Preconference A
Wednesday, May 28 (Morning)
Twilight Murders - Elder Women and Their Offenders: A Study in Sexual Assault and Homicide
Mark E. Safarik, MS (FBI Ret.)

Although overall awareness of elderly victimization throughout the United States has greatly increased over the last decade, scant attention and research has been focused on elderly female victims of sexual assault and homicide and the offenders who commit these crimes. Law enforcement agencies are often faced with rarely seen and excessively violent crime scenes as they attempt to solve them. An in-depth study examining the characteristics of 128 elderly women who were sexually assaulted and murdered by 110 males and the review of several hundred additional cases worldwide provides reliable predictive information. An analysis of crime scene attributes, victim characteristics (including injury severity), and offender demographics produced significant predictive information about offender characteristics that have assisted law enforcement investigators, prosecutors, forensic nurses, medical examiners, and health care professionals tasked with recognizing, understanding, investigating, and prosecuting these crimes.

At the conclusion of this Preconference, participants will be able to:

• Identify four statistically significant attributes that can be used by law enforcement investigators to narrow the search for offenders.
  
  
• Outline characteristics of elderly female sexual assault victims.
  
  
• Describe the relationship that exists between injury severity and the age of the offender.
  
  
• Identify areas on which to focus as well as those to avoid when interviewing offenders.

Preconference B
Wednesday, May 28 (Afternoon)
Violent Offenders and Crime Scene Behaviors: Through the Lens of the Psychopathic Personality Construct
Mary Ellen O’Toole, PhD

Psychopathy is a devastating personality disorder with specific traits and characteristics which cluster together and emerge in one’s personality. A psychopath’s behavior, affect and lifestyle set them apart from others, and when they become violent offenders, their crime scenes are also unique. An understanding of the complexity of psychopathy is essential in order to better comprehend how and why psychopaths offend, and the implications for interactions with both mental health professionals and law enforcement. This Preconference will include an overview and examination of crime scene behaviors which are likely to be indicative of a psychopathic offender. As a result of this type of analysis, law enforcement and mental health professionals can utilize specific interview, investigative and prosecutive strategies designed to be most effective when interacting with this multi-faceted personality construct.

At the conclusion of this Preconference, participants will be able to:

• Identify specific traits of psychopathy and how they are likely to manifest at a violent crime scene.
  
  
• Distinguish four subtypes of psychopathy in terms of crime scene behaviors.
  
  
• Describe specific interview strategies designed to be the most effective with violent psychopathic offenders.