1. Profile of a Killer BASED ON ALBERT FISH Presented by: Caroline Scholte Psychology and Criminal Justice Module 2, Assignment 2 January 21, 2009

2. VICTIMOLOGY  Child between the ages of 8 and 15  Preferably male but not strictly  Child is naive and trusting, easily persuaded, perhaps low level of intelligence  Child is smaller in stature to be easily subdued  Child is from a low socioeconomic background to draw as little attention as possible to their disappearance  Lured from area where adult supervision is lacking (Bardsley, 2009)

3. PAST CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR Prior criminal record unassociated with this crime No previous violent crimes Petty theft Petty larceny Obscene letters verbalizing his fantasy’s usually sent to females seeking their acceptance (Bardsley, 2008)

4. PRECIPITATING EVENTS Abandonment by his wife Psychotic break due to this event causing him to revisit his childhood traumas such as the whipping and beatings he endured Sudden unexplained urges to kill Opportunity and means to abduct or lure victims (Bardsley, 2008)

5. OFFENDER DEMOGRAPHIC  Older white male - 55 to 65 years old  No outstanding physical features  Small in stature  Soft harmless look  Quiet, soft spoken  Average education  Blue collar worker  Lacks permanent residency  Divorced/no close familial ties  No interpersonal relationships or memberships  Unremarkable in the community (Bardsley, 2009)

6. OFFENDERS BACKGROUND Early childhood abuse and or trauma Loss of one or both of the parents resulting in feelings of abandonment No attachment or positive emotional bonds formed in childhood Average level of education No roots ever established Multiple unsuccessful relationships in adulthood Previous history of mental instability resulting in institutionalization Suffers from: Antisocial Personality Disorder Narcissist Sadist Sociopath – Primary psychopath (Argosy, 2009)

7. DETAILS OF THE CRIME  Location and tools are prepared prior to obtaining the victim  Victim is chosen and observed by the offender for the opportunity to abduct or lure them  Often candy or other treats are used to gain the victims trust and allow for the abduction  Once at the previously chosen location, the victim is subdued, stripped of their clothing and restrained to allow the offender complete control for his sadistic torture including whipping and other physically painful actions  Victims are then castrated and left to bleed to death or they are strangled  Once the victim is dead, the offended will decapitate the body and the body will be carved where by the buttocks, lower abdomen, genitals, nose, mouth and ears will be wrapped in brown paper.  The remaining body parts will be further dismembered and discarded  The offended will leave the location with the victims chosen body parts to be cooked and consumed over the next one to two weeks (Bardsley, 2008)

8. MARKERS OF A REPEAT OFFENDER  Major mental illness and previous violence  Instability in social relationships or inability to maintain lasting relationships  Job instability increases the likelihood of committing violent acts.  Antisocial, manipulative and exploitive individuals  Psychopaths: no expression of guilt or remorse Accepting no responsibility for the crimes  Being removed from a parent’s care before the age of 16  Being subjected to cruelty or physical abuse by caregivers.  Lacking a stable and supportive environment  Sadistic fantasies, intrusive homicidal thoughts, self-injury  Impulsiveness (Argosy, 2009)

9. CHARACTERISTICS OF A SIMILAR CRIME  Missing child (primarily a boy) between the ages of 8 and 15  Child is from a lower socioeconomic status  Stranger seen in the neighborhood shortly before the child went missing  Body parts of a child are located usually in a remote area or an abandoned building: the head is severed from the torso the legs are cut off just bellow the buttocks the torso is incomplete and is missing the area from lower abdomen to just below the buttocks the ears, nose and mouth are missing no sexual organs are located (Bardsley, 2008)

10. REFERENCES Argosy Online Lecture. (2009) Psychology and Criminal Justice: Module 2: Mental health and Disorders and Risk Assessment. Retrieved on January 17, 2009 from http://myeclassonline.com /ec/crs/default.learn?courseID=3255063&Survey=1&47=4729216 &ClientNodeID=404511&coursenav=2&bhcp=1 Marilyn Bardsley. (2008) Serial Killers: Most Notorious: Albert Fish. Retrieved on January 18, 2009 from http://www.trutc.com/library /crime/serial_killers/notorious/fish/gracie_1.html

11. I HOPE THIS HAS BEEN INFORMATIVE AND WILL SERVE TO GUIDE YOU IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU