Rapist

Motivations

Det. John J. Baeza, NYPD (ret.)

Manhattan Special Victims Squad
 Motive
Emotional, psychological, and material needs
that drive and are satisfied by behavior
 Motive
An investigation that has failed to establish
motive is essentially incomplete
 Motive
Only a thorough investigation of
the victim
the crime scene
known offender behavior
can make criminal motivations clear
 The Importance of Motive
Reduces the suspect pool
Assist with case linkage efforts
Along with other evidence
can provide circumstantial bearing on
offender identity
can provide circumstantial bearing on
offender’s state of mind
can provide circumstantial bearing on
whether a crime has actually occurred
 Motive vs. Intent
Intent
The end aim that guides behavior
Motive
The reasoning behind action and desire
Example
Revenge (Motive) is the general need
To kill (Intent) is the specific plan or aim
 Theories of Motive
Instrumental offenders
Focused a specific end
Usually financial or material
Expressive offenders
Defined by their heightened emotional state
Jealousy, anger, power, or sexual desire
 The Role of Sexual Fantasy
Act of imagining a behavior, event, or series of
events that one finds personally arousing
Are a product of environment and subsequent
personal associations and experimentation with
sexual arousal
Everyone has sexual fantasies
 The Role of Sexual Fantasy
For rapists, fantasy is a form of rehearsal and
self-programming
It is the inability to be satisfied by consensual
activity, including role-play, that defines the
rapist
 The Role of Sexual Fantasy
In most instances, the reality of rape is a bitter
disappointment to the rapist
When reality fails, rapists return to their fantasy
and start the cycle all over again.
Each rapist creates his own pattern as he moves
forward, in which fantasy plays a distinct role.
The act fuels the fantasy.
 Psychological Crime Scene Tape
There is also no bright yellow line between
classifications in behavioral–motivational
typology
A single offender can evidence behaviors
suggestive of more than one motivation.
An offender may change in motivation during
a single offense.
 Not A Real Science!
• "There is no such thing, for instance, as a real
science of human character, because the human
mind is too variable and complicated a subject of
investigation. There are no two persons so much
alike that you may be sure of one acting in all
circumstances as the other would; it thus
becomes impossible to arrange persons in classes
so that all who are in the same class shall act
uniformly in the same manner in any given
circumstances."
• Jevons, Stanley W., Elementary Lessons in Logic:
Deductive and Inductive, (New York: Macmillan
and Co., 1888) Reprint made available by The
Ludwig von Mises Institute.
 Behavioral-Motivational Typology
Rape is complex and multi-determined and can
serve a number of psychological needs (motives)
for an offender
(Groth, 1979)
 Behavioral-Motivational Typologies
Power reassurance
Power Assertive
Anger Retaliatory
Sadistic
 Power Reassurance Offender
Intends to restore his self-confidence/self-worth
through the use of low-aggression means.
Suggests a lack of confidence and a sense of
personal inadequacy.
This may also manifest itself in a
belief/rationalization that the victim is somehow
a willing or culpable participant.
Crimes will occur as need for reassurance arises.
Power Reassurance Verbal Behavior
Reassures victim
“Don’t worry, it will be over soon. I’m not
going to hurt/rape you. I’m not that kind of
guy.”
Compliments victim
“You’re beautiful. I bet you have a lot of
boyfriends/girlfriends. You have nice breasts.
You have a pretty face.”
Power Reassurance Verbal Behavior
Asks for emotional feedback
“Do you like me? Tell me that you won’t leave
me. Tell me that you love me.”
Self-deprecation
“You wouldn’t love me; nobody could. I’m so
ugly, you’re so beautiful. I don’t have
anything to offer anyone.”
Power Reassurance Verbal Behavior
Concern for victim welfare
“Am I hurting you? Do you need me to move
this?
Apologetic
“I didn’t mean it. Please forgive me. I know I
wasn’t supposed to do this. I hope you will be
okay.”
Power Reassurance Verbal Behavior
Asks about the victim sexual interests
“Are you a virgin? Do you do this with your
boyfriend/girlfriend?”
Asks for sexual reassurance
“Do you like this? Does this feel good? Are
you getting aroused?”
Power Reassurance Sexual Behavior
Foreplay attempt with victim
Kissing, licking breasts, cunnilingus,
analingus, etc.
Involves of the victim in sexual activity
Allows the victim to negotiate sexual activity.
Power Reassurance Sexual Behavior
Does not force the victim to comply physically
with sexual demands.
Does not harm the victim physically.
