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FEB04.TXT
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1990-03-16
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FEBRUARY 1990
THE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR OF THE SERIAL RAPIST
By
Robert R. Hazelwood, M.S.
Special Agent
Behavioral Science Instruction/Research Unit
Quantico, VA
and
Janet Warren, D.S.W.
Institute of Psychiatry and Law
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
From 1984 to 1986, FBI Special Agents assigned to the
National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC)
interviewed 41 men who were responsible for raping 837 victims.
Previous issues of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin provided an
introduction to this research (1) and the characteristics of the
rapists and their victims. (2) This article, however, describes
the behavior of these serial rapists during and following the
commission of their sexual assaults. The information presented
is applicable only to the men interviewed; it is not intended to
be generalized to all men who rape.
PREMEDITATION
The majority of the sexual attacks (55-61%) committed by
these men were premeditated across their first, middle, and last
rapes, while fewer rapists reported their crimes as being
impulsive (15-22%) or opportunistic (22-24%). Although no
comparable data on serial rape are available, it is probable that
the premeditation involved in these crimes is particularly
characteristic of these serial rapists. It is also probable that
this premeditation is reflective of their preferential interest
in this type of crime and largely accounts for their ability to
avoid detection.
METHODS OF APPROACH
There are three different styles of approach rapists
frequently use: The ``con,'' the ``blitz,'' and the
``surprise.'' (3) Each reflects a different means of selecting,
approaching and subduing a chosen victim.
The ``Con'' Approach
Case Number 1
John, a man who raped more than 20 women, told the
interviewers that he stopped one of his victims late at night and
identified himself as a plainclothes police officer. He asked
for her driver's license and registration, walked back to his car
and sat there for a few moments. He then returned to the victim,
advised her that her registration had expired and asked her to
accompany him to his car. She did so, and upon entering the car,
he handcuffed her and drove to an isolated location where he
raped and sodomized the victim.
As in the above case account, the con approach involves
subterfuge and is predicated on the rapist's ability to interact
with women. With this technique, the rapist openly approaches
the victim and requests or offers some type of assistance or
direction. However, once the victim is within his control, the
offender may suddenly become more aggressive.
The con approach was used in 8 (24%) of the first rapes, 12
(35%) of the middle rapes, and 14 (41%) of the last rapes.
Various ploys used by the offenders included impersonating a
police officer, providing transportation for a hitchhiking
victim, and picking women up in singles bars. Obviously, this
style of initiating contact with victims requires an ability to
interact with women.
The ``Blitz'' Approach
Case Number 2
Phil, a 28-year-old male, approached a woman loading
groceries in her car, struck her in the face, threw her in the
vehicle and raped her. On another occasion, he entered a women's
restroom in a hospital, struck his victim, and raped her in a
stall. Exiting the restroom with the victim in his grasp, he
threatened her as though they were involved in a lover's quarrel,
and thus precluded interference from concerned onlookers who had
gathered when she screamed.
In a blitz approach, the rapist uses a direct, injurious
physical assault which subdues and physically injures the victim.
The attacker may also use chemicals or gases but most frequently
makes use of his ability to physically overpower a woman.
Interestingly, despite its simplicity, this approach was used in
23% of the first rapes, 20% of the middle rapes, and 17% of the
last rapes. Even though it is used less often than the con
approach, the blitz approach results in more extensive physical
injury and inhibits certain fantasy components of the rape that
may be arousing to the rapist.
The ``Surprise'' Approach
Case Number 3
Sam, a 24-year-old male, would preselect his victims through
``peeping tom'' activities. He would then watch the victim's
residence to establish her patterns. After deciding to rape the
woman, he would wait until she had gone to sleep, enter the home,
and place his hand over her mouth. He would advise the victim
that he did not intend to harm her if she cooperated with the
assault. He raped more than 20 women before he was apprehended.
The surprise approach, which involves the assailant waiting
for the victim or approaching her after she is sleeping,
presupposes that the rapist has targeted or preselected his
victim through unobserved contact and knowledge of when the
victim would be alone. Threats and/or the presence of a weapon
are often associated with this type of approach; however, there
is no actual injurious force applied.
The surprise approach was used by the serial rapists in 19
(54%) of the first rapes, 16 (46%) of the middle rapes, and 16
(44%) of the last rapes (percentages vary due to the number of
rapes). This represents the most frequently used means of
approach and is used most often by men who lack confidence in
their ability to subdue the victim through physical threats or
subterfuge.
CONTROLLING THE VICTIM
How rapists maintain control over a victim is dependent upon
two factors: Their motivation for the sexual attack and/or the
passivity of the victim. Within this context, four control
methods are frequently used in various combinations during a
rape: 1) Mere physical presence; 2) verbal threats; 3) display of
a weapon; and 4) the use of physical force. (4)
The men in this study predominantly used a threatening
physical presence (82-92%) and/or verbal threats (65-80%) to
control their victims. Substantially less often they displayed a
weapon (44-49%) or physically assaulted the victim (27-32%).
When a weapon was displayed, it was most often a sharp
instrument, such as a knife (27-42%).
One rapist explained that he chose a knife because he
perceived it to be the most intimidating weapon to use against
women in view of their fear of disfigurement. Firearms were used
less frequently (14-20%). Surprisingly, all but a few of the
rapists used binding located at the scene of the rape. One
except