physical assault
attacks on the person that produce death or serious bodily injury.
first-degree murder
premeditated killing of another human beign with malice, or wrongful intent.
second-degree murder
killing of another but without the element of premeditation.
manslaughter
unlawful killing of another w/out malice or premeditation either voluntartily or involuntarily.
criminal agency
the death was caused by another person's unlawful act or omission.
suspicious death
when death occurs in a place other than the residence of the deceased.
foul play
deceased in not under the care of a physician at the time of death., dishonest behavior, murder.
criminal agent
1. agent pays for his own crimes. 2. principle is liable if they directed it/participated.
autopsy
major method of dectecing murder. Postmortem examination of the victim in a suspicious death case is performed by a competent physician, generally a surgeon or a pathologist specializing in this field, who determines the cause of death.
toxicologist
specializes in the detection of chemical, physical, and biological toxins.
window of death
activity in which the victim was engaged prior to or at death can be timed within reasonable limits.
algor mortis
after death the body begins to cool through this process. Considered to be one of the more reliable indicators of time of death.
rigor mortis
appears within two to six hours after death. Body appearance after death-stiffening; factor in determining time of death in criminal homicides.
postmortem lividity
noticeable approximately within one hour after death and is fully developed within three to four hours. Appears as blue or reddish marks on the skin.
putrefaction
begins at the time of death as a result of two processes: autolysis and bacterial action.
autolysis
chemical breakdown of the body that results in the softening and liquefaction of body tissue.
bacterial action
converts body tissue into liquids and gases.
exhumation
removal of the body of deceased person from its place of burial-for medicolegal examination to diclose the presence of a previously unknown or improperly identified injuries, or to reveal the presence of a poison or other noxious substance that would indi
anger killing
pattern is an extension of the crime assault. Dispute occurs, and anger develops. The victim is attacked, w/without weapons, and fatally injured.
triangle killing
if a wife is dead and another woman is involved in a romantic triangle, grounds exist for suspecting that the husband wished to rid himself of an unwanted wife.
revenge or jealously killing
initial investigation of who the victim was and the history of the involvement between the victim and suspects usually will disclose the motive of revenge or jeaously, and thus a suspect.
murder for profit
closely aligned with the triangle-killing sitiuation; the vicitm is eliminated to gain some benefit.
random killing
the reason for the killing is clouded and unknown until the suspect is discovered.
murder-suicide
pattern of criminal homicide is one in which killer self-destructs shortly after the fatal assault on the victim.
sex and sadism murder
marked by unusual violence.
felony murder
victim's death does not result from an angered attack; a triangle, revenge, jealousy, or profit motivation; random chance; a murder-suicide compact; or sex and sadism.
multicide
killimg of a number of victims by one or more persons working concert.
mass murder
homicide of four or more victims during a single event at one location.
spree murder
killing of three or more persons within a relatively short time frame.
serial killers
contrast may make special efforts to elude detection. Kill for weeks, months, and often years before they are caught, if at all.
serial murder
two or more separate murders when an individual, acting alone or with another, commits multiple homicides over a period of time with time breaks between each murder event.
visionary serial killer
propelled to kill by voices he hears or visions he sees.
mission serial killer
need on a conscious level to eradicate a certain group of people.
hedonistic serial killer
killer has made a connection between personal violence and sexual gratification.
lust killer
offenders murder because they derive pleasure from the act: killing for them is an eroticized experience.
thrill killer
killings are process focused, taking some time to complete, and include torture, mutilation, and other fearinstilling activities.
comfortoriented serial murderer
professional assassins and people who kill for personal gain fall under this category.
power and control serial killer
receives sexual gratification from the complete domination of his victim.
organized offenders
their crimes are well thought out and carefully planned.
disorganized offenders
inadequate individuals who are experiencing intense sadistic sexual fantasies and may suddenly act out these fantasies on a victim of opportunity.
clustered crime scene
involves a situation where most of the activities take place at one location: the confrontation, the attack, the assault, and sexual activity.
Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP)
administered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the clearing house for information regarding serial killers. Investigators send in data on their local murders, and when cases are linked the reporting investigators in the local agencies are given ea
stalking
is defined as an intentional course of conduct that does the following: 1. is directed at a specific person or persons. 2. seriously alarms, annoys, intimidates, or harasses the victim. 3. serves no legitimate purpose.
assault
is an unlawful attempt, coupled with the present ability, to commit an injury on the person of another.
battery
an unlawful beating or other wrongful physical harm inflicted on a human being without his/her consent.
aggravated assault
assault with a deadly weapon or an assualt in which serious injury is inflicted with/without a weapon.
violent injury
is synonymous with force in assualt cases.Includes any application of physical force even if it entails no pain or bodily harm and leaves no marks.
altercation
before an assualt, the offender and the victim usually have had some interaction.
disorderly conduct
somtimes in the preliminary investigation of an assualt case the investigating police charge both participants with assault.
disturbing the peace
responding police often charge the apparent victim (the one most seriously injured).
child abuse
Deliberate action that is harmful to a child's physical, emotional, or sexual well-being.
seriously bodily injury
is a standard that excludes intervention by police in case involving only minor assaults that could be described as corporal punishment incidental to disciplining a child.
batterd child syndrome
signs of physical abuse, in the absence of a reasonable explanation for the injury.
deliberate immersion burn
the depth of the burn is uniform.
contact burns
caused by flames or hot solid objects.
shaken baby syndrome
occurs primarily in children eighteen months of age or younger because their neck lack muscle control and their heads are heavier than the rest of their bodies.
retinal hemorrhage
classic medical symptom associated with shaken baby syndrome. Bleeding in the back of the eyeballs.
munchausen syndrome
a psychological disorder in which the patient fabricates the symptoms of disease or injury in order to undergo medical tests, hospitalization, or even medical or surgical treatment.
munchausen syndrome by proxy
a parent or caretaker suffering from this disorder attempts to bring medical attention to themselves by injuring or inducing illness in their children.
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
is not a positive finding; rather, it is a diagnosis made when no other medical explanation can account for the abrupt death of an apparently healthy infant.