Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder / Edition 3

by James Alan Fox, Jack Levin

Overview

Filled with contemporary and classic case studies, this fascinating overview of both serial and mass murder illustrates the many violent expressions of power, revenge, terror, greed, and loyalty. Throughout the book, renowned experts James Alan Fox and Jack Levin examine the theories of criminal behavior and apply them to a multitude of mass and serial murderers from around the world, such as Adam Lanza (Newtown, CT), James Holmes (Aurora, CO cinema), Anders Breivik (Oslo, Norway), Charles Manson (“Helter Skelter”), and Dennis Rader (BTK). This fully updated Third Edition of Extreme Killing helps readers understand the commonalities and variations among multiple murders, addresses the characteristics of both killers and their victims, and, in the concluding chapter, discusses the special concerns of multiple murder victims and their survivors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781483350721
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	04/29/2014
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

James Alan Fox, the Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law, and Public Policy at Northeastern University, has written 18 books, including Violence and Security on Campus: From Preschool through College. He has published dozens of journal and magazine articles, as well as hundreds of freelance columns in newspapers around the country in the areas of multiple murder, youth crime, school and campus violence, workplace violence, and capital punishment. He is a member of the USA Today Board of Contributors and writes the “Crime and Punishment” blog for The Boston Globe. In addition to giving keynote talks and testimony before Congress and in court, Fox has worked on criminal investigations surrounding serial and mass murder cases. He was awarded the 2007 Hugo Adam Bedau Award for excellence in capital punishment by the Massachusetts Committee against the Death Penalty and the 2008 Klein Lectureship by Northeastern University.

Jack Levin is the Brudnick Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Criminology at Northeastern University, where he co-directs its Center on Violence and Conflict and teaches the sociology of violence and hate. He has authored or co-authored 31 books, including Serial Killers and Sadistic Murderers—Up Close and Personal and The Violence of Hate. He has published more than 100 articles in professional journals and books and more than 150 columns in major newspapers, such as The New York Times, The Sunday London Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and USA Today. In 2013, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Crime and Delinquency from the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP). Levin has spoken to a wide variety of community, academic, and professional groups, including the White House Conference on Hate Crimes, the National Organization of Hostage Negotiators, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Table of Contents

