The contract murderer: Patterns, characteristics, and dynamics

A case of an independent professional contract murderer, who killed over 10 0 people, is reported. After eluding law enforcement for 30 years, the subj ect killed several associates who he believed could implicate him in variou s crimes. These homicides eventually led to his arrest, since the victims w ere individuals who could be linked to him. This hit man had a background o f poverty and childhood abuse but, as an adult, had pursued a middle-class lifestyle and kept his family totally separate from his criminal career. In addition, he had a number of characteristics that helped him carry out his crimes in a highly planned, methodical, and organized manner: he had adept social judgment; personality traits of orderliness, control, and paranoid vigilance; useful defense mechanisms of rationalization and reframing; and an exceptional ability to encapsulate emotions. This case is discussed with in the context of contract murder, a crime that occurs relatively frequentl y and is probably increasing; yet it often goes undetected, the arrest rate is low, and the offender is rarely studied.