Minimal force used to intimidate the victim.
Relies on threats or the presence of a weapon to
get victim compliance.
Power Reassurance M.O. Behavior
Selects victims who live in the same general area
where the offender feels comfortable.
Vicinity of the attacks remains within same
general area.
Targets victims in advance.
Engages in surveillance of victims.
Victims alone or with small children when
attacked.
Power Reassurance M.O. Behavior
Terminates the rape if the victim resists.
Attacks last a short period of time
Duration increased with victim passivity.
Vicinity of the attacks remains within same
general area.
Power Reassurance Signature Behavior
Engages in voyeuristic observation of the victim
before/after the attack.
Takes personal items from the victim
Keeps a record of attack.
Contacts the victim after the attack
 Power Assertive Offender
Intends to restore self confidence/self-worth
through the use of moderate to high aggression
means.
Suggests an underlying lack of confidence and a
sense of personal inadequacy.
Expressed through control, mastery, and
humiliation of the victim to demonstrate the
offender’s sense of authority.
 Power Assertive Verbal Behavior
Does not want the victim to be verbally involved
in the attack.
Gives sexual instructions/commands
“Suck this. Bend over. Hold still. Don’t move.
Shut up.”
Verbal threats
“Do what I say and you won’t get hurt. Shut
up or I’ll kill you. I don’t want to have to teach
you a lesson.”
 Power Assertive Verbal Behavior
Uses a great deal of profanity
Language is offensive and abusive.
Demeans and humiliates the victim
“You are a whore. You are a slut. I own you.
You’re not so pretty now.”
Verbally explicit about sex
“I’m going to put my cock in your cunt. I’m
going to cum in your ass. You are going to
suck my dick.”
 Power Assertive Sexual Behavior
Offender’s pleasure is primary
Offender does whatever he wants to the
victim, sexually and otherwise.
There is a lack of fondling/foreplay behavior.
Acts “macho.”
Repeated attacks with a single victim.
 Power Assertive Sexual Behavior
Sexually punishes or abuses victims.
Engages in pulling, pinching, or biting
behaviors.
Goal is capture, conquer, and control.
Victim is a prop only, an object for his sexual
fantasy.
Power Assertive Physical Behavior
Rips or tears the victim’s clothing
Forcefully gags victim to control verbal behavior
Engages in the use of corrective force.
Engages in moderate, excessive, or brutal levels
of force
Increases with victim resistance or his level of
sexual dysfunction during the offense
 Power Assertive M.O. Behavior
Victim is preselected or opportunistic.
Availability, accessibility, and vulnerability
Location of the offense is victim dependent.
Weapon is involved or higher levels of force.
Physical aggression is used to initially overpower
the victim.
Victim is held captive in some fashion while
being raped.
 Power Assertive Signature Behavior
Attacks may involve brutal levels of force.
Sexual acts may include ‘degrading’ sexual acts,
such as anal penetration.
The offender may bring sexualized objects to the
crime scene to utilize during the offense.
 Anger Retaliatory Offender
Displays crime scene behaviors that indicate a
great deal of rage, either toward a specific
person, group, or institution or a symbol of such.
Evidenced in stranger-to-stranger sexual
assaults, domestic homicides, work-related
homicides, and political/religious terrorists.
 Anger Retaliatory Verbal Behavior
Is not interested in hearing the victim during the
attack.
May blame victim for events and perceived
events.
“You think you are so hot. You think you’re
better than I am. It’s people like you that are
the problem. You don’t understand; you have
to be made to understand.”
 Anger Retaliatory Verbal Behavior
Does not negotiate.
Other angry, hostile language.
 Anger Retaliatory Sexual Behavior
Sexually selfish.
Sex is violent, an extension of the physical
attack.
No foreplay.
Attempts to force victim to perform acts that the
offender perceives as degrading or humiliating.
fellatio or anal sex
Anger Retaliatory Physical Behavior
Ripping of victim’s clothing.
Dresses for the event.
full military dress uniform, face paint, battle
dress uniform (khakis or camouflage
materials), etc.
Excessive or brutal levels of force with high
amount of injury to the victim.
 Anger Retaliatory M.O. Behavior
Attack may be unplanned
The result of an emotional reaction on the
part of an offender.
Uses weapons of opportunity
Attack may be skillfully planned
Focused on a particular victim or victim
population.
Will prepare for the event with excessive
weaponry and ammunition.
 Anger Retaliatory M.O. Behavior
Offenses appear sporadic over time.
