Richard Trenton Chase: a Psychobiography of the “Dracula Killer”

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Richard Trenton Chase: a Psychobiography of the “Dracula Killer” Richard Trenton Chase: A Psychobiography of the “Dracula Killer” Hanlie Theron Nel Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magister Societatis Scientiae in Clinical Psychology in the Faculty of the Humanities at the University of the Free State Bloemfontein August 2014 Supervisor: Prof. J. P. Fouché Co-supervisor: Dr. P. Naidoo ii Photograph of Richard Trenton Chase Retrieved from http://profilesofmurder.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/richard-trenton- chase.jpg iii Acknowledgements This research endeavour was facilitated by the contributions of more people than the researcher’s alone. My sincerest appreciation and gratitude are expressed to: My supervisor, Prof. Paul Fouché, for your shared brilliance, guidance, and continued encouragement, patience and support. My co-supervisor, Dr. Pravani Naidoo, for your keen interest in this study and your insightful suggestions. Ingrid Kluyts, for the editing of this thesis and Danila Liebenberg, for the plagiarism report. My dearest boyfriend, Pannas van Deventer, for your patience, understanding, uplifting attitude, assistance with daily responsibilities, and sustained confidence in me. My brother-in-law, Gerald Fourie, sister-in-law, Simoné Nel, and my precious nieces and nephews, Mila, Emma, Ruben, and James, for your inspiration. The four people to whom this work is dedicated, my father, Prof. Johan Nel, my mother, Marthie Nel, my brother, Adriaan Nel, and my sister, Louise Fourie. “Many reasons have been given for why some people become ‘monsters’ while others don’t. Reasons that make sense. Maybe it can all be condensed into one word – grace” (Van der Spuy, 2012, p. 456). iv Declaration by the Language Editor I, Ingrid Kluyts, hereby declare that I have proofread and edited Ms Hanlie Nel’s Master’s thesis. I currently hold an Honours degree in Language Practice and practice as a language editor and translator at the University of the Free State’s School of Open Learning. Signature ………………………… 11 Jun ‘14 Date ………………………………. v Student Declaration I declare that the dissertation hereby submitted by me for the Magister Societatis Scientiae (Clinical Psychology) degree at the University of the Free State is my own independent work1 and has not previously been submitted by me at another university/faculty. I further cede copyright of the dissertation in favour of the University of the Free State. 1 This work has been evaluated for originality through the turnitin service (Submission ID: 437667530). vi Table of Contents Photograph of Richard Trenton Chase ii Acknowledgements iii Declaration by the Language Editor iv Student Declaration v Table of Contents vi List of Tables xv List of Appendices xvi Abstract xvii Chapter 1 Introduction and Problem Statement 1.1. Chapter Preview 1 1.2. General Orientation to the Study 1 1.3. Rationale and Problem Statement 2 1.4. Research Aim 4 1.5. Theoretical Orientation 4 1.6. Overview of the Study 5 1.7. Chapter Summary 6 Chapter 2 The Life of Richard Trenton Chase 2.1. Chapter Preview 7 2.2. Historical Periods in the Life of Richard Trenton Chase 7 2.2.1. Vampire in the making (1950 – 1962) 7 2.2.2. The teenage drug user (1963 – 1970) 9 2.2.3. The delusional nomad (1971 – 1974) 12 2.2.4. Paranoid schizophrenic on the loose (1975 – 1976) 14 2.2.5. Murders, trial and death (1977 – 1980) 16 2.3. Chapter Summary 20 vii Chapter 3 Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Personality Development 3.1. Chapter Preview 22 3.2. Erik Erikson 22 3.2.1. Erikson’s prospect of psychoanalysis 23 3.2.2. Erikson and personality development 24 3.3. Psychosocial Theory 25 3.4. Eight Stages of Psychosocial Theory 26 3.4.1. Stage one: Basic trust versus basic mistrust (0 – 1 year) 27 3.4.2. Stage two: Autonomy versus shame and doubt (1 – 3 years) 28 3.4.3. Stage three: Initiative versus guilt (3 – 6 years) 29 3.4.4. Stage four: Industry versus inferiority (6 – 12 years) 31 3.4.5. Stage five: Identity versus role confusion (12 – 18 years) 32 3.4.6. Stage six: Intimacy versus isolation (18 – 40 years) 34 3.4.7. Stage seven: Generativity versus stagnation (40 – 65 years) 35 3.4.8. Stage eight: Integrity versus despair (65 years and onwards) 36 3.5. Psychopathology 37 3.5.1. Basic mistrust 37 3.5.2. Shame and doubt 38 3.5.3. Guilt 38 3.5.4. Inferiority 38 