Premium
Homicide without an apparent motive
Author(s) -
Holcomb William R.,
Daniel Anasseril E.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
behavioral sciences and the law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.649
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1099-0798
pISSN - 0735-3936
DOI - 10.1002/bsl.2370060310
Subject(s) - homicide , denial , prison , psychiatry , psychology , poison control , mental illness , suicide prevention , injury prevention , criminology , human factors and ergonomics , medical emergency , medicine , mental health , psychoanalysis
Fifty‐two defendants who allegedly killed without apparent motive were compared to 154 homicide defendants with clear motives on demographic and psychiatric variables. Individuals who killed without motive were more likely to have: (1) no history of alcohol abuse: (2) a recent release from prison: (3) claims of amnesia for the crime; and (4) denial of the crime. They also tended to exhibit psychotic behavior following the crime and to be assessed as not guilty of the crime due to mental illness.