Domestic Violence Lust Murder
A Clinical Perspective of Sadistic and Sexual Fantasies
Integrated into Domestic Violence Dynamics
By
Former Commander,
Law
and Order Magazine, November 2000 Vol. 48 No. 11
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In a sex related
homicide inquiry the investigator examines the actions and activities of the
offender with the victim during the crime to determine and interpret his
“signature” and attempt to understand how the individual person’s mind
“played-out” the sexual act. Clinically speaking, there is a very thin line
between sexual fantasy and reality.
Sexual
perversions are premeditated in the obsessive fantasies of the offender. An offender who is not psychotic may
experience a “psychotic episode” relating to a temporary condition brought on
shortly or in response to an extreme stressor.
Sex is a stressor.
It is the
author’s opinion that “When an
individual becomes thoroughly vested in sexually sadistic fantasy and begins to
draw and script these fantasies an insidious amalgamation develops in which
fantasy and reality become blended.”
Domestic violence homicides are those murders that occur between men and women, husbands nd wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, boyfriends and boyfriends and girlfriends and girlfriend relationships. In fact, any murder between intimate partners would be considered a domestic violence homicide. They may also involve third party relationships, such as "love triangles" former husbands and/or wives, and jilted lovers.
The author
classifies Domestic Violence murders as Interpersonal Violence Oriented
Homicide. They are the most prevalent
form of sex related murder. The rationale
for classifying domestic violence as sex related is due to the fact that murder
serves as the ultimate form of sexual revenge.
And, in many instances the homicides will include sexual assault or
wound structures manifesting a sexual orientation. (See LAW & ORDER Vol. 46 No. 11
November, 1998)
It
is important to note that the motivation
in an interpersonal violence oriented dispute may be obscured by what was done
to the body of the victim, or how the crime scene was staged or changed. Originally, what appeared to be a rape‑murder,
the work of a sexual psychopath, or a lust murderer is oftentimes based on
interpersonal violence. The case cited in this article is a classic example of
this phenomena.
A
thirty-seven year old woman named Susan was discovered murdered in her home by
police who had responded to an emergency call.
Uniform police officers forced entry into the house, which was locked. They determined that the female victim was in
fact dead. She had suffered numerous
stab wounds to the frontal portion of her body.
While “clearing” the house to assure that there were no other victims or
offenders, officers discovered her forty-three year old husband, named Frank in
an upstairs bedroom. He was suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot
wound fired from a .25 Caliber automatic found next to his body. He was nude from the waist down and had blood
on his legs and genitals as well as his arms and hands. He was rushed to a hospital where he died three
days later from the head wound.
Susan
had been shot four times in the chest with a .38 caliber handgun found at the
scene and had been stabbed fifty-seven times with a large hunting knife, which
protruded from her chest. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
According
to the police report, Susan’s co-workers had become concerned when she failed
to show for work. They went to her house
and after receiving no response looked into the front window and saw her nude
body on the floor with a large hunting knife in her chest.
This
case presented as a Murder/Suicide. The murder weapon was a .38 Caliber
revolver. Apparently, Frank had shot his
wife with the .38 revolver and then used a .25 Caliber semi-automatic to shoot
himself. Police recovered the murder
weapon and the gun that the husband had used to shoot himself in the head. In addition to these weapons Frank had a .22 Caliber semi-automatic, .380 and a .45 Caliber semi-automatic. The police also recovered hundreds of drawings
and paintings of nude women. Frank had
set-up an art studio in one of the bedrooms where he apparently would spend his
time drawing and painting his fantasies.
According to friends and other family members the couple seemed happy
and there was no history of domestic violence. However, clearly depicted in the
crime scene photographs was Frank’s wedding ring jammed onto Susan’s nose.
Susan’s body was in a supine position with her right
arm extended above her head. North of her body was a chrome .380 Caliber
semi-automatic. Her legs were crossed
and she was wearing high heel shoes.
However, the rest of the body was totally nude. She suffered a number of stab wounds into her
chest and breast. The stab wounds continued down her chest into her pubis and
pelvic area and her throat was cut. Telephone cord had been wrapped tightly
around her neck. The extensive blood around the victim’s body had been smeared.
There were palm prints in the blood on the floor around the victim’s body. There were also footprints through the blood
from the husband’s feet and it was apparent that Frank had positioned his
wife’s body in a pose similar to some of the drawings police recovered.
Approximately eighteen of the stab wounds actually perforated her chest. The
knife had literally been drilled into the linoleum floor after passing through
her chest.
