A Typological Approach to Sexual Homicide: Criminal Opportunities, Escalation, and Persistence

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

Historically, sexual homicide research has been focused on offenders’ psychopathology and their underlying motives. Approaching this phenomenon from a criminological perspective remains a challenge for several reasons. Accessing valid and relevant information allowing the examination of theoretically grounded concepts remains a significant limitation for this field of research. Reliance on very small samples and the absence of a comparison group have been other research challenges. This panel brings together three studies aiming to better contextualize sexual homicide, its origins and development, over the life course. The first presentation focuses on the possible role of cognitions (e.g., offenders’ distorted beliefs about society, women, and sexuality) as a risk factor explaining the escalation from sexual assault to sexual homicide. The second presentation takes a victimology perspective by examining how offenders and victims’ routine activities intersect. The third presentation is concerned with criminal career patterns and, in particular, the risk factors specific to sexual homicide reoffending. Dr. Eric Beauregard (Simon Fraser University) will discuss the findings and conclusions of these three studies in light of his 20 years of research on sexual homicide.

Sub Unit

• Area III. Types of Offending / 14. Rape and Sexual Assault

Individual Presentations

• Sexual Aggression to Sexual Homicide: Are Cognitive Scripts Responsible for the Escalation? - Victoria Rousseau, Université Laval; Patrick Lussier, Université Laval; Nadine Deslauriers-Varin, Université Laval

• Identifying Victim Types in Sexual Homicide: A Latent Class Analysis Using Interactional Victimology Theories - Hana Georgoulis, Simon Fraser University; Éric Beauregard, Simon Fraser University; Julien Chopin, University of Lausanne

• How Can a New Typology of Sexual-Homicide Offenders Help Forensic and Investigative Teams Detect Nonserial Offenders’ Potential for Seriality? - Kelly-Ann Oligny, Université de Montréal; Alexandre Gauthier, Université de Montréal; Ingrid Ménard, Université de Montréal; Jonathan James, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Chair

• Patrick Lussier, Université Laval

Discussant

• Éric Beauregard, Simon Fraser University