Sexual Sadism in the Context of Rape and Sexual Homicide: An Examination of Crime Scene Indicators

This study investigates the convergent and predictive validity of behavioral crime scene indicators of sexual sadism in the context of rape and sexual homicide. The study is based on a sample of 268 adult males sentenced to a federal penitentiary in Canada. Information regarding crime scene behaviors was gathered from police records, a clinical interview with a psychologist, and a semistructured interview with the offender. A series of logistic regressions were performed to determine whether behavioral crime scene indicators of sexual sadism were associated with an official diagnosis of sexual sadism and were able to distinguish between sexual aggressors against women and sexual murderers. Findings suggest that several crime scene behaviors overlap with an official diagnosis of sexual sadism as well as being able to distinguish between sexual aggressors of women and sexual murderers. Importantly, the majority of crime scene behaviors associated with a clinical diagnosis of sexual sadism are not the same as those associated with sexual homicide.