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We are thrilled to celebrate August Skrudland for successfully defending his MA thesis, titled " Risk-Taking in Organized Sexual Homicide: The Decision-Making Behind Risky Offending Behaviour."

Abstract

This study investigates the factors related to offender risk-taking in sexual homicide. Using a sample of 350 cases of sexual homicide in Canada, this study explores whether the crime-commission process of organized sexual homicide offenders is associated with low-risk offending, operationalized as the frequency of selecting crime locations with the risk of witness detection. Results from the logistic regression demonstrate that behaviours linked to an offender’s sexual goals or fantasies (e.g., specific victim targeting, engaging in sexual intercourse with the victim, biting, and leaving biological evidence) are associated with decreased odds of low-risk offending. In contrast, more opportunistic behaviours (e.g., selecting sex-trade workers and engaging in overkill) are associated with increased odds of low-risk offending. Furthermore, results from five conjunctive analyses of case configurations (CACC) not only support the regression findings but also highlight that, within more nuanced crime-commission contexts, certain combinations of organized behaviours and overall complexity in the offending process can undermine the likelihood of an offence remaining low-risk.

Once again, congratulations to August Skrudland on this outstanding accomplishment.