Spree killer
A spree killer is someane who kills twa or mair victims in a short time in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killin as "killins at twa or mair locations wi amaist nae time break atween murthers".[1]
Definition eedit
Accordin tae the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the general definition o spree killer is a body (or mair nor ane body) who commits twa or mair murthers withoot a ceulin-aff period; the lack o a ceulin-aff period markin the difference atween a spree killer an a serial killer. The category haes, housomeivver, been foond tae be o nae real value tae law enforcement, acause o definitional problems relatin tae the concept o a "ceulin-aff period".[2] Serial killers commit clearly separate murthers, happenin at different times. Mass murtherers are defined bi ane incident, wi nae distinctive time period atween the murthers.[2]
Hou tae distinguish a spree killer frae a mass murtherer, or even a serial killer is subject tae considerable controversy an aften thare doesna seem tae be ony coherence in the application o the term. For example, The Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment, leets five different categories o spree killers an cites Mark O. Barton as an example for the seicont ane.[3] He is notit wi ither mass murtherers such as Patrick Sherrill in the respective entry aboot mass murther.[4] In The Anatomy Of Motive, John E. Douglas cites Charles Starkweather an Andrew Cunanan as examples o spree killers,[5] while Jack Levin caws Cunanan a serial killer[6] an Starkweather a mass murtherer.[7]
In Controversial Issues in Criminology, Fuller an Hickey write that "[t]he element o time involvit atween murtherous acts is primary in the differentiation o serial, mass, an spree murderers", later elaboratin that spree killers "will engage in the killin acts for days or weeks" while the "methods o murther an teeps o victims vara". Andrew Cunanan is gien as an example for spree killin, while Charles Whitman is mentioned in connection wi mass murther, an Jeffrey Dahmer wi serial killin.[8]
Douglas explains that the identity o a serial killer is generally unkent till he is caucht, an the mass murtherer's identity is anerlie learned efter he haes committit his creeme. The identity o the spree killer, on the ither haund, is uisually kent bi polis, even while his spree continues, an he is socht as a fugitive.[9]
Anither term, rampage killer, haes sometimes been uised tae describe spree killers, but it does no differentiate atween mass murtherers an spree killers.
See an aw eedit
References eedit
- ↑ Charalambous, Nick, and Meryl Dillman. "No evidence of spree killer yet, police say" Archived 2008-12-30 at the Wayback Machine. The Anderson Independent-Mail (Anderson, South Carolina), December 17, 2006. Accessed July 8, 2008.
- ↑ a b Morton, Robert J., and Mark A. Hilts (eds.) Serial Murder – Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators Archived 2010-10-07 at the Wayback Machine, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Accessed July 4, 2009.
- ↑ Levinson, David (ed.): Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment, Vol. 4; Berkshire Publishing Group, 2002. p. 1565
- ↑ Levinson, p. 1038.
- ↑ Douglas, John E. & Olshaker, Mark: The Anatomy Of Motive; Simon and Schuster, 1999.
- ↑ Levin, Jack: Serial Killers and Sadistic Murderers, Prometheus Books, 2008. p. 49.
- ↑ Levin, Jack & Fox, James Alan: Mass Murder: America's Growing Menace, Berkley Books, 1991.
- ↑ Fuller, John R. & Hickey, Eric W.: Controversial Issues in Criminology; Allyn and Bacon, 1999. pp. 36.
- ↑ Douglas, p. 192.
Further readin eedit
- Pantziarka, Pan (2000). Lone Wolf: True Stories of Spree Killers. Virgin Publishing. ISBN 0-7535-0437-5.