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: PROFILE OF THE VICTIMS All of che 12 vicuums were temale, and they repre- sented’ ditterent ethnic groups. They ranged in age from 17 cto 34 vears and were older chan che offender by 1 co 15 years. Several vicums were caller and heavier than the oifender. Nine of them were cocal strangers to him; he knew 3 by sight. Two of the 9 women who were strangers co him recognized him after his capcure. Most ot the victims were ot middle- income status, and the majority lived in the apartment complex where the offender lived with his mother. All of the victims except 1 high school scudent were employed full-time and worked in such positions as teachers, postal supervisors, store buyers, airline stewardesses, and administrative assistants. Some of them also had part-time jobs and/or were continuing their college education. Most ot the victims were not married; several were divorced. Two were known to have children. Five of the women were caped and murdered; 5 were raped only by the offender; and 2 were gang raped. One escaped from the offender before he could commit a sex crime. Most of the victims were approached at knife poinc as chey entered the elevator in their apartmenc building. All cape- murder victims were abducted from the same location, killed in different areas, and found fully cloched. The time spent in locating their bodies ranged from 1 day to 6 weeks. DATA COLLECTION Data were collected in avo ways: through interviews with the offender and completion of an interview guide and through the use of police reports, court evaluation records, photographs of crime scene investiganons, and medical examiners’ reports. An obvious limication to the interviews was having to cely on the offender's memory and reconstruction of the crimes. This bias was countered with documentation from. prison and court records. On the other hand, the offender's admis- sion of 6 additional rapes adds to the data noc available through official channels. Another method- ological drawback was that the information on what vicums said and did came from the odender. FINDINGS The analysis of the data suggests that the otfender’s criminal behavior changed in two major ways: The sexual aggression escalated from rape (oO cape and murder, and the otfenses increased in frequency over time (see cable 1}. Of special noce are che tacts char 1} all rape and murder olfenses except the frst were committed while he was under psychiatric supervision and on probation, 2) the 6 capes that were noc charged to him were also committed while he was under psychiatric supervision and on probation, and 3: che 5 Am J Psychiatry 1+0:1, January 1933 138 RESSLER. BURGESS, AND DOUGLAS TABLE 1. Escalation of the Criminal Behavior af an Adolescent Soy A Bov s Vicam's Age Age years! Ottense veaesi Orsoosinon 12 Perry larcency Probacion 12 Disruonng school Probaaon 13 Deiving withour an operacor’s license Case connnued unal ats {Sch birthday 14 Burglary and cage 3 Senc ro seace osv- chiaoric cencer 14 Pecty larceny Sene co scate osv- chiaene center 14 Breaking and Sene co stace psv- entering chuaeric center 16 Rape 25 Never charged 16 Rape 2 Never charged 16 Burglary ind rage 17 Never charged codetendane) 16 Race coderendanc! 25 Never chacged 17 Actempced armed 22 Prodacon snd robbery outpacient sherszpy 13 Rape b Never cnareed 18 Rape and murder 24 Lite tmonsonment 19 Rape and murder 22 Life imocisoamenc 19 Rape and murder 34 Life impasonment 19 Rape 25 Never charged 19 Rape and murder 2P Lite umorisonmenc 19 Raoe and murder 24 Lire imorsoament homicides. were not linked to one ottender and did noc appear to include rape until he was apprehended and described the offenses. Rape and Intended Rape: The First ~ Offenses The first rape with which the orfender was charged, when he was I4, occurred in the apartment next co where he lived wich his mother. He had returned home from a party and had gone to ded but woke up fantasizing about the 25-vear-old divorced neighbor woman who often employed him for small errands. He got up, wenc ourside wearing 3 ski mask, scaled the apartmenc wall like a “cat burglar.” and entered che woman's third-tloor apartment through che Dalcony door. He caped the woman several times, lett through the front door, returned to hts own apartment. and went to sleep. He was apprehended 3 weeks later and was eventually convicted on the basis of evidence tound in the apartment i.e., fingerprints and clothing: rather than the victim's identification of him. A wom- an judge sentenced him to an out-of-state osvehiacric residential facilicy. The second cape .the first one with which he was never charged! occurred when ne was 16 and home from the residential facilicv for Christmas vacation. The evening betore he returned +o che facilicv. he approached a woman in the elevacor in the apartment complex and ac kmite poine rook her co anocher location and raped her. The second rape with which ne was never charged third in the sequence: vecurred 3 months iater when he approached 2 woman in the parking loc of a local school he attended while ac the