SOCI 3410 Study Guide - Summer 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Serial Killer, Fantasy, Homicide
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
SOCI 3410
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
SOCI3410 May 9, 2018
1
Guest Lecturer – Greg Brown
Types of Murders
• Partner Homicides
o Romantic relationship (ex. husbands killing wives, wives killing husbands)
• Gang Related
• Organized Crime
o Occur sporadically
• Spontaneous Murders
Jennifer Teague case
• 18-year-old teen from Ottawa who was murdered by Kevin Davis
• No DNA as body was badly decomposed + no eyewitnesses
• Investigators don’t want to put words into suspect’s mouth (no coercion)
• Hold back evidence – evidence not known to the public, but only to killer & cops
• Hallmarks of a serial killer:
o Had mental health issues
o May have killed a cat & lit a building on fire
o Narcissistic, manipulative & controlling personality
o Preys on vulnerable victims
• Davis developed a fantasy of raping & killing a young blonde, slender girl
o He would go out on the streets & prowl for a victim
• Enjoyed media attention (an aspect of Haggerty’s conditions of modernity)
Ian Bush case
• Manipulative, controlling, narcissistic & irrational
• Found guilty of the triple murder of a retired chief justice, his wife & their neighbour &
the attempted murder of an elderly war veteran
• May be responsible for another unsolved murder in Ottawa (w a similar MO)
• Had a very detailed hit list
• Highly functional, no mental illness identified
• Can be classified as both a serial & mass murderer
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
SOCI3410 May 7, 2018
1
Week 1 Lecture
Introduction & Definitions
Homicide vs. Murder
• Killing: general notion of extinguishing life
• Homicide: killing of one human being by another human being
• Murder: criminal homicide
• *Homicide & murder will be used interchangeably
Expressive vs. Instrumental
• Crimes, including murder, are often classified into two types:
o Expressive: emotional based
▪ No purpose other than the act itself
o Instrumental: means to an end (i.e. money or killing a witness)
• Can help when trying to understand motive
• Crimes can sometimes be both
o They are not mutually exclusive categories
Multicide (Multiple Murder)
• Technically more than one murder
• Murders may or may not be separated in time or at the same location
• Subcategories of multicide defined by…
o How many victims there are
o Separation in time (events)
o Number of locations
o Cooling off period
• Two specific types: serial murder & mass murder
• Spree murder falling out of use
Chart of Types
Mass
Spree
Serial
# Victims
4+
2+
3+
# Events
1
1
3+
# Locations
1
2+
3+
Cool-Off Period
None
None
Yes
Example
Toronto van attack
Moncton shooting
Robert Pickton
Why Do Different Definitions Matter?
• Many definitions in use for both mass & serial murder, which has its consequences…
o Hard to compare numbers & trends across time & studies
o Changes research samples
▪ Ex. Russell Williams would not be considered a serial murder as he did
not have 3 murdered victims
o Creates public confusion
o For offenders seeking fame, may increase victim counts to make sure they receive
the label they desire
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Types of murders: partner homicides, romantic relationship (ex. husbands killing wives, wives killing husbands, gang related, organized crime, occur sporadically, spontaneous murders. Murder: killing: general notion of extinguishing life, homicide: killing of one human being by another human being, murder: criminal homicide, *homicide & murder will be used interchangeably. Why do different definitions matter: many definitions in use for both mass & serial murder, which has its consequences , hard to compare numbers & trends across time & studies, changes research samples, ex. Russell williams would not be considered a serial murder as he did not have 3 murdered victims: creates public confusion, for offenders seeking fame, may increase victim counts to make sure they receive the label they desire. Gilles de rais, peter stubbe, elisabeth bathory, sawney beane family, Holocaust society can be rid of the undesirables". Ideally, typologies should be mutually exclusive & exhaustive: most murders are not mutually exclusive, nor exhaustive.
