Sexual Burglaries and Sexual Homicide: Clinical, Forensic, and Investigative Considerations

Sexual Burglaries and Sexual Homicide: Clinical, Forensic, and Investigative Considerations Louis B. Schlesinger, PhD, and Eugene Revitch, MD Burglary, the third most common crime after larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft, is rarely the focus of forensic psychiatric study. While most burglaries are moti- vated simply by material gain, there is a subgroup of burglaries fueled by sexual dynamics. The authors differentiate two types of sexual burglaries: 1) fetish burglaries with overt sexual dynamics; and 2) voyeuristic burglaries, in which the sexual element is often covert and far more subtle. Many forensic practitioners have informally noted the relationship of burglaries to sexual homicide, but this relationship has not otherwise been studied in any detail. In this article, the incidence of (sexual) burglaries by 52 sexual murderers whom the authors eval- uated, as well as the incidence in cases reported by others, is reported. Implica- tions of these findings for forensic assessments and profiling of unidentified offenders are discussed. Since the early 1990s, crime in general slightly more burglaries occurred during has declined in the United States, includ- the day (5 1%) when, supposedly, the oc- ing the overall rates for burglary (Federal cupants would not be home. The vast Bureau of Investigation: Unqorm Crinze majority of burglaries remain unsolved. Reports. Washington, DC: FBI, 1997). Of the 2.5 million burglaries reported Nevertheless, a burglary is committed ev- during 1996, there has been only a 14 ery 13 seconds, and the rates for burglar- percent clearance rate by law enforce- ies committed by juveniles increased ment. However, despite the seriousness three percent between 1995 and 1996. of the problem, there is, as ~evitch'has Two of every three burglaries are residen- pointed out, a noticeable dearth of pub- tial, and contrary to popular belief, only lications on burglary in the forensic psychiatric literature. Most crime, including burglary, is Dr. Schlesinger is on the faculty of John Jay College of stimulated by social, situational, and en- Criminal Justice, City University of New York. Dr. Revitch (posthumously) was Clinical Professor of Psy- vironmental causes as opposed to being chiatry, Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. School of Medicine, Piscataway, NJ. Address correspondence to: Louis B. an outgrowth of psy~hogenesis.~Al- Schlesinger, PhD, 12 Tower Dr., Maplewood, NJ 07040. though most burglaries are committed for J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, Vol. 27, No. 2, 1999 227 Schlesinger and Revitch material gain, there are a group of bur- Burglaries and Sexual glars for whom material gain either plays Aggression a secondary role or is connected to emo- In Guttmacher'ss group of 36 danger- tions unrelated to what would seem to be ous aggressive sexual offenders, only 1 the primary intent. Law enforcement has had a history of exhibitionism, whereas 8 always recognized a subgroup of bur- (22%) had a history of burglary. He con- glars: "Cat burglars burglarize dwelling cludes that "the basic personality struc- units while the occupants are on the pre- ture of the burglar resembled that of the mises. These individuals differ in crimi- rapist far more closely than that of the nal technique from regular burglars who exhibitionist. In fact, the legal term take special pain to make sure no one is 'breaking and entering' bears just such a at home during the time they are en- connotation" (p. 383). This finding is gaged in their crimes. Cat burglars confirmed by ~evitch's~study of 43 men are thought to differ in psychological who had made serious attacks on women, make-up from other burglars. They including beating, choking, knifing, and are suspected of aberrant motives" (Ref. nine murders. Here, only 3 offenders had 3, p. 13). a history of prior sexual offenses while 12 The motivation for burglary may be (28%) had a record of burglary. Four of conceived of as falling on a hypothetical the 12 (33%) combined burglary with as- spe~trum.~At one end of the spectrum is sault on the female occupant. Mac- the professional or semiprofessional bur- ~onald''also has described several cases of dangerous sex offenders with a history glar with logical and obvious gain-ori- of burglaries escalating to rape and seri- ented motives, and at the other end of the ous assault. spectrum are the symbolic, maladaptive5 crimes that are ego-dystonic or outright bizarre. The more the offenses are com- Burglaries and Sexual Homicide pelling and without logic, the more likely The true incidence of sexual homicide they are sexually m~tivated.