The
hundreds of drawings and painting that police recovered depicted women with
gunshot wounds and/or knife wounds to the breast and chest. He also had a number of centerfold photos in
which he had stabbed or cut through and then added blood marks with a red ink
pen. The injuries and mutilation of his
wife’s body as well as the large knife protruding form her chest bore an eerie
resemblance to the drawings and paintings that the police recovered from the
scene.
Frank was in an upstairs bedroom. His body was located between the right side
of the bed and the wall. He was nude
from the waist down. Blood on his genital area, which later was determined to
be Susan’s blood, would lead the consultant to conclude that he also attempted
to engage in sexual activity with his wife.
He had an injury to the right side of his head from an apparent
self-inflicted gunshot wound.
There was a .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun found
close to his body. This was the weapon he had used to shoot himself. One
expended .25 Caliber casing was found on the floor west of the bed. The .25 Caliber projectile was lying on the
bed. The phone in the bedroom was off
the hook, lying in a puddle of blood.
There
was a .38 Caliber revolver found approximately three feet from the foot of the
bed. It was lying in a piece of glass and had four empty .38 Caliber shell
casings with it. Above the gun on the
wall was a large poster-picture of a semi-nude woman dressed in a short black
slip with one arm extended up and the other arm on her hip in a provocative
pose.
This poster-picture had been shot 15 times with both
a .38 Caliber and a .380 Caliber through the chest area. The bullets traveled through the wall of a
bedroom closet. Detectives recovered a total of eight shell casings from a .380
Caliber semi-automatic, as well as, spent rounds from a .38 Caliber revolver
and projectiles from the .380 Caliber semi-automatic in the immediate vicinity
of this bullet punctuated poster-picture.
This indicated that this poster had been shot at prior to this
event. Investigatively speaking the most
current shooting into the poster-picture most likely preceded the
homicide. In either event it certainly
provided some insight into the pathological dynamics of the marriage.
Additional shell casings were found on the bed,
floor and dresser. To the right of the
headboard was the .25 Caliber semi-automatic handgun. Detectives also discovered a black
briefcase. This briefcase contained two
additional weapons. There was a .45
Caliber semi-automatic and a .22 Caliber revolver along with numerous
unexpended rounds of ammunition. To the
north of the first bedroom (Northwest corner of the house) was a second
bedroom. This room was undisturbed. In the Northeast corner of the house was the
husband’s art studio. On a dresser was
an empty knife sheath consistent with the knife used on Susan.
Susan was thirty-seven years old and married for the
second time. Frank was forty-three years
old. He had been married twice
before. Susan had a full-time job and
worked everyday to help support her husband.
Frank drifted from job-to-job working as a male model and dance
instructor.
Susan had been married to Frank for approximately
three years. Family and friends were
seemingly unaware of any problems or incidents of domestic violence. Susan had lived in the house prior to her
marriage to Frank. Following their
marriage, Frank and Susan took over the mortgage on the house.
Friends described Susan as totally opposite from
Frank. She was very down-to-earth and
quiet, perhaps somewhat passive. Frank
was very hyperactive. He wasn’t afraid to state his opinions and was considered
as flashy. Frank taught dancing lessons.
Susan attempted to assist her husband by also working with him in an effort to
assist him in his business. Detectives interviewed one person who stated that
Frank was extremely intense about the dancing lessons and would chastise his
wife severely if she made an error while dancing. This witness told police that Frank
controlled Susan, who acted subservient.
Opinions of Interviewees
Police interviews of family and friends presented
contradictory personalities. Some
persons who were interviewed considered him a passionate and emotional man.
Others described Frank as angry. Susan
provided him much affection. Based on
further investigation it was learned that neither his second wife nor his
mother provided Frank with much love or nurturing. Ironically, Frank never got
over his emotional attachment to his second wife. In fact it was a known fact
that Frank considered her “The love of his life.” He had often expressed this to his wife, Susan.
Several others who were interviewed found him to be
effeminate due to a display of many feminine mannerisms. One acquaintance described Frank as having a
“Hollywood” life style. He was very open-minded
concerning sexual matters, outgoing and talkative. Other individuals who were interviewed stated
that Frank drank excessively. He did not
have a criminal record but did have a complaint lodged against him by his
former wife for domestic abuse. The charge was dismissed when they were divorced.
It was also learned that Frank boasted that while he
was at Kent State the CIA had recruited him.
He told people that he had been part of a CIA Assassination Team
operating in South America. He told others that he had martial arts training
and owned a number of guns. He bragged
about owning a .25 Caliber Baretta, a .45 or 9mm semi-automatic and a .38
Caliber or .357 Caliber revolver as well as shotgun and an assault rifle. He also proclaimed he could kill someone and
get away with the murder without getting caught.
