Experts describe serial killers as: psychopathic sexual sadists, who torture and kill for pleasure; crime-spree killers; organised crime members of the Mafia or street gangs; custodial poisoners; or asphyxiators such as doctors and nurses who have control over people. The fifth category is psychotics whose crimes result from psychotic delusions. Terrorists, who are politically motivated, could be added to this list.
Other experts separate the crime-spree rapist who kills and the sexual sadist. They distinguish between killers who murder after a sexual assault to stop the victim identifying the killer from those who kill for pleasure. A hedonistic killer may kill for sexual pleasure or the excitement of a novel experience while those seeking power and control, where domination over the victim is important, want any sexual activity as part of that domination. All of these factors were considerations we had to take into account.
The sexual sadist kills as a part of his sexual gratification and this category of serial killer has been written about the most. Christopher Worrell of Truro infamy initially killed to stop a victim identifying him to police but, most likely, he moved to killing for pleasure as he picked up more girls, even though the secondary aspect of identification would have been in the back of his sick mind. While some academics put people in boxes, in real life it is never that simple.
There are five stages to a serial murder. They are:
1. Fantasy;
2. Stalking;
3. Abduction;
4. Killing; and
5. Disposal.
The fantasy stage occurs as the killer starts thinking about killing. He fantasises about what he is going to do and the intensity of the deviant mind-games increases to the stage when stalking of a victim commences. Once a victim is found, that person is stalked and then abducted before being killed and disposed of as an object which is no longer useful.
Other experts add three phases to the process of serial killing. Between the stalking of a victim and the abduction there may be a wooing phase, in which the victim is seduced or their defences are lowered. Richard Kelvin was abducted but what about the other boys? Were they forced into a car or were they seduced into a situation where they could be controlled?
In the Totem Phase, the preservation of the intensity of the murder is maintained by the keeping of bits of a body. Genitals are cut off or even limbs severed. The Totem Phase reminded me of what I already knew about the keeping of trophies and maybe even the missing lower legs of Peter Stogneff fitted into this idea. Peter’s lower limbs, however, may have been lost to a fox fossicking for food. And, finally, after the disposal of the body, there may be bouts of depression before depraved fantasies start to build again. Experts have presented eight phases of serial killers that police need to consider:
1. Fantasy;
2. Stalking;
3. Wooing;
4. Abduction;
5. Killing;
6. Trophies;
7. Disposal; and
8. Depression.
Also, serial killers have been classified by whether they are organised or disorganised offenders, based on the crime scene. Offenders may leave a crime scene tidy, reflecting that they are organised and planning is involved. The organised offender may use restraints to control and have power over the victim, commit sexual acts with live victims and use a vehicle. The disorganised offender is likely to leave evidence at the scene, perform sexual acts with the victim after death and not use a vehicle. We did not have crime scenes where the boys were killed. This indicated that we were looking for someone who was organised, methodical and had access to a vehicle. We could not ignore the possibility that the killers had just moved to Adelaide and were now part of the community. They could move on just as quickly, or they could be established members of Adelaide’s society of one million people.
The interesting thing about understanding serial killers is trying to find out why a person is selected as the next victim. Is it something about their smile, their clothes, their hair or the way that they carry themselves? I was sure that the killers would have seen Richard Kelvin wearing that dog collar around his neck when he was at the bus stop in O’Connell Street just before he was abducted. If our serial killer was a homosexual sexual sadist then fantasies involving Richard and the dog collar could have been a real turn on. On top of all this, Trevor had spoken to the police psychologists and they said that if we had a serial killer or killers stalking the streets, then they would kill again.
While Lee Haddon had worked in the belief that Neil Muir had been murdered by someone close to him, Trevor worked in the belief that a stranger to the victims was involved. He worked on the homosexual angle. Trevor believed the killer was a violent homosexual who picked up Mark Langley after he walked off from his friend’s car. As the police psychologist, Ray Dowd, indicated with Neil Muir, the killer might be a homosexual who had strong sexual fantasies.
When Trevor and Paul Maddern were working together on the Mark Langley case, they were spending a lot of time on the banks of the River Torrens near where Mark went missing. Trevor and Paul went to areas which we learned later were called ‘the beats’. Homosexuals used the beats as meeting places.
The beats were areas around the city of Adelaide where men would meet with the idea of having sex, to relieve tension or satisfy their fantasies. Invariably, the beats were near toilets where sex could be practised. If the police spoke to them about their presence in the area, the men could honestly say they were going to the toilet.
‘Number One beat’ was underneath the King William Road Bridge along the River Torrens to the bridge near the Adelaide Zoo. King William
