Psychology of Serial Murder

Sneha Gupta, M.S., M.A., LL.B., is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. She earned her Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is a qualified lawyer in India. Her research centers on serial homicide and serial sexual homicide, with a particular focus on cultural differences in behavioral expression, personality pathology, and paraphilic disorders. She has conducted empirical research on serial offending and continues to investigate the psychological dimensions of repetitive violent behavior. She has contributed to peer-reviewed scholarship on serial homicide, ethics and morality in psychology, and forensic psychological issues, including legal standards for the admissibility of evidence and pathways to false allegations of sexual abuse.Marina Sorochinski, M.A., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the Division of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security at the Collins College of Professional Studies, St. John’s University. She specializes in applying psychological principles and rigorous empirical methods to improving police investigations and has expertise in analyzing behavioral patterns in violent crimes through the lens of investigative psychology. Her research encompasses the development of linkage models and evidence-based profiling for serious violent offenses, and her contributions have been recognized through various scholarships and awards, including a prestigious research fellowship from the National Institute of Justice.William O’Donohue, Ph.D. is a professor of clinical psychology in the department of psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has published over 90 books and has continuous grant funding for over 28 years. He has published on sexual abuse, sexual deviance, trauma, domestic personality disorders, and other forensic-related topics.

• Chapter 1. Editors’ Introduction: Understanding Serial Homicide – Scope, Vision, and Structure.- Part I. Introduction to Serial Homicide.- Chapter 2. Definitions, Historical Perspectives, & Prevalence of Serial Homicide.- Chapter 3. Researching Serial Homicide: Methodological Frameworks, Constraints, and Emerging Trends.- Part II. Comparative Perspectives, Typologies, and Subtypes of Serial Homicide.- Chapter 4. Serial and Single-Victim Sexual Homicide Offenders: A Comparative Review.- Chapter 5. Sexual Versus Nonsexual Serial Homicide.- Chapter 6. Gendered Patterns in Serial Homicide: Female Offenders in Comparative Perspective .- Chapter 7. Serial Murder in Healthcare: A Distinct Subtype.- Chapter 8. Typologies of Serial Homicide Offenders.- Part III. Psychological and Biological Foundations.- Chapter 9. The Psychopathology in Serial Homicide .- Chapter 10. Biological/Neuroscience Explanations for Serial Homicide.- Chapter 11. Social Context: Family, Support Systems, and Early Life in the Making of Serial Killers.- Part IV. Criminal Careers, Victimology, and Crime Scene Behavior.- Chapter 12. The criminal career of serial (sexual) homicide offenders and the phenomenon of criminal escalation .- Chapter 13. Victimology of Serial Homicide: Understanding the Dynamics from Victim Selection to Criminal Investigation.- Chapter 14. Serial Murder Spatial Behavior: Data, Theory, and Application.- Chapter 15. Dismemberment and Mutilation in Serial Homicide Offenders.- Chapter 16. Trophy-Taking in Serial Homicide: Psychological Underpinnings and the PRIME Model.- Part V. Investigative Challenges and Case Linkage.- Chapter 17. Interviews with Serial Murderers: What is Revealed?.- Chapter 18. Evidence-Based Crime Linking: A Framework to Overcome Linkage Blindness.- Chapter 19. Working the Clock: Integrating Temporal Expression into Serial Homicide Analysis with VORTEX .- Chapter 20. Serial Homicide Cold Cases: Issues with Identifying and Linking Serial Homicide Offenses.- Chapter 21. Wrongful Convictions in Serial Homicide: Investigative Failures, Systemic Bias, and Paths to Reform.- Chapter 22. Detecting deception in serial homicide offenders.- Part VI. Legal and Criminal Justice Responses.- Chapter 23. The Adjudication of Serial Killers.- Chapter 24. Serial Murderers in Prison.- Chapter 25. From Understanding to Action: Future Agenda for Serial Homicide.