crim 326 week 4 - sex trade worker homicide

Why these investigations are hard 

1. No public interest 

2. No “credible” witness

3. Unwillingness to talk

4. Multi-jurisdictional

5. Transient lifestyles 

6. Delayed reporting

7. The “missing missing”

8. Offensive behaviour

   1. Moving bodies from the original scene, leaving victims exposed to the elements, and hiding bodies all delay discovery and hamper forensic analysis

9. Multiple DNA

   1. A greater likelihood of more than one sample of DNA being found on the body

HOME OFFICE (UK)

• Of 886 homicides reported between April 2001 and March 2002, 10% went unsolved, compared with 69% of the sex-trade worker homicides recorded since 1990 (N = 53).

rate of unsolved sex worker homicides in SALFATI ET AL. (2008)

46% of sex-trade worker homicides were unsolved.

time to arrest in brewer et al

• exceeded one year in 41% of cases,

• exceeded five years in 17% of cases.

MORE VICTIMS - Quinet (2011)

• sexual homicide offenders who target sex-trade workers have a greater average number of victims than those who do not.

longer careers - - Quinet (2011)

• Offenders who target sex-trade workers tend to have longer criminal careers, killing over longer periods.

a shifting share - Quinet (2011)

• Even though the number of serial murder cases has declined, when a case occurs, the victims are increasingly likely to be female sex-trade workers.

violence rate - KINNELL (2002)

• 82% of incidents related to sex-trade work involved violence, with 37% involving sexual assault specifically.

violence rate - FARLEY ET AL. (1998)

• 73% had experienced a physical assault and 62% a sexual assault.

violence rate - FARLEY & BARKAN (1998)

• 82% had experienced a physical assault and 68% a sexual assault.

violence rate - SILBERT AND PINES

72% of sexual assaults were unrelated to sex-trade work. But when the women were identified as workers, the assaults were usually more brutal and caused more injuries

CHOOSING WHERE TO SOLICIT - O'Neill and Barbaret (2000)

as a rule, workers choose well-lit streets with some pedestrians or vehicular traffic

DISPLACED FROM SAFER GROUND - lowman (2000)

workers are often forced out of those safer areas to avoid police and anti-sex-trade groups, and so end up in more deserted, riskier ones.

assessing the client (sanders 2001)

during the negotiation, the worker forms a view of the risk the client poses and of his cooperativeness

READING APPEARANCE - McKeganey and Barnard (1996

the decision to accept or reject rests on minimal cues such as the condition of the car and the client's age.

• Workers are less likely to do business with men under 30.

COLORADO SPRINGS COHORT

Within a cohort identified by police and health department surveillance from 1967 to 1999, the crude mortality rate was 391 per 100,000, compared with 1.9 for the general population.

Canada and sex worker homicide

homicide has been identified as the leading cause of death among sex-trade workers.

relative risk - canada

Sex-trade workers are estimated to be between 60 and 120 times more likely to be murdered than non-worker

WHO KILLS THEM - brewer et al

serial murderers who were also clients killed more than one-third of murdered sex-trade workers, most of whom were working on the street when murdered.

salfati et al (2008) - OFFENDERS WITH SEX-TRADE WORKER VICTIMS WERE MORE LIKELY TO

• Be a stranger to the victim;

• Have prior convictions for violence;

• Be employed;

• But less likely to have prior convictions for sexual crimes than both comparison subgroups.

THEIR VICTIMS' BODIES WERE MORE LIKELY TO

• Be transported;

• Be found outside;

• Be found at a different crime scene than the bodies of victims of sexual and non-sexual homicide

Why does the work environment produce risk

1. ALONE WITH THE CLIENT

2. ISOLATED LOCATIONS

3. STILL MOSTLY STREET-BASED

4. CARRYING CASH

STRANGERS BY DEFAULT

Business is usually done with complete strangers, which raises the chance of encountering a violent individual or one with previous convictions for sexual crimes.

THE CLIENT'S VULNERABILITY

The client may reveal vulnerabilities, including sexual dysfunction, placing the worker in a position of perceived power over a psychologically fragile client.

SELECTED FOR INVISIBILITY

Men select sex-trade workers because they are less likely to be reported missing, and because they are perceived as vulnerable and available.

RELUCTANCE TO REPORT

Many are reluctant to seek medical care or contact police when victimized, given the secrecy and illegality of the work.

Bell, Busch, Hotaling and Monto (2002) note that

these are among the few women in society who voluntarily get into cars with unfamiliar men, which makes them prime targets for serial killers.

context of crime

drug use 48hr prior the crime and victim being intoxicated during the crime is more common in marginalized than non-marginalized victims

MODUS OPERANDI -common in margianlized

• offender humiliating victim

• victim forced to commit sexual acts

• objects left inside victim

• coercive reaction to victim resistance

• postmortem sex with victim

Offenders believe marginalized victims will not be missed; therefore, there is more post-mortem action

MODUS OPERANDI - more common in non-marginalized

• death by strangulation/asphyxiation

• weapon used

• body left exposed

3 pathways in offending process

1. coercive

2. explosive

3. situational

coercive - n=65

• developmental = sexual lifestyle (46.2&)

• criminal career = specialist (100%)

• crime context = substance use (52.3%)

• MO = sadist (100%); angry (46.2%)

explosive - n=93

• Developmental = Victim: 30%

• Criminal career = specialist (67.7%); versatile (32.3%)

• Crime context = deviant fantasies: 60%

• MO = angry 48%; opportunistic 83%

situational - n =55

• Developmental = Victim: 72%; sexual lifestyle 45%

• criminal career - specialist 100%

• crime context = substance use 100%

• MO: opportunistic ; 16%

WHO

typically committed by a white male.

AGE

early thirties.

WHERE

in highly populated areas.

THE CONTRAST

Compared with non-workers, sex-trade workers were more likely to be killed by strangers with blunt objects.

Sex-trade worker sexual homicide

• 38% non-homicidal sexual offenders

• 43% violent non-homicidal sexual offenders

• 19% sexual homicide offenders

sex trade worker more common forensic awareness

• body moved - 64%

• disposing of body - 18%

non-sex trade worker more common forensic awareness

• acting upon victim or environment - 13%

• removing/destroying evidence - 31%

• any forensic awareness strat used - 47%

• any semen located - 29%

Offenders who kill sex workers are a little bit less forensically aware

victimology - more common in sex trade workers

• abuses drugs

• abuses alcohol

• likes to socialize/party

victimology - more common in non-sex trade workers

• male victim

crime locations - common in STWs

• location outdoors

• body recovery scene was deserted

crime locations - common in non-STWs

• contact scene was victim’s residence

• offence scene was victim’s residence

• contact scene was deserted

• contact scene had potential to hear

• offence scene deserted

• offence scene outdoors

MO in stws more common

• avoided police detection

• fully removed victim clothing

• took victim items

• committed unusual or bizarre acts

MO in non-stws more common

• used surprise approach

• used blitz approach

• victim targetted

• post mortem sex acts

• bit victim

profile 1 of STW sexual homicide

forensic awareness - dna focused and moving evidence

victimology - drug-longer

crime locations - outdoor to indoor, risky contact

MO - manipulative

profile 2 of STW sexual homicide

forensic awareness - multiple FA strats

victimology -alcohol/drug social

crime locations - risky contact

MO - manipulative

profile 3 of STW sexual homicide

forensic awareness - dna focused and moving evidence

victimology - drug-longer

crime locations - completely

MO - sadistic