~~anay~ be- and of burglaries with sexual dynamics lieves that many crimes that are seem- remains unclear. The FBI's Uniform ingly nonsexual. such as burglary, actu- Crime Reports categorize assaults as sex- ally have hidden sexual forces lying at ual only if they have distinct manifesta- their root: "[some] burglars. tell of tions of genitality (such as rape). whereas achieving orgasm at the moment of en- definite sex murders, even with such tering a window or breaking a locked overt signs, are listed under murder and door" (p. 94). ~uttmacher' also recog- are not specified as an independent group. nizes that many offenses legally viewed Similarly, even those burglaries with as nonsexual are actually sexual, the sex- overt sexual dynamics are listed only as ual basis remaining less obvious: "Bur- burglaries. Nevertheless, we believe that glary, assault. and cutting cases often sexual burglaries are not an uncommon have a sexual origin" (p. 382). event, and we also agree with Ressler et 228 J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, Vol. 27, No. 2, 1999 Sexual Burglaries and Sexual Homicide al. ' ' that sexual murders occur more fre- these for autoerotic purposes" (p. 8). A quently than has been thought and are classic case of a fetish burglar with obvi- increasing in number. ous sexual dynamics is that of William Forensic clinicians have long observed Heirens, famous for writing on the wall at that many sexual murderers often have a a victim's home, "For Heaven's sakes history of burglary. Table 1 lists and de- catch me before I kill more, I cannot scribes 14 notorious sexual murderers control myself." Heirens killed two with a recorded history of burglaries. Un- women and beat a third-all in their fortunately, the details of many of the apartments. He also killed a six-year-old burglaries were not explored. probably child, dismembered her, and threw the because they were seen as unrelated to the various body parts in sewers and drains. progression of crimes culminating in ho- At the time of these murders, hundreds of micide. Ressler and his associates' ' found burglaries were reported in the local area. that at least 2 of the 36 sexual murderers Heirens was finally apprehended after an in their FBI-sponsored study had commit- attempted burglary. He had been arrested ted sexual burglaries days or hours before four years earlier at age 13 and then again they committed a sexual homicide. Un- at age 15 for burglary. He was eventually fortunately, these authors did not report convicted of 25 burglaries but was sus- the total number of burglaries in their pected of numerous others. Heirens de- case histories. ~eppel'~has described in veloped a fetish for female underwear at considerable detail 1 1 cases of notorious age nine. He began to steal and collect serial sexual murderers whom he either female underwear and then burglarized to studied or investigated as a profiler. Five obtain them. "He had sexual excitement of these 11 cases (45%) had a history of or an erection at the sight of an open burglary. In Ressler and ~hachtman's'" window at the place to be burglarized. description of 19 serial sexual murderers, Going through the window, he had an 6 (32%) had a history of burglary. Doug- emission" (Ref. 15, p. 1 17). Heirens also las and 01shaker'~similarly report on 16 defecated and urinated on some of the sexual murderers of which 6 (38%) had a premises. The compulsion to burglarize history of burglary. was so strong that he struggled to contain it: "I resisted for about two hours, I tore Fetish Burglaries: Overt sheets out of place and went into a Sexual Dynamics sweat. I went out to burglarize" (Ref. Burglaries with overt sexual dynamics 15, p. 118). have sometimes been referred to as fetish von ~rafft- bin^'^ found that bodily burglaries. defined by Ressler and injury, robbery, and theft are sometimes Shachtman'hs "breaking and entering dependent on fetishism and that "patho- cases in which the items stolen or mis- logical fetishism may become the cause used are articles of women's clothing, of crimes. Such crimes and the pecu- rather than jewelry or other items of mar- liar manner in which they are per- ketable value; often, the burglars take formed-in which they differ very much J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, Vol. 27, No. 2, 1999 229 Schlesinger and Revitch Table 1 Notorious Sexual Murderers Who Committed Burglaries Offender Type of Burglarya No. and Location of Murderb Jerome Brudos Fetish burglary began at age 16; Murdered 4 women in his shoe and foot fetish home and outside of home Ted Bundy Voyeurism in adolescence led to Murdered 30 to 40 women in voyeuristic burglary and "cat" and outside of their burglary residences Richard Trenton Chasec Committed fetish burglary and Murdered 10 women in their soiled premises homes; engaged in vampirism Nathaniel Code Numerous undescribed cat Murdered 8 victims in their burglaries; ejaculated on homes premises Albert DeSalvoc Voyeurism began in adolescence, Murdered 13 women in their voyeuristic

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