3.5.5. Role confusion 39 3.5.6. Isolation 39 3.5.7. Stagnation 39 3.5.8. Despair 40 3.6. The Additional Ninth Stage 40 3.7. Erikson, Psychobiography, and Applicability of his theory for the Study 40 3.8. Critical Reflection 41 3.9. Chapter Summary 42 Chapter 4 Serial Murder and the Schahriar Syndrome Model 4.1. Chapter Preview 43 4.2. Serial Murder 43 viii 4.2.1. Definition of serial murder 43 4.2.2. Classification of serial murderers: Offender profiling 44 4.2.2.1. The organised offender 44 4.2.2.2. The disorganised offender 44 4.2.2.3. The mixed offender 45 4.2.3. Motives and types of serial murder 45 4.2.3.1. Psychosis 46 4.2.3.2. Mission-oriented: Anger and ideology 46 4.2.3.3. Hedonistic 46 4.2.3.3.1. Lust 46 4.2.3.3.2. Thrill 47 4.2.3.3.3. Comfort/profit 47 4.2.3.4. Power/control 47 4.2.3.5. Media 47 4.2.4. Aetiology of serial murder 48 4.2.4.1. Serial murder as a social construction 48 4.2.4.2. Serial murder as a response to infantile and childhood trauma 49 4.2.4.3. Serial murder as a lifespan phenomenon 50 4.3. The Schahriar Syndrome Model 51 4.3.1. Omnipotence 52 4.3.2. Sadistic fantasies 53 4.3.3. Ritualised performance 54 4.3.4. Dehumanisation 56 4.3.5. Symbiotic merger 58 4.4. Applicability and Critique of the Schahriar Syndrome Model 59 4.5. Chapter Summary 60 Chapter 5 Psychobiography and Case Study Research: A Theoretical Overview 5.1. Chapter Preview 62 5.2. Psychology and Biography 62 5.3. Psychobiography: Definitions and Descriptions 64 5.4. Psychobiography and Related Concepts 65 5.4.1. Autobiography and biography 65 ix 5.4.2. Life histories and life stories 66 5.4.3. Psychohistory, historical psychology and historiography 66 5.4.4. Personality assessment 67 5.5. Psychobiography as Case Study Research 67 5.5.1. Case research epistemology 68 5.5.2. Case research objective 69 5.5.3. Case research design 69 5.5.4. Case research method 70 5.6. History and Trends in Psychobiography 71 5.7. Value of Psychobiographical Research 75 5.7.1. Individual case within the whole 75 5.7.2. Subjective reality 75 5.7.3. Socio-historical context 76 5.7.4. Process and pattern over time 76 5.7.5. Theory testing and development 76 5.8. Chapter Summary 77 Chapter 6 Preliminary Methodological and Ethical Considerations 6.1. Chapter Preview 78 6.2. Methodological Considerations in Psychobiographical Research 78 6.2.1. Researcher bias 78 6.2.1.1. Researcher bias explained 78 6.2.1.2. Researcher bias applied 79 6.2.2. Reductionism 80 6.2.2.1. Reductionism explained 80 6.2.2.2. Reductionism applied 80 6.2.3. Cross-cultural differences 81 6.2.3.1. Cross-cultural differences explained 81 6.2.3.2. Cross-cultural differences applied 81 6.2.4. Analysing an absent subject 82 6.2.4.1. Analysing an absent subject explained 82 6.2.4.2. Analysing an absent subject applied 82 6.2.5. Elitism and easy genre 83 x 6.2.5.1. Elitism and easy genre explained 83 6.2.5.2. Elitism and easy genre applied 83 6.2.6. Inflated expectations 84 6.2.6.1. Inflated expectations explained 84 6.2.6.2. Inflated expectations applied 84 6.2.7. Infinite amount of biographical data 85 6.2.7.1. Infinite amount of biographical data explained 85 6.2.7.2. Infinite amount of biographical data applied 85 6.2.8. Validity and reliability criticisms 86 6.2.8.1. Validity and reliability criticisms explained 86 6.2.8.2. Validity and reliability criticisms applied 88 6.3. Ethical Considerations in Psychobiography 90 6.3.1. Ethical considerations explained 90 6.3.2. Ethical considerations applied 91 6.4. Chapter Summary 91 Chapter 7 Research Design and Methodology 7.1. Chapter Preview 92 7.2. Research Design 92 7.3. Subject under Study 93 7.4. Research Objectives 93 7.5. Research Method 94 7.6. Data Collection Procedures 94 7.7. Data Extraction and Analysis 95 7.7.1. Alexander’s model 96 7.7.1.1. Questioning data 96 7.7.1.2. Letting data reveal itself 97 7.8. Conceptual Matrix 102 7.9. Ensuring Validity and Reliability 105 7.10. Ethical Considerations 105 7.11. Chapter Summary 106 xi Chapter 8 Findings and Discussion: The Psychosocial Personality Development of Richard Chase 8.1. Chapter Preview 107 8.2. Conceptual Outline for the Presentation of Findings 107 8.3. Chase’s Psychosocial Personality Development 107 8.3.1. Stage one: Basic trust versus basic mistrust (0 – 1 year) 107 8.3.1.1. Vampire in the making (1950 – 1962) 108 8.3.1.2. Discussion of the first stage 109 8.3.2. Stage two: Autonomy versus shame and doubt (1 – 3 years) 111 8.3.2.1. Vampire in the making (1950 – 1962) 111 8.3.2.2.
