| Chapter 2: | Characterizations in Murder |
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Dietz (1992), who stated that fantasy is a central feature and, as such, exists in the mind of the offender and does not require the active presence of anyone other than the one who fantasizes. The consciousness or life of the victim is not a prerequisite for the offenders in the conduct of their violent, torturous, or sexualizing activities against the objects of their attacks. In this study, victims, alive or dead, conscious or unconscious, are presumed to have suffered and been tortured, mutilated, or otherwise harmed by a lust murderer when such facts are apparent through the wounding and control techniques discernible on the person of the victim.
Lust murder is indicated when offences exhibit a sexualization in the types of violence committed against the victim. In the last 25 years, since the study and examination of lust murder and serialized lust murder was initiated by Ressler, Burgess, and Douglas (1985), and continuing with a more recent book by Purcell and Arrigo (2006), researchers have focused on the criminal, psychological, and developmental aspects of offenders who engage in violent sexualized homicide. Egger (1984) defined the classification of serial murder as the following:
Essentially, the study and exploration of lust murder involve the analysis of a specific type of human aggression, violence, motivation, offence behavior, and medico-legal reports containing specific and detailed information regarding