Serial offender hunting patterns

Hunting Patterns of Serial Offenders

Hunting patterns are the interaction of time, space, and activity of a serial offender's criminal behaviour. When examining hunting patterns, investigators study routine activity, rational choice, and the location of the crime.

Criminologist D. Kim Rossmo created the “Rossmo Formula” to explain his ideas on serial offences and geographic profiling. The formula was created to determine where criminals lived, and why specific locations were chosen as places to commit crime.

Crime patterns have to be carefully considered when examining a serial offender. “Reasonably rational offenders, while engaging in their routine activities, will know places where victims can be contacted, abducted or assaulted without the interference of guardians or managers and where their handlers are unlikely to show up”. Offenders tend to seek places where they can commit crimes without being seen.

Routine Activity Theory

The Routine Activity Theory, which was developed in 1979 by Marcus Felson and Lawrence E. Cohen, argued that crime occurs because of setting and opportunity. The two theorists believe that there is little influence in a person’s socio-economic status when criminal activity begins. They argued, "that the possibility of crime occurring on collectivities was influenced by the convergence in space and time of three main elements: (a) A motivated and potential offender, (b) An attractive and suitable target, and (c) An ineffective or absent capable guardian protecting [the victim] against a violation”. This is particularly a factor when it comes to serial murderers and repeat sexual predators, who operate according to the Routine Activity Theory. Rossmo's Formula includes four victim search methods and criminal attack methods.

Victim Search Methods

Hunter

Commission [of crime] within the offender's city of residence (awareness space). An example of this type of serial offender is Gary Ridgeway, also known as The Green River Killer

Poacher

Offender travels outside his home city to commit crimes.

Charles Manson picked some of his victims at random. There were other victims of whom he was suspected of killing, but he was never charged or convicted of those offences. Several of the other suspected victims were actually part of his "family", or people with whom he was acquainted. He would go wherever was necessary, in order to commit the crimes he had planned, regardless of where he was living at the time.

Troller

An offender who chooses his victim from a random encounter, or who cruises an area searching for an encounter. Jeffrey Dahmer cruised gay bars, or picked up young males, and lured them to his home, where he killed them.

Trapper

Individuals who manipulate the situation so that victims come to them. Ted Bundy pretended to have a broken arm. He used a fake cast to elicit sympathy and to manipulate girls into helping him.

Attack Methods

Various methods are incorporated to determine a suitable victim for specific types of attacks.

Raptor

Immediately attacking victim upon encounter. An example of a raptor is Jack the Ripper from London's White Chapel district.

Stalker

Follows and watches victims for a period of time before attacking them. Richard Ramirez was known as the Night Stalker. This was his chosen method of hunting for victims.

Ambusher

Attack takes place where the offender has ultimate control. Victims are often lured to this place by promises of a photo opportunity or drugs. Other offenders have been known to impersonate a police officer and pull a victim off the road with blue lights. They use the persona of a person of authority to intimidate victims and get them into their vehicle or pull them over in a secluded place to victimize them. John Wayne Gacy would take his victims to his home where he ultimately killed them and buried them under the house.

Sexual Predators

Sexual violence in society is considered a highly deviant and anti-social activity. There are many laws that prohibit certain sexual acts due to motives and intent. “Sexual violence, in particular, is perceived as a learned behavior associated with interpersonal aggression and sexuality as an outcome of social and cultural traditions”. Essentially, sexual predators have a rational behind their actions. People in unstimulated or unmotivated circumstances generally don't become sexual predators. It is most commonly found to be an escalating behavior. It often begins as voyeurism and over a period of time, evolves into molestation, rape, murder, or a combination of all of these.

A study related to sexual predators and their motivations was conducted in Quebec, Canada. The study participants were repeat sexual predators with earned custodial sentences of two or more years. There were 72 participants in the study with assault histories ranging from 2-37 sexual assaults. The individuals conducting the study wanted to determine the offenders' patterns through interviews, questionnaires, and police reports. They examined behaviors, routine activity, and geography (if the offense took place at the same place where the victim met the assailant). At the end of the study, the researchers found that if an offender broke into an individual’s home with the intention of raping his victim, he was more likely to use a limited number of criminal tactics to accomplish his goal, rather than to study the situation and to plan an assault. On the other hand, if an offender used an outside space to commit an assault, he was more likely to commit numerous other crimes while attempting to complete the crime of his original intent. These findings revolve around the Rational Choice Theory. The basic tenet underlying this theory is that an individual will weigh the cost and benefits of their actions prior to execution.