Shes found to have been beaten about the head at least 4 times, with a conical object, then stabbed in the neck chest and abdomen as many as 14 times , and theres presence of defensive wounds to her hands and feet. Her nightshirt is pushed up exposing her nude torso
The murder weapon is determined to be a Ball peen hammer, and another sharp object, later possibly identified as a serrated bayonet
Police find handprints on the glass, palm and fingerprints on Valeries door, stairway and railing.
Oddball factors in the case,
1) They have an alarm system, but it either isnt attached to the glass panes, in the door on the patio, which ANY entrance to the rear of the house away from the street which is a popular point of forced entry for burglars, or to the rear door itself. If it was a large pane of glass, hat was broken; I find it odd her killer would still risk entering the residence at all, after potentially waking someone by breaking the glass. Its odd at all he would enter having broken a window at all knowing people were home.
2) Her killer successfully navigates, through a 17 room home, to arrive at Valeries room, only moments after breaking in, knowing full well he mayve potentially woken someone with the breaking glass- Id be interested to know if she slept with her door shut or open where her killer could see her, or did he have to try doors, its also possible she was found by chance.
unless he knew which room was hers.
3) Though her mother awoke to the sound of breaking glass, and moaning, there apparently was no sounds of a struggle, yet it was determined, Valerie went out fighting according to the Crime library article.
4) The killer was organized enough to bring possibly 2 weapons, a glass cutter to remove the pane, a flashlight to navigate through the dark residence, yet doesnt wear gloves, to prevent leaving fingerprints.
5) Despite the horrific scene, their daughter murdered inside their home, her body still upstairs, their home, their home, and privacy violated, the family seems unnaturally calm when the authorities arrive.
6) The identification of a bayonet seems odd to me as well, as far as I can find theres no way to differentiate, a bayonet wound from any double edged knife would, and Ive only ever seen a bayonet, that had a serrated spine .
7) She is found with her nightshirt up however theres nowhere that lists evidence of sexual assault, and given the short period of time between her other hearing the breaking glass, and her daughters moans, murder, not burglary, or rape was the primary intent of the intruder.
8) Her killer doesnt seem to worry about creating noise, be it the sound of the glass breaking or the moaning of his dying victim, so much so he stands there until her mother actually walks in and sees him standing there.
9) Upon his escape he bypasses, an obvious exit at the front door, to utilize his original point of entry, this is with her mother screaming, and an alarm sounding outside.
Theres a good amount of overkill and rage evident at the scene, this is usually indicative of interpersonal crime, someone involved, with or close to the victim. Either method of killing the victim is adequate, bludgeoning an unconscious victim, or stabbing an unconscious victim, would provide the victim with little or no chance to defend themselves.
However we see 2 distinct types of trauma present, blunt and penetrating. One possibility was that the intruded did plan a sexual assault by beating the victim into submission or unconsciousness, then having to use the knife, to kill the victim, because she was fighting back. I find it hard to believe though this didnt result in enough noise to wake her mother, when the sound of a broken glass and moaning did.
I keep hanging up on this because though there is evidence of a break in, no one heard anything during the attack, yet small sounds awoke her mother. Her killer, is organized enough to bring, 2 weapons and tools needed to break in, yet doesnt do so innocuously. He doesnt take anything of value, and either by trial and error, sheer chance, or previous knowledge, finds Valerie.
Her killer could kill her silently but instead demonstrates, his rage, by beating and stabbing her, again with NO regard, for any noise he may create brutally assaulting his victim ALL WHILE HER FAMILY IS HOME!
When he is discovered, he shines a flashlight in her mothers eyes, which skews, her ability to identify him. Leaes, bypassing a door he could quickly exit, to go back the way he came, and he would be covered in blood which wouldve tracked blood elsewhere .
Another factor I find odd is that her nightshirt was pushed up, in my experience, without the presence of further sexual assault or attempted rape, underwear pulled aside, or removed, victim completely nude, insertational substitution
is often indicative of what someone THINKS a sexual assault is supposed to look like. Which indicates possible staging?
Id feel confident saying that this seems to be someone familiar to the victim, theres a lot of anger, there. There seems to be prior knowledge, of the lack of security, where Valeries room is, comfortable enough there that they could break a window beat and stab a victim, then stand there with no worries, while shes laying there moaning loud enough to wake her mother.
It seems unlikely this is someone unfamiliar with the victim, or the residence.
Her killer is callous enough to attack and kill a sleeping victim, but allows her mother to run away unscathed. ANYTIME YOU HAVE SOMEONE KILLED IN A RESIDENCE, YOU HAVE TO ASSESS ANY INJURIES TO THE OTHER OCCUPANTS PRESENT AT THE TIME.
No one else suffered any injuries.