Frank, who claimed to be a model, also boasted of
other exploits, including his appearance in an episode of “Miami Vice.” In fact, he had held four separate jobs. He also tried to form his own company with
his wife’s assistance. As a result of
his unsuccessful business ventures the couple was experiencing financial
difficulties.
Family members, interviewed stated that Frank was a
fairly good artist who concentrated on drawing well-endowed naked women. According to a female friend, Frank had told
her he was beginning a project with another person. The project was to include
drawings of various homicide scenes for a detective magazine. None of this was
a reality.
Susan remained the primary breadwinner while Frank
spent his days drawing pictures of nude women fantasizing and claiming he would
soon be hired as a commercial artist. He also had taken over the second bedroom
of the house as an art studio.
Susan’s father related the following to
investigators. Four days before the
murder, Frank and Susan had a fight.
Frank told his father-in-law that Susan slapped him. Frank slapped her back and she left the
house. Frank told him that they had been
having financial problems and were behind on the house payments. Investigation revealed that the couple was
two months behind in their mortgage payments.
Frank also disclosed that he and Susan had been sleeping in separate
bedrooms for approximately five months.
Frank explained that he and Susan were having
problems. He mentioned that they were thinking
about selling the house in the Spring.
It should be noted that Susan had lived in the house prior to marrying
Frank and the house had been hers.
On the day of the murder Susan’s father received a
call from Susan’s mother, his ex-wife.
She asked him to go and check on Susan.
She thought there was something wrong.
When he got to Susan’s house the police were already there. The investigators interviewed Susan’s
mother. She stated that she had called
Susan’s house 10 to 12 times and received a busy signal. She then went to the house and knocked on the
door several times. She picked up the
newspaper and placed it by the front door. She stated that she then walked around
the house and looked in the window. She
observed a body on the floor, but thought it was Frank sleeping on the
floor. She then went to work and called
Susan’s co-workers and her ex husband.
The police investigation revealed the following
information about the subject. As a child, his mother physically and sexually
abused Frank. He also witnessed domestic
violence in his household as a child.
His father deserted him leaving the family because he couldn’t deal with
his wife, who was domineering and psychologically abusive to him. Frank worked from age 11 taking over his
father’s position as the target of abuse. His mother basically controlled his
life.
He was previously divorced and had remarried
twice. His first marriage lasted 10 to
11 years. His first wife was a high
school teacher. This marriage ended in
divorce. During these years, Frank had a drug problem necessitating
hospitalization. His first wife denied any abusive behaviors. However, Frank was controlling by nature,
always wanting things his way. It was his idea to divorce. Frank had told her that he no longer wanted
to be married and wanted to date other women.
This is a prime example of an inability to commit to one individual in
an intimate relationship.
He then began an eight-year relationship with his
competitive ballroom dance partner Wendy.
After they married he discovered she was having an affair with another
woman. She was bisexual. Their marriage lasted only eight months.
He had a serious drinking problem during most of his
adult life. Frank used alcohol to numb out his thoughts and deal with his many
losses. His best friend of fifteen years left the area.
His father died and the family estate was tied up.
He lost contact with most of his friends when his ex-wife left.
He felt isolated and abandoned and once again
betrayed. He was eventually hospitalized
for an attempted suicide. He then
married Susan, who had been married once before. She was an old acquaintance. During the three years they were married
Frank started several business ventures.
He had even attempted to form his own company with his wife’s assistance
but was unsuccessful.
The consultant reviewed numerous notes written by
the subject as well as correspondence from his ex-wife that he secretly kept
with his “art work.” The subject would write
out lists of his symptoms on notepaper. He kept these with his drawings. He complained of insomnia, nervousness,
general depression, disorientation, anxiety and fear, as well as nightmares and
flashbacks. The notes and lists, as well
as the written correspondence he had had with his ex-wife display behaviors of
a Mixed Personality Disorder.
His pathology is consistent with Child Abuse victims as they experience feelings of abandonment, betrayal, lack of trust, rage, chaos and isolation. Frank’s psychosocial history would reveal a fragile individual, with a low self-esteem as well as grandiose patterns of behavior.
Wendy stated that they dated and lived together for
about seven years before she married him.
She stated that Frank was the kind of man that needed and thrived on
being well liked. She described Frank as
having a “Love-Hate” relationship with his mother. Wendy stated that they were married only
eight months. She left him after he
attacked her in their apartment. She
stated that they had had an argument over her going to school. She walked away from him into another
room. She stated that he followed her
and had a strange look in his eyes.
