ABSTRACT
Sexually motivated compulsive homicides are fueled by a combination of sadism, fantasy, and a compulsion to kill. These elements, to one degree or another, are present in both compulsive murderers who plan their crimes and compulsive murderers who act in an unplanned, impulsive, and spontaneous manner. Whether the murder is planned or spontaneous, however, is not a result of the compulsion or various sadistic fantasies; rather, it is a result primarily of the offender’s personality makeup. Thus, the individual’s personality is an intervening variable between the three elements and the way the crime is committed.