Part I: Multiple Murder
Chapter 1: America’s Fascination With Multiple Murder
The Gein Legacy
Multiple Murder in Popular Culture
The Selling of Multiple Murder
Craving Attention
Killer Communication
Killer Groupies
The Impact of Celebrating Murderers
Sensitize, Not Sanitize
Chapter 2: Defining Multiple Murder
Mass, Serial, and Spree
A Typology of Multiple Murder
Theories of Multiple Homicide
Social Learning Theory
Routine Activity Theory
Control Theory
Applying the Framework
Part II: Serial Murder
Chapter 3: An Anatomy of Serial Murder
Prevalence of Serial Murder
Extraordinarily Ordinary
A Profile of the Typical Serial Killer
Chapter 4: With Deliberation and Purpose
When Killing is Thrilling
On a Deadly Mission of Terror or Revenge
Killing for Expediency
For Love and Loyalty
Chapter 5: Murder Without Guilt
Self-Control and Social Control
The Sociopathic Personality
The Culture of Sociopathy
Empathy and Serial Killers
Borderline Personality Disorder
Normalcy in Serial Murder
Rehumanizing the Victims
Chapter 6: Partners in Murder
Insanity in the Relationship
Partners for Profit
Partnerships of Men and Women
Chapter 7: Killing for Company
Placing the Blame
Killing for Companionship
The Functions of Cannibalism
Desire for Total Control and Ownership
Chapter 8: Fantasyland
Keeping Souvenirs
Normal and Abnormal Fantasies
The Impact of Pornography
Chapter 9: The Making of a Serial Killer
Childhood Suffering
Testimony under Hypnosis
Child Abuse and Murder
Inordinate Need for Power
Animal Cruelty and Violence against Humans
Challenges of Predicting Serial Murder
Biological Predisposition
Blaming the Family
Chapter 10: Nonsexual Control
Power over Patients
Female Serial Killers
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy
Chapter 11: Killing Cults
Killing for a Cause
The Appeal of Dangerous Cults
Suicide or Homicide?
Satanism and Serial Murder
Chapter 12: So Many Victims
Vulnerable Victims Preferred
Catching the Serial Killer
Behavioral Profiling
VICAP
DNA
Lucky Breaks
Part III: Massacres
Chapter 13: For Love, Money, or Revenge
Relative Obscurity
A Profile of Mass Killers
Selective and Methodical
When Love Kills
Sweet Revenge
Profiting From Mass Murder
Explaining Mass Murder
Contributing Factors
Chapter 14: Family Annihilation
A Profile of the Family Annihilator
Impact off Unemployment
Murdering Moms
The Defiant Son
Chapter 15: Firing Back
Profile of the Workplace Avenger
The Impact of Frustration
Mixed Motives
Workplace Murder by Proxy
Romantic Obsession
Externalizing Responsibility
Social Isolation
Screening out Problem Workers
Going Postal
Chapter 16: Schooled in Mass Murder
Disgruntled Students
A Global Perspective
On to College
The Role of Violent Video Games
Shooting for Infamy
Shooting for Infamy
Adult Copycats
Overstating the Copycat Effect?
Chapter 17: Fighting City Hall
Attacking the System
Legal Battles
Filing a Grievance
Increasing Alienation
Chapter 18: Hate Motivated Mass Murder
Choice of Victims
A Life of Frustration
Blaming Women
The Killer as Victim
Settling a Grudge With a Gun
Minority Against Majority
Chapter 19: Going Berserk
Paranoid Thinking
Confused State of Mind
Long-Standing Mental Illness
Civilian Battlefields
Brain Abnormalities
Deadly Weapons
Chapter 20: Weapons of Mass (Murder) Destruction
Mass Shootings and Gun Legislation
School Shootings and Political Will/Won’t
The Assault Weapon Debate
Expanded Background Checks
Concealed Carry
Armed Faculty and School Security
A Final Word
Part IV: Epilogue
Chapter 21: Remembering The Victims

Editorial Reviews

It is a well thought out, put together book for this type of class because it touches on all aspects of both the organized and disorganized SK as well as delving into the mind of the mass murderer.

Bert Ouderkirk

This text will provide your students with a comprehensive overview of serial and mass murder. This is a student-friendly text that is well-written and organized.

Mark Winton

This is a well-written organized text on serial killing and mass murder. Content is appropriate and presented in a way that would be understandable to the average college student…

Shelly Grant

The writing style of all of the chapters is excellent and will truly capture the interest and imagination of students. The book could easily be used in either an upper level undergraduate or a graduate level course (as a supplemental text). It is versatile. The photos are quite interesting and will keep the student engaged.

Robert Worley

Extreme Killing offers a succinct and fascinating overview of historical and contemporary serial and mass murder addressing known prevalence, demographic characteristics, motives, and etiological factors associated with the perpetrators of the crimes. Additionally, the role of the victims and their families are discussed in relation to the high profile nature of these types of multiple murders especially in relation to role of the media, fascination by the public, and the seemingly motiveless nature of these types of crimes. James Allen Fox and Jack Levin use engaging case studies, illustrations, photos and commentary in their book, which no doubt students will find extremely interesting.

William E. Thornton

Excellent overall—engaging cases and yet stays on making important analytic points or generalizations without getting overly bogged down by case details (although many often horrific facts related to crimes are noted in a very matter-of-fact way) The authors manage to make their points while citing grisly case details in a very professional way without appealing to any sensationalism for its own sake. They navigate this fine line and manage a balancing act between sharing case details while also keeping a theoretical and conceptual focus. Superb job and the best of the three editions by far.

Kenneth Colburn Jr.

Fox and Levin are the best in the business at interpreting these rare, but tragic, multiple murder events. Accessibly written, yet analytically rich, Extreme Killing provides critical insight into subject matter that typically elicits a response between fear and fascination and is sensationalized and politicized in equal measure. For the cold hard facts on murder in cold blood (or otherwise), look no further.”

James A. Densley

This is the best single volume text for the coverage of both mass murder and serial homicide at the undergraduate level and as an introductory text on the subject matter.”

Mitchel P. Roth