Occurring at any location, at any time or day
or night
Whenever the offender gets angry or a
particular victim type is accessible
Offender knows the victim or the victim
symbolizes something specific to the offender.
Anger Retaliatory Signature Behavior
An immediate application of direct physical
force to the victim
Attacks first and then continues into any
other behavior as an extension of that attack.
Duration of attack is very short
Ends when the offender is emotionally spent.
There is a lot of anger evident in the crime
scene.
Sadistic/Anger Excitation Offender
Evidenced by sexual gratification from victim
pain and suffering.
The primary motivation for the behavior is
sexual.
The sexual expression is manifested in
physical aggression or torture behavior.
 Sadistic Verbal Behavior
Says things to gain the victim’s trust/confidence.
“Can you help me with this? I’m lost. Do I
know you? You remind me of a friend I had
back in school.”
Says things to entice the victim away from safe
areas
“I have something I want to show you. Let me
offer you a ride. Can I give you help with that
up to your apartment?”
 Sadistic Verbal Behavior
May demand to be called a certain name to
indicate victim subservience.
Sir, Master, Lord, etc.
When engaged in rough sex acts that inflict
injury asks, “Does it hurt? Did that hurt you?
Can you feel that?”.
Uses demeaning, humiliating names attesting to
his view of the victim’s worthlessness.
bitch, slut, whore, cunt, etc.
 Sadistic Sexual Behavior
Sexually stimulated by the victim’s response to
the infliction of physical/emotional pain.
Uses sexual bondage apparatus/behaviors
during the attack.
Performs sexual torture on the victim.
Repeated biting, insertion of foreign objects
in the vagina/anus, and use of sexual torture
devices on a conscious victim.
 Sadistic Sexual Behavior
Prefers rough anal sex
Followed in frequency by forced fellatio.
Prefers ejaculating on specific parts of the
victim’s body.
 Sadistic Sexual Behavior
Sexually selfish
Victim’s primary function is to suffer sexually.
Records the attack for later fantasy activity.
Video, photos, journal, audio, maps,
calendars, diaries, media clippings, etc.
“Souvenirs” and “trophies” are kept/hidden in
secret, but accessible places.
Home, office, vehicle, storage space, etc.
 Sadistic Physical Behavior
Brutal or high levels of force used to inflict
victim injury over a prolonged period of time.
Injuries inflicted against specific areas of the
body of sexual significance to the offender.
Feet, nipples, anus, vagina, mouth, etc.
 Sadistic Physical Behavior
The intensity of sexual injuries increases with
the rapist’s anger
a response to a noncompliant victim or a
victim that is too compliant
which increases with the level of sexual arousal.
 Sadistic M.O. Behavior
Chooses/impersonates an occupation that
allows them to act as an authority figure
A position to identify and acquire victims
Law enforcement, security guard, youth
counselor, coach
 Sadistic M.O. Behavior
Offenses are planned in exacting detail.
Victim type
Location for selecting victim
Location for attack
Signature behavior
Disposal site
Offenses are executed methodically.
 Sadistic M.O. Behavior
Assesses/selects victims for emotional
vulnerability and gains his or her trust through
seduction.
Victims are vilified by law enforcement.
Prostitutes, drug addicts, runaways, etc.
Victims are nonaggressive and have low self-
esteem.
 Sadistic M.O. Behavior
Victim is lured to a concealed area where the
offender has a great deal of control.
Vehicle, basement, garage, hotel room, etc.
Offender increases aggression with each
successive attack.
Offender kills the victim as a precautionary act.
 Sadistic Signature Behavior
Special offense material brought with offender
to the scene.
Weapons, bindings, and any sexual apparatus
The sexual attack lasts for an extended period of
time.
Offender is good at presenting the image of a
loving and sincere individual.
 Sadistic Signature Behavior
Victims are strangers to the offender.
Which facilitates both modus operandi and
signature
Easier to torture/humiliate when there is
no personal connection
Less likely that law enforcement will link
the offender to the crime
 Contributing Motivational Factors
Any circumstances that support/lead to the
development of motive.
Not primary to the offense, but have the
potential to influence to offender
choices/behavior.
Their existence/nature will only become evident
after a thorough investigation.
Provides investigators with a more complete
understanding of rationale and how it was
shaped.
 Contributing Motivational Factors
Mental illness
Physical disabilities
Drug and alcohol use
Sexual gratification
Fear
Self-preservation
 Contributing Motivational Factors
Financial problems
Significant stress
Submissive tendencies
Low self-esteem
Zeal/bias