Wendy stated that he appeared to be staring off into
space. Frank hit her and then began
choking her. He hit her again and she
kicked him and ran from the apartment. She was treated at a local hospital and
made a police report. Following this explosive episode, she moved out.
She stated that Frank had numerous pornographic
tapes including bondage. She also stated he liked to take nude pictures of her,
which she agreed to pose for. She did
not know that he had secretly videotaped them making love or that he secretly
videotaped her she was taking a shower and getting dressed afterwards.
She was shocked when the detectives presented her
with a photo of herself with numerous holes in it along with red paint on the
holes simulating blood. She told the
detectives that she thought she had taken all of her photos when she divorced
him. She stated that when they were together she didn’t remember any
pornographic magazines in the house and Frank did not do any drawings like
those found at the crime scene. However there were porn tapes featuring bondage
scenarios. She thought that he started
getting stranger because he had a fascination with “slasher” type and bondage
movies. According to Wendy he was
constantly watching them.
She described her ex-husband as being dangerous and explosive. She said she was afraid of him. Later on, after their divorce, Frank would call her and complain that he was having problems with Susan. He stated that Susan wouldn’t talk to him and she would overreact to everything he did.
Frank had an art studio set up in the house containing hundreds of drawings and paintings. In addition to these paintings he also had various fantasy stories on notepaper dealing with the CIA and sexual exploits. He had also scripted some of his drawings revealing his psychosexual attributes. In the opinion of the consultant, when someone begins to script his fantasy drawings they have become “vested” in the fantasy and have effectively created an engram, which allows them to reinforce a specific sexual fantasy. (Geberth, 1996). Furthermore, it is also the author’s opinion that if an individual has vested in sexually sadistic fantasies the fantasy drawings and scripts merge into an insidious relationship in which fantasy and reality become integrated into their everyday lives.
The constant theme that Frank scripted was one of
sexual sadism with the infliction of pain and suffering on his models
accompanied with their scripted pleas.
Much of his artwork was on poster paper measuring 2X 3 Foot. The subject spent many hours with his hobby,
which most probably caused a great deal of friction between him and his wife.
The police discovered 115 drawings and 105
photographs of nude women. There were
also 83 men’s magazines, including “High Society,” “Gallery,” and “Penthouse.”
Many of the magazines had loose pages removed, including pictures of
centerfolds with stab marks. Frank also maintained an extensive collection of
VHS and BETA pornographic videotapes as well as 16-mm movies.
The numerous photographs of nude women from men’s
magazines with knife holes and simulated bullet holes through the pictures
obviously displayed his obsession of sexual mutilation of women. He then added red magic marker as “blood”
marks on the models. He literally had
stabbed through these photographs with a large knife. This very well could be
the same knife, which was found in his wife’s chest.
The drawings depict women with very large breasts,
who have been shot or stabbed in the breast area. The violence increases and progresses with
multiple shots and cuttings. Inserted into the breasts he would draw knives,
arrows, swords and darts, which represent phallic-like symbols.
In one of the more elaborate posters, a 2x3’ poster,
he presents a series of 10 panels depicting a nude woman sitting in the tub;
getting out of the tub; drying herself off; and dressing while a “shadow
picture” of a voyeur is standing outside the bathroom window watching her. The consultant’s opinion is that the shadow
figure is actually the subject fantasizing about his own voyeuristic
activities. Remember, Wendy, wife #2,
was secretly videotaped showering and getting dressed following the shower.
Some of the drawings have been scripted to satisfy
his fantasies depicting women as whores being punished and killed. There is a ritualistic and ceremonial context
to the drawings, which indicate his rage and his desire to seek vengeance. There is also a very prominent lesbian theme
in the fantasy stories.
The consultant found it extremely revealing that his
drawings of the women for the lesbian theme were “true” blondes. His former wife, who turned out to be
bisexual, was also a “true” blonde. Many of his illustrations reflected his
obsession with women who were “true” blondes represented by coloring the pubis
area yellow. Two to three of the drawings and paintings of a woman with black
hair being stabbed and or shot in the chest could have been Susan as they were
depicted in the same way as her body was positioned and posed in the crime
scene.
The wound structures clearly indicate a psychosexual
orientation consistent with anger, lust and rage. In fact, after the body was
posed, in the position in which it was found, Frank then forced his wedding
ring on to Susan’s nose. Although there wasn’t any official history of domestic
violence, this behavior is a classic example of interpersonal violence.
Based on my extensive experience as a homicide and
forensic consultant, I am of the opinion that one cannot separate the sexual
component from a domestic violence episode. It is a manifestation of ownership and
possession coupled with power and control.