Recommended publications
  • Insanity Plea
    Insanity Plea Dr. Mike Aamodt Radford University Updated 11/9/2013 Concept of Mitigation or Diminished Capacity • Consideration for Murder –Intent (1st degree murder) – Reduced capacity – drunk, angry (2nd degree murder) – Reckless, negligent (manslaughter) • Not Guilty due to Self-defense • Guilty but Mentally Ill (GBMI) or Guilty but Insane (GBI) • Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) or Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Disease or Defect – Chronic – Temporary Definition of Insanity Early Thinking • Ancient Hebraic Law Idiots, lunatics, and children below a certain age ought not to be held criminally responsible, because they could not distinguish good from evil, right from wrong, and were thus blameless in the eyes of God and man • Plato’s Laws If a criminal is senile, a child, or is proven insane, he should be held to no more than the payment of civil damages 1 Definition of Insanity Early Thinking • Marcus Aurelius Madness is its own sole punishment • Shakespeare’s Hamlet If I wrong someone when not myself, then Hamlet does it not, Hamlet denies it. Who does it then? His madness. Definition of Insanity Historic Timeline 1226 Perhaps the first recorded consideration of forensic madness • Ralph killed a man • Because he was “out of his wits and senses”, he was sentenced to life in prison rather than death 1265 Henri de Bracton: “An insane person is a person who does does not know what he is doing, is lacking in mind and reason, and is not far removed from the brutes.” 1270 Richard Blofot not released from prison due to madness 1275
    [Show full text]
  • Naturalism, the New Journalism, and the Tradition of the Modern American Fact-Based Homicide Novel
    INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. U·M·I University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. Ml48106-1346 USA 3131761-4700 800!521-0600 Order Number 9406702 Naturalism, the new journalism, and the tradition of the modern American fact-based homicide novel Whited, Lana Ann, Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Psychology of Child Serial Killer 1
    PSYCHOLOGY OF CHILD SERIAL KILLER 1 Psychology of Child Serial Killer Franklin D. McMillion School of Law Enforcement Supervision Session LIII PSYCHOLOGY OF CHILD SERIAL KILLER 2 `Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Types of Serial Killers .................................................................................................................... 3 Hedonistic Serial Killers ............................................................................................................. 3 Power and Control Serial Killers ................................................................................................ 4 Visionary Serial Killers ............................................................................................................... 4 Mission-Oriented Serial Killers .................................................................................................. 4 Characteristics of Serial Killers ...................................................................................................... 5 Psychological of Child Serial Killer: The Drive and Motivation ................................................... 6 Psychology of Child Serial Killer: Thought Processes ................................................................... 8 Distorted Thinking ...................................................................................................................... 8 The Motivational
    [Show full text]
  • Longpre Nicholas 2016 These.Pdf (1.479Mb)
    Université de Montréal Un poison même à petite dose : étude de la structure latente et des facteurs développementaux du sadisme sexuel Par Nicholas Longpré École de criminologie Faculté des Arts et Sciences Thèse présentée à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l’obtention du grade de Philisophiæ Doctor (Ph. D.) en criminologie Août 2016 © Nicholas Longpré, 2016 Université de Montréal Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales Cette thèse intitulée : Un poison même à petite dose : étude de la structure latente et des facteurs développementaux du sadisme sexuel Présenté par : Nicholas Longpré A été évaluée par un jury composé des personnes suivantes : Jean Proulx Président rapporteur Jean-Pierre Guay Directeur de recherche Raymond A. Knight Co-directeur de recherche Éric Beauregard Membre du jury Andreas Mokros Examinateur externe Jean Proulx Représentant du doyen de la FES RÉSUMÉ Les délinquants sexuels sadiques sont généralement décrits comme une entité clinique particulière commettant des délits graves. Or, la notion même de sadisme sexuel pose un nombre important de problèmes. Parmi ceux-ci, on retrouve des problèmes de validité et de fidélité. Perçu comme une maladie dont on est atteint ou pas, le sadisme a été étudié comme si les sadiques étaient fondamentalement différents. À l’heure actuelle, plusieurs travaux laissent croire que la majorité des troubles psychologiques se présentent comme une différence d'intensité (dimension) plutôt qu’une différence de nature (taxon). Même si la conception médicale prévaut encore en ce qui concerne le sadisme sexuel, plusieurs évoquent l’idée qu’il pourrait être mieux conceptualisé à l’aide d’une approche dimensionnelle.
