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Despite the widespread public concern regarding abduction, research on this type of crime is scarce. This lack of research is even more pronounced when looking at cases that end with the death of the victim. In fact, all of the research looking at lethal outcomes in cases of abductions has focused exclusively on child victims and has failed to consider the interactions at the multivariate level between the factors related to the death of the victim. Therefore, the aim of the study is to identify offender and crime characteristics – as well as their interactions – associated with a lethal outcome in sexually-motivated abductions using a combination of logistic regression and neural network analyses on a sample of 281 cases (81 cases ending with a lethal outcome, random sample of 200 comparison cases). Findings show that sexually-motivated abductions ending with a lethal outcome are more likely to be characterized by an offender who is a loner, forensically aware, and who who uses a weapon and restraints, and who sexually penetrates and beats a known victim. The neural network analysis show that three different pathways lead to a lethal outcome in sexually-motivated abductions. Such findings are important for correctional practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals who commit sexual offenses against children have been shown to be distinctive from adult offenders across both individual and crime characteristics. However, an examination of the literature shows that there are gaps in the research related to whether sadism manifests differently between those who target child compared to adult victims. The current study therefore aimed to explore the differences in the characteristics, crime-commission process, and the dimensions of sadism between sadistic crimes of children (n = 101) compared to those of adults (n = 433). Sexual sadism was assessed with the Sexual Sadism Scale (SeSaS) and binary logistic regression analysis and multidimensional scale analysis (MDS) were performed to examine differences between these two groups. Our results showed that sadistic fantasies manifested into four dimensions for both adult and child victims. In terms of differences, sadistic sexual offenses involving children appear to be reflective of deviant fantasies related to overlapping paraphilias (e.g., sadism and pedophilia). Conversely, sadistic crimes involving adult victims involve a crime-commission process that involves a greater degree of structure to control their adult victim and decrease their risk of identification. Implications for clinical assessment and police investigations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document introduces a special issue of the journal "Behavioral Sciences & the Law" focused on sexual homicide and the lethal outcome in sexual crimes. It emphasizes the importance of studying sexual homicide despite its low occurrence and discusses the internationalization of research in this field. The special issue includes studies on offender types, victimology issues, and specific aspects of sexual homicide. The goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of sexual homicide and its contribution to research on homicide, sexual crimes, and criminology. The articles in the special issue cover topics such as child and adolescent victims, foreign object insertion, and elderly sexual violence. The authors come from various institutions in Canada, Switzerland, and the UK. Additionally, there is a list of references for further reading on sexual homicide and criminology, covering topics such as offender motivations, patterns of overkill, sadism, and differences between intimate partner and non-intimate partner sexual homicide. The studies utilize various research methods, providing valuable insights into the complex nature of sexual homicide. [Extracted from the article]

To date, sexually motivated abductions have not received as much attention from researchers in comparison to the acts of abduction and sexual assault alone. Further, the majority of research that is conducted on abductions focuses solely on child victims, creating a gap in the literature. The current study was set forth to identify qualitatively different subgroups of offenders who commit sexually motivated abductions. Using victim, crime, and offender characteristics taken from sexual abduction cases (n = 1288), a latent class analysis was conducted. Results from the latent class analysis revealed that four subgroups of sexually motivated abductors exist: Convenience Opportunist, Strategic Opportunist, Child Opportunist, and Familiar Opportunist. In addition, bivariate analyses were run to test the latent class solution with different characteristics; results suggest that these subgroups of sexually motivated offenders may not be dependent on some victim lifestyle characteristics. These results provide evidence that there are qualitatively different subgroups of offenders who commit sexually motivated abductions, which may be useful for law enforcement when conducting investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although most people have heard the terms 'souvenirs', 'trophies', and 'mementos', discussed in books and movies on the true crimes of sexual murderers, limited research has delved into the phenomenon of theft in sexual homicide (SH). Using a sample of 762 SH cases coming from the Sexual Homicide International Database, the current study examines the crime‐commission process of the pre‐crime, crime, and post‐crime phases of sexual homicide offenders (SHOs) who engaged in theft during a SH. Additionally, this study seeks to determine if a specific type of SHO engages in this behaviour over others. Results from the sequential logistic regression indicate that victims who are 16 years or older, were strangers to the SHO, and were sex workers were more likely to be victims of theft. Additionally, results indicate that the presence of sadism made it more likely the SHO would engage in theft from the victim and/or crime scene. Findings suggest there is a group of SHOs who engage in theft not for monetary purposes but due to the paraphilia of the offender. These findings can inform the police investigation of these crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines Sexual Homicide (SH) cases, analyzing the transition to cold cases through a non‐discretionary lens. Utilizing the SH International Database, it explores the interplay