Weapons used by juveniles and adult offenders in sexual homicides: An empirical analysis of 29 years of US data

Abstract

Most studies of sexual murderers consist of small samples made up of primarily adult offenders. Accordingly, little is known about similarities and differences between juvenile (under 18) and adult (over 18) sexual murderers. This article is the first to utilise a large sample (n = 3845) that spans almost three decades (1976–2004) of Supplemental Homicide Reports data to analyse juvenile (n = 452) and adult (n = 3393) sexual murderers, particularly in terms of weapons used to kill different victim types. This study underscores the importance of analyses of specific types of murderers. In comparison with homicide arrestees, those arrested for sexual murder were more likely to be male, less likely to be black, and about as likely to be under 18. Consistent with previous literature, sexual murderers in this study were more likely to use personal and close contact weapons than firearms and other more distant methods of killing. Several significant differences emerged in weapons selected to kill different victim types between juvenile and adult offenders. Findings with respect to weapon selection by offender age groups are consistent with Heide's physical strength hypothesis. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.