Susan’s murder was a sex-related homicide with
classic “overkill” injuries directed to significant sexual parts of the body. The stabbing injuries into the breasts, chest
and vagina along with the evisceration and slashing of the throat are
consistent with the psychodynamics of sexual sadism. (Geberth, 1996)
The Consultant had the opportunity to review various
pieces of the correspondence between Frank and his ex-wife as well as written
materials and some personal papers. In
addition, I reviewed all of the photographs, drawings, paintings, sketches and
fantasy stories that the authorities retrieved from the crime scene.
Frank’s psychosocial history coupled with the
psychodynamics of the crime scene indicates that Frank could have been
diagnosed with a Personality Disorder, which featured Obsessive-Compulsive
Personality traits and Narcissistic traits.
Individuals who are obsessive-compulsive tend to display a preoccupation
with mental and interpersonal control at the expense of their own flexibility,
openness and efficiency. They are
compulsive, repetitious in behavior and practice rituals with lists etc.
They are often self-critical. Frank had an obsession
with nude women, which he drew and painted hundreds of times over. He also kept all of his drawings. He could
not set priorities. He was prone to
becoming angry, exploding when he felt he was unable to maintain control of his
physical and interpersonal environment.
A prime example was the discovery of the poster-picture with the bullet
holes fired through the wall. He was also narcissistic which were evident in the
patterns of grandiosity in fantasy. He
had a grandiose sense of self-importance, exaggerated achievements and talents
indicated by his several business ventures.
He also had the ideal love, Wendy, who he labeled “The love of his
life.” In fact, he had told Susan how
important Wendy was to him.
Frank was
unable to hold on to one job and succeed.
He told people that he was recruited as a member of the CIA’s
assassination team. He also claimed that
he was going to be hired as an artist to draw covers for a detective magazine
etc. He had a preoccupation with his
fantasy of “power over women”. He
required excessive admiration. He was
unwilling to neither recognize the needs of others nor could relate to the
feelings of others. Frank was unwilling
to accept responsibility for his failures and most likely considered Susan to
be weak.
Frank dominated Susan and demanded complete control
of the family finances. Susan worked
full-time and had a responsible position.
Overtly, Frank probably appeared to respect his wife’s ability to
provide a steady income, which assisted him to launch his businesses and pay
the bills. Internally, Frank probably
resented his wife’s stable position particularly in view of his lack of steady
work. Susan most likely complained about
her husband’s unemployment and grandiose ideas of becoming a commercial artist.
It would be safe to say that when Susan came home from work and found her husband engrossed in his drawings and painting pictures of nude women there would most likely be an exchange of angry words.
I
also speculate that Susan’s mother was aware of her daughter’s distress and was
concerned about her safety and went to the house to check on her daughter.
Actually, the investigation revealed that
Frank was discovered nude from the waist down
with blood on his legs and genitals.
Susan was stripped of her clothing, with extensive and multiple stab
wounds into her chest, breasts and genitalia.
In reconstructing the
crime scene with an analysis of the victimology and history of the participants
I would suggest that there was a sexual confrontation.
Frank attempted to force his wife, whom he had not
been sleeping with for months, into sexual relations. Susan denied his demands. When she refused he
became enraged and angry initiating his displeasure by firing the eight shots
into the poster-picture. Firing the gunshots
“set the stage” for the escalation of his rage and anger.
In my opinion, during the course of this
domestic argument with his wife Susan, Frank became “out of control” and
extremely agitated resulting in a Brief Psychotic Episode. This acute psychotic reaction would
clinically be described as a temporary
break from reality. During this break Frank acted out his most primal and
perverse sadistic fantasies. These
actions were apparently predicated upon a perverse fantasy system fueled by his
involvement with his drawings and his sadistic pornography and reinforced by
the scripted fantasy stories depicting sexual sadism.
Under certain conditions an otherwise “normal”
individual may “act-out” his most bizarre and primal fantasies on a victim. The
sexual mutilation of the genitalia and breasts of the female victim are typical
occurrences in lust murders. What is not
typical is a domestic violence lust murder in which an offender acts out his
most perverse and primal sexual fantasies on his wife’s body. The crime scene was typically disorganized
and the sexual mutilation of his wife’s body suggested a “Brief psychotic
Episode.” At some point thereafter, upon
coming out of this state and returning to normal consciousness, he comprehended
what he had done to his wife’s body and encountered the reality of his rage and
anger. He then made a conscious decision to take his own life. He took a gun and shot himself in the head.
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