    [Show full text]
  • APPROVAL SHEET This [Thesis] [Dissertation] [Case Study
    RUNNING HEAD: DETERMINING A CORRELATION BETWEEN CHILDHOOD TRAUMA & VIOLENT ACTS 1 APPROVAL SHEET This [thesis] [dissertation] [case study] [independent study] is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of [example degree designation: Master of Science] [Student Name] Approved: [Example date: March 15, 2019] Committee Chair / Advisor Committee Member 1 Committee Member 2 Committee Member 3 Outside FGCU Committee Member The final copy of this thesis [dissertation] has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. RUNNING HEAD: DETERMINING A CORRELATION BETWEEN CHILDHOOD TRAUMA & VIOLENT ACTS 2 Identifying Patterns Between the Sexual Serial Killer & Pedophile: Is There a Correlation Between their Violent Acts and Childhood Trauma? ______________________________________________________________________________ A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences Florida Gulf Coast University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science _____________________________________________________________________________ By Alexis Droomer 2020 RUNNING HEAD: DETERMINING A CORRELATION BETWEEN CHILDHOOD TRAUMA & VIOLENT ACTS 3 Abstract Studies have been conducted to determine if a sexual serial killer and pedophile are similar and/or different to one another. Despite the difference in their criminal acts, sexual serial killers and pedophiles have similar characteristics. Biological, environmental and psychological theories of criminal behavior were studied which illustrated their significance to how a person can choose to commit a crime. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a presence or absence within multiple forms of childhood trauma experienced between the sexual serial killer and pedophile.
    [Show full text]
  • Culture and Violence: Psycho-Cultural Variables Involved in Homicide Across Nations
    Culture and Violence: Psycho-cultural Variables Involved in Homicide across Nations Written by: Hamid Bashiriyeh Dipl. Psych. A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology, Department of Psychology; University of Koblenz-Landau Under supervision of: Professor Dr. Manfred Schmitt Dean, Department of Psychology, Koblenz-Landau University Professor Dr. Ulrich Wagner Department of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg 2010 To my brother and true friend Iraj, whose benevolence knows no bounds. Acknowledgments For the completion of this thesis, I owe my deepest gratitude and appreciation to: - Professor Dr. Manfred Schmitt, whose supervision, continuous attention, recommendations, encouragements, and supports, made the present dissertation possible in the way it is. I have learned much more than academic knowledge from him, who was always accessible and ready to help, even at times he was submerged in lots of his professional responsibilities. - Professor Dr. Ulrich Wagner, who not only gave many valuable advices, but also offered me an opportunity to stay with him and his research team (the Group Focused Enmity) at the Dept. of Psychology in Marburg for more than six months, in a very friendly and constructive atmosphere, during which he also offered me an opportunity to receive a six-month DFG scholarship, and to have a daily access to their research facilities. I am also grateful to the following people and institutions: - Friends and colleagues I used to meet and talk to for several months at the “Group Focused Enmity” in Marburg, for their friendliness as well as inspiring ideas. - Koblenz-Landau University, for providing me with the opportunity to study in Germany - Philipps University of Marburg, Dept.
