Multiple homicide: Patterns of serial and mass murder

Over the past decade the topic of multiple homicide - serial and mass murde r - has attracted increased attention in the field of criminology. Though f ar from the epidemic suggested in media reports, it is alarming nonetheless that a small number of offenders account for so much human destruction and widespread fear. The serial killer is typically a white male in his late t wenties or thirties who targets strangers encountered near his work or home . These killers tend to be sociopaths who satisfy personal needs by killing with physical force. Demographically similar to the serial killer, the mas s murderer generally kills people he knows well, acting deliberately and me thodically. He executes his victims in the most expedient way - with a fire arm. Importantly, the difference of timing that distinguishes serial from m ass murder may also obscure strong similarities in their motivation. Both c an be understood within the same motivational typology - power, revenge, lo yalty, profit, and terror. The research literature, still in its infancy, i s more speculative than definitive, based primarily on anecdotal evidence r ather than hard data. Future studies should make greater use of comparison groups and seek life-cycle explanations - beyond early childhood - which re cognize the unique patterns and characteristics of multiple murderers. A re search focus on murder in the extreme may also help us understand more comm onplace forms of interpersonal violence.