ABSTRACT
Sex worker victims are the single most targeted group in serial homicide offences. Only a subgroup of offenders consistently victimize sex workers, while others target both sex workers and other types of victims. For offenders who target multiple types of victims, sex workers are only a part of the generalized pattern of violence and sex offending. Offenders who target multiple types of victims can further be differentiated based on the patterns of victim selection and type of activity, including sexual activity and level of violence, with each type of victim. Expanding our understanding of series composition and trajectories can increase linkage efforts, by moving from focusing on only a single victim type (e.g. sex workers) or only a single crime type (e.g. sexual assault vs sexual homicide), and by so doing, increase solvability.
