NCJ Number
217243
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 52 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2007 Pages: 199-203
Date Published
January 2007
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed the lives and crimes of two serial killers, in order to show the wide variation in backgrounds, demographics, motivations, and actions of serial killers, which suggests the limitations and dangers of offender profiling based on general characteristics.
Abstract
Neither of the profiles of Gary Evans and Kendall Francois, the serial killers profiled in this study, fit the paradigm of the so-called "typical" serial killer. Gary Evans was an intelligent White man who had a chaotic childhood, although there was no known history of bed-wetting or fire-setting. Although he was known to have killed cats as a child, as an adult he claimed to detest people who harmed children and animals. He was obsessed with control, and his murders were organized, well-planned, and carefully executed. He did not abuse drugs or alcohol, and was committed to physical fitness. His lack of empathy and remorse, coupled with his charisma, deceptiveness, and egocentricity, fit the criteria of psychopathy. In contrast to the typical serial-killer profile, he was not a loner and did not kill strangers; victims were so-called friends and business partners. His motives were material, and there was no known sexual aspect to his murders. He used a gun to kill his victims. Kendall Francois, on the other hand, was an African-American who was a loner as an adult. He had jobs with minimal responsibility and had borderline normal intelligence. He killed strangers or prostitutes with whom he had minimal prior acquaintance. His murders, which were interracial, occurred during or after sexual encounters, and he killed by strangulation. The motive for his murders was not clear, as he claimed he did not intend to kill the women. 22 references