    [Show full text]
  • Death Penalty System Is Unconstitutional
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 ERNEST DEWAYNE JONES, ) 11 ) Case No.: CV 09-02158-CJC Petitioner, ) 12 ) vs. ) 13 ) ) ORDER DECLARING 14 KEVIN CHAPPELL, Warden of ) CALIFORNIA’S DEATH PENALTY California State Prison at San Quentin, ) SYSTEM UNCONSTITUTIONAL 15 ) AND VACATING PETITIONER’S Respondent. ) DEATH SENTENCE 16 ) ) 17 ) 18 19 20 On April 7, 1995, Petitioner Ernest Dewayne Jones was condemned to death by the 21 State of California. Nearly two decades later, Mr. Jones remains on California’s Death 22 Row, awaiting his execution, but with complete uncertainty as to when, or even whether, 23 it will ever come. Mr. Jones is not alone. Since 1978, when the current death penalty 24 system was adopted by California voters, over 900 people have been sentenced to death 25 for their crimes. Of them, only 13 have been executed. For the rest, the dysfunctional 26 administration of California’s death penalty system has resulted, and will continue to 27 result, in an inordinate and unpredictable period of delay preceding their actual execution. 28 Indeed, for most, systemic delay has made their execution so unlikely that the death -1- 1 sentence carefully and deliberately imposed by the jury has been quietly transformed into 2 one no rational jury or legislature could ever impose: life in prison, with the remote 3 possibility of death. As for the random few for whom execution does become a reality, 4 they will have languished for so long on Death Row that their execution will serve no 5 retributive or deterrent purpose and will be arbitrary.
    [Show full text]
  • The Buller-Mcginnis Model of Serial Homicidal Behavior: an Integrated Approach
    Volume 3, Issue 1, 2009 The Buller-McGinnis Model of Serial Homicidal Behavior: An Integrated Approach Georgie Ann Weatherby, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Gonzaga University, [email protected] Danielle M. Buller,Gonzaga University Criminal Justice/Biology Graduate, [email protected] Katelyn McGinnis, Gonzaga University Criminal Justice Graduate, [email protected] Abstract The seemingly random and motiveless natures of serial homicides make identifying and capturing serial killers nearly impossible. Theories of violent behavior and models exploring the etiology of serial murderers fail to provide an accurate method of predicting serial homicidal tendencies. The present paper seeks to construct an integrated model of serial homicidal behavior designed to pinpoint commonalities shared by serial killers, in order to discover a link between certain characteristics and future homicidal behavior. After examining the lives of four known serial killers, the results yielded two prominent general traits: poor childhood social environments and isolation common amongst all subjects. Introduction The names Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer are synonymous with terror, fear and brutality. When serial murderers, like these two men, are apprehended, their names and the crimes they committed are smeared all over the headlines. Much attention is paid to the criminal and to their victims. But what is it about these killers that enabled them to commit the heinous acts that they did; what separates them from the rest of society? Over the past few decades, both the general public and researchers have become interested in serial murder and the lives that the killers lived. Defining the act of serial murder alone is a task, one that has been attempted by many, including Hickey (1997), and Douglas, Ressler, Burgess and Hartman (1986).
    [Show full text]
  • Richard Chase
    Noire #1 by Music By Pedro https://goo.gl/sJT2e8 Promoted by MrSnooze https://youtu.be/iYOvAO1rAM0 VHS Dreams by Shane Ivers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. https://www.silvermansound.com Cold Open: Richard Chase. The Vampire of Sacramento. This is NOT an episode to listen to if you are easily disturbed. This one’s rough. REAL rough. But also…. darkly fascinating. Richard Chase had some strange beliefs. Real, REAL strange. He believed that someone was stealing his blood. He thought that his skull was moving and falling apart. He thought he could make himself feel better by finding small animals and drinking their blood. And then he started drinking human blood. Before he was caught, he would massacre multiple victims in ways that the Sacramento police had never seen before. Then, after he was apprehended, he said he did what he did because … Nazi aliens were poisoning his blood. Chase was a paranoid schizophrenic with violent instincts. He was a sadistic monster who loved to hurt animals, start fires, and make life Hell for his family. What was going on inside Richard Chase’s head? What horrors would he unleash on the people of Sacramento? How many pets would meet their untimely end in Richard Chase’s gory apartment? Bojangles does NOT like Richard Chase. All of this, and more, on a bizarre - what did I just hear? - true crime edition of Timesuck. PAUSE TIMESUCK INTRO I.Welcome! A.Happy Monday: Happy Monday, Meat sacks! Welcome back to the Cult of the Curious.