between offender behavior, victim characteristics, and crime context. Advanced methodologies, including sequential logistic regression and Artificial Neural Networks, identify key predictors of case resolution. Results highlight the critical influence of victim intoxication, high‐risk activities, and the location of the victim's body on case solvability. The study also reveals the significant role of offender forensic awareness and the complexity of crime scenes in hindering case resolution. These findings underline the multifaceted nature of SH cases, emphasizing the importance of understanding the nuanced interplay between victim, offender, and contextual factors in solving these challenging cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual violence committed by multiple perpetrators is a particularly worrying phenomenon given that the severity of psychopathological sequelae for the victims are increased when the sexual offense is committed by more than one offender. Preliminary studies showed that sexual violence committed by solo offenders is different from that of duos or groups of offenders. This study explores the heterogeneity within 983 cases of sexual violence committed by multiple perpetrators, with a focus not only on offenders' modus operandi, but also victims' routine activities and situational aspects of the crime. Results from a latent class analysis identified four offending patterns: sexual violence committed by multiple perpetrators where: 1) stranger victims were randomly selected; 2) offenders were geographically mobile; 3) victims were assaulted during social events; and 4) offenders were non-sexually motivated. Findings help identify situational characteristics interacting with offenders' behaviors and victims' routine activities associated with sexual violence committed by multiple perpetrators. The implications regarding the heterogeneity of criminal patterns in these forms of violence is discussed in relation to police practice, situational crime prevention strategies, and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male-on-male sexual assaults (MMSA) have been overlooked in the literature, especially in light of the offender's decisional sequence. Additionally, current studies have never been supported by a strong theoretical framework. Therefore, the present study aims to describe MMSA by investigating the heterogeneity of MMSA scripts as well as by highlighting how victim, offender, and crime characteristics influence the crime-commission process. Using a database provided by the French Ministry of Interior, a latent class analysis supported by the script approach was conducted amongst 459 cases of MMSA. The model was composed of 16 variables illustrating various stages in the crime-commission process and 23 variables related to the offender and victim's characteristics were used to assess external validity. The findings support the heterogeneity of MMSA and highlight the existence of four scripts, namely the Intimate Outdoor, the Acquaintance Indoor, the Coercive Indoor, and the Stranger Outdoor scripts. Our results do not only contribute to raising awareness on the issue of MMSA, but they also have various practical implications as they can be used to guide prevention and investigation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We test Van Gelder and colleagues’ revision to rational choice theory by incorporating traits and states in sexual crime decision models. We studied the index sexual offenses of a sample of 871 male individuals and account for the influence of traits (impulsivity and aggression) and states (age, stressors, alcohol/drugs, and sexual arousal) on their crime decisions. We found that traits and states were associated with use of force, corresponding to ‘hot’ decision making, while ‘cool’ decisions occurred in earlier crime decisions, indicating the importance of decision temporality. Traits and states were not related to immediate crime outcomes. They appear to act as heuristic devices that simplify decision making in the criminal context, without impeding reaching the desired outcomes. There is theoretical value in adding traits and states to traditional rational choice crime models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past studies on criminal expertise showed that some sexual offenders possess skills related to avoiding detection. An important question that remains unaddressed in the literature, however, is whether unsolved cases can be used as a "proxy" for expertise. The present study sought to provide the first empirical examination of criminal expertise in a sample of solved (n = 732) and unsolved (n = 309) stranger sexual assault cases involving theft. We used binary logistic regression to determine whether behavioral indicators of criminal expertise predicted case status. Findings showed that the most relevant factors related to case solvability were not related to detection avoidance strategies used by the offender, but rather, whether semen evidence was found at the crime scene and the number of sexual acts performed against the victim. Interestingly, cases involving fetish theft were also more likely to remain unsolved. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the sexual victimization process of individuals with disabilities using the interactional victimology theoretical framework. Specifically, we compare the victimological indicators of four different situations: victims were not disabled, victims were physically disabled, victims were psychologically disabled, and finally, victims were both physically and psychologically disabled. The sample used in this study consists of 1,077 cases of extrafamilial sexual assaults involving adult victims in France. Bivariate and multivariate analyses are performed to examine the differences between cases where victims were not disabled (n = 500), victims were physically disabled (n = 243), victims were psychologically disabled (n = 276), and victims were both physically and psychologically disabled (n = 58). Findings show that disability is a factor increasing the severity of sexual violence and that the type of disability affects the parameters of the victimization process. Moreover, results show that sexual victimization of persons with disabilities is more likely due to their vulnerability than to their exposure to risks. Both theoretical and practical implications related to the vulnerability concept are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]