Teenage serial homicide offenders: a typology.

Abstract

Although serial homicide literature covers a variety of serial homicide offender classifications, to date, there has been a limited amount of research conducted on teenage serial homicide. Only two studies have attempted to explain teenage serial homicide, and no study has yet to create a typology of the youthful offender. Using a sample of 43 male teenage serial homicide offenders in Canada and the United States between the years of 1970-2005, this study constructs a typology on teenage serial homicide offenders. Single motive offenders were divided into three subcategories: lust offenders, profit offenders, and rage offenders. Multiple motive offenders were divided into two subcategories: exploitive offenders and lust-rage offenders. Each subcategory includes motive, offender characteristics, murder method, victim selection, contact with victim, murder location and spatial mobility. Such findings are discussed and explanations of each are given.