Comparative Geospatial Analysis of Homicide Series in Los Angeles During the “Golden Age” of Serial Killing

• In Event: Historical Perspectives on Policing

Abstract

Approximately 88% of American serial killers emerged between 1970 and 1999 (Vronsky, 2021). This study, part of a larger project, investigates serial homicides in Los Angeles during this "Golden Age" of serial killing. It hypothesizes that murders in historically marginalized neighborhoods received less investigative and media attention compared to those in middle-class areas. This presentation uses geospatial analysis (ArcGIS software) to map two samples of serial homicide offenders and their victims: "Group 1" operating in minority communities and "Group 2" in middle-class communities. The presentation will also outline the project's next methodological steps, which include the acquisition of police data to analyze and map the allocation of policing resources in the geographical areas associated with Groups 1 and 2. The study's methodology and preliminary findings will be discussed using a crime science framework.

Author

• Robert Schug, California State University, Long Beach