One of the most common signature aspects is the calling card, or tattooing of the dead bodies, use of excessive force, leaving notes behind and many more. These are not necessary in killing of victims but are a sign of claiming the crime (John E. Douglas, 2011).
The components of crime classification that I learnt about and are central in the crime classification are finding out the defining characteristics of the crimes and the crime scenes, this will be instrumental in telling the motive behind the crime and in the case of multiple motives, the most outstanding will guide the profiling. The other component is victimology which is the complete history of the victim which will help in unraveling whether it was just the victim that was targeted or was the property also a target in the crime (like in arson). This will make the profiler understand the criminal's activities with the victim or the property of the victim. Crime scene indicators is another strong aspect in crime classification and will include the number of crime scenes, the environment, place and the time, the number of offenders, organized or disorganized crime. These are the pertinent components of crime classification (John Douglas & Ann Burgess, 2006).
Crimes of John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne was one of the most notorious criminals. He was majorly involved in violent crimes and was found guilty of murdering 33 males from 1972 till 1978 when he was arrested and finally convicted. "Killer Clown" as he was dubbed for entertaining kids at parties, yet killing in secret. He was known to sodomize kids if they refused to perform oral sex with him. He was a divorced and disgraced person who lured homosexuals to his house, torture and brutally kill them. He is known to lure his victims into his house through job advertisements then torture them, rape and kill. He was finally discovered when he invited the police for a cup of coffee and they were overwhelmed by the stench of rotting bodies. Upon search, 29 bodies were found. Gacy was executed by lethal injection in 1994.
Gacy could be classified as a psychopath bearing...
These are people who are fully aware of the consequences of their actions yet they go on to do them. They are self-centered, don't care about other's feelings and are remorseless. They also pose as completely normal people to the unsuspecting targets yet these are the characteristics that Gacy had (Encyclopedia of mental Disorders, 2012).
Individuals with this personality disorder are fully aware of the consequences of their actions and know the difference between right and wrong, yet they are terrifyingly self-centered, remorseless, and unable to care about the feelings of others. Perhaps most frightening, they often seem completely normal to unsuspecting targets, and they do not always ply their trade by killing.
References
Anthony Lantosca, (2006) IAFEI: The truth about Deception Detection. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from http://www.iafei.com/deception-detection/
Encyclopedia of mental Disorders, (2012). Hare Psychopathy Checklist. Retrieved February 11,
2012 from http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Hare-Psychopathy-Checklist.html
Hwakins, (2012). The Baseline Killer. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/baseline-killer/1.html
Jerry Chisun W & Brent E. Turvey, (2000). Evidence Dynamics: Locard's Exchange Principle & Crime Reconstruction. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from http://www.profiling.org/journal/vol1_no1/jbp_ed_january2000_1-1.html
John E. Douglas, (2011). Violent Crime Scene Analysis: Modus Operandi, Signature, and Staging. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from http://www.crimeandclues.com/index.php/criminal-investigation/criminal-profiling/37-violent-crime-scene-analysis-modus-operandi-signature-and-staging
John Douglas & Ann Burgess, (2006). Crime Classification Manual. John Wiley and Sons:
Market Street. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=Il2lksVFS9oC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Kristal
