Multiple murder and criminal careers: A latent class analysis of multiple homicide offenders

Purpose: To construct an empirically rigorous typology of multiple homicide offenders (MHOs). Method: The current study conducted latent class analysis of the official records of 160 MHOs sampled from eight states to evaluate their criminal careers. Results: A 3-class solution best fit the data (-2LL = -1123.61, Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) = 2648.15, df = 81, L² = 1179.77). Class 1 (n = 64, class assignment probability = .999) was the low-offending group marked by little criminal record and delayed arrest onset. Class 2 (n = 51, class assignment probability = .957) was the severe group that represents the most violent and habitual criminals. Class 3 (n = 45, class assignment probability = .959) was the moderate group whose offending careers were similar to Class 2. Conclusion: A sustained criminal career with involvement in versatile forms of crime was observed for two of three classes of MHOs. Linkages to extant typologies and recommendations for additional research that incorporates clinical constructs are proffered.