    [Show full text]
  • The Neurobiology of Violence: Biological Roots of Crime
    The Neurobiology of Violence: Neurocriminology CHARLES J. VELLA, PHD APRIL 9, 2015 THANKS TO ADRIAN RAINE, CHRISTOPHER M. FILLEY, KENT KIEHL This presentation is based on these books The Anatomy of Violence: The Psychopath The Biological Roots of Crime Whisperer by Adrian Raine by Kent Kiehl 2013 2015 Punishment of crime We should know the difference between who we are angry at and who we are afraid of. Protection for society: We need to segregate from society those of whom we are afraid Rehabilitation: We need to rehabilitate those with whom we are angry Aspen Neurobehavioral Conference Consensus Statement (Filley et al. Neuropsychiatry Neuropsychol Behav Neurol 2001; 14: 1-14) Working group representing neurology, psychiatry, neuropsychology, trauma surgery, nursing, evolutionary psychology, ethics, and law Aggression can be adaptive, but violence is a an aggressive act characterized by the unwarranted infliction of physical injury Violence can result from brain dysfunction, although social and evolutionary factors also contribute Study of neurobehavioral aspects – frontal lobe dysfunction, altered serotonin metabolism, and the influence of heredity – promises to lead to deeper understanding NGRI: Not Guilty by reason of insanity Not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) is a verdict issued in criminal cases whereby the defendant, determined to be legally insane, is held not responsible for his or her criminal actions The legal test of insanity, the right and wrong test as stated in the M’Naghten case (1843): did not know
    [Show full text]
  • Serial Killers
    CHAPTER SEVEN SERIAL KILLERS hanks in part to a fascination with anything that is “serial,” whether it be T murder, rape, arson, or robbery, there has been a tendency to focus a good deal of attention on the timing of different types of multiple murder. Thus, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) distinguishes between spree killers who take the lives of several victims over a short period of time without a cooling-off period and serial killers who murder a number of people over weeks, months, or years, but in between their attacks live relatively normal lives.1 In 2008, for example, Nicholasdistribute T. Sheley, then 28, went on a killing spree across two states, beating as many as eight people to death over a period of several days in an effort to get money to buy crack. Sheley’s victims ranged from a child to a 93-year-old man.or At the time of these incidents, Sheley already had a long criminal history of robbery, drugs, and weapons convictions and had spent time in prison. Sheley is doing life in prison in Illinois for six of the murders and faces two additional homicide charges in Missouri. Unfortunately, the distinction between spree and serial killing can easily break down. For example, over the course of 2 weeks in 1997, Andrew Cunanan killed two victims in Minnesota, then drove to Illinois,post, where he killed another person, and then on to New Jersey, where he killed his fourth victim. While evading apprehension, and on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List, Cunanan was labeled a spree killer.
    [Show full text]
  • Animal Cruelty • Reflection Point 3 Part 4: Targeted Interventions and ‘Animal Guardians’ • Reflection Point 4
    Childhood cruelty to animals A reflective workshop Friday 8th June 2018 Childhood cruelty to animals: What does it mean & who is at risk? Part 1: Introducing caar & defining cruelty • Reflection Point 1 Part 2: Unintentional cruelty & education • Reflection Point 2 Short break Part 3: Psychological risk factors for intentional animal cruelty • Reflection Point 3 Part 4: Targeted interventions and ‘Animal Guardians’ • Reflection Point 4 Children, adolescents and animals research • ‘caar’ is a small research team based in the Centre for Applied Developmental Psychology (CADP), University of Edinburgh • We conduct a range of projects on all aspects of children’s interactions with animals • We work in collaboration with the Scottish SPCA and other charities • A range of funders including UK Government, charities and funding councils • Running 5 workshops this year (ESRC impact grant) caar interests Welfare/5 freedoms Education Child development Child/adolescent health - Hunger & thirst - Pedagogical - Concepts & - Physical health approaches - Discomfort understanding - Activity & exercise - Curriculum - Fear & distress - Attitudes - Mental health - NGO - Pain, disease & - Emotional - Animal-assisted injury activities and attachments interventions - Exhibit natural materials - Empathy behaviour Recent caar research Empathy, compassion, Child development and attachment, international health comparisons and mixed methods Psychological predicators and Children and Cruelty, risks and correlates animals prevention School-based, digital and animal-assisted
    [Show full text]