Fatal Detachment (eBook)

Chapter 1
Introduction

I have been a clinical/forensic psychologist for about 50 years. I was educated as a clinical psychologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder in what was then called the Scientist Practitioner Clinical Psychology Model in the late 1960s. Forensic psychology programs did not exist when I received my Ph.D. However, while completing a post-doctoral training fellowship at the Los Angeles County General Psychiatric Hospital, I had the opportunity to be introduced to the field of Forensic Psychiatry by Seymour Pollack M.D., Selwyn Rose, M.D., Saul Faerstein, M.D., R. Bruce Sloane, M.D. and numerous others who appreciated the involvement and consultation of a psychologist. In the ensuing years, I had the opportunity to evaluate hundreds of murderers and violent criminals, juvenile delinquents, child victims and child sex abusers. I’ve been involved in many Death Row cases. I’ve also seen many victims of all this incredible violence and abuse. But nothing prepared me for the horror of serial killers and the unimaginable, senseless suffering of their victims. This book is focused on seven serial killers that I evaluated from the late 1970’s to the early 1980’s. When I retired from my position with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (District Chief, Jail Mental Health Services) in the spring of 2015, I began writing this book in the hope that it may shed some light and insight into who and maybe what leads to this behavior.

Definition of Murder

A Serial Murder Symposium sponsored by the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, Behavioral Analysis Unit-2, Crimes Against Adults, was held in San Antonio, Texas on August 29 – September 2, 2005, to focus on the multiple challenges posed by the phenomenon of serial killing, including problems of definition, etiology, law enforcement investigation, prosecution, case management, as well as a number of other issues.

This work group did offer a simple straight forward definition to the previously vexing issue of defining who was a ‘Serial Killer’. They concluded: “The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s) in separate events.” There continues, however, to be some disagreement regarding such issues as “separate” (e.g., should it be a month or more in time, etc.) and numbers (e.g., some contend that it should involve three or more killings.). Nevertheless, the FBI’s definition is an agreed upon starting point. Serial murder is extremely rare constituting less than 1% of all murders committed in the United States and estimates suggest that as many as 20-50 serial killers are currently active in the United States.

Serial killers have committed some of the most appalling interpersonal crimes ever documented, including sexual assault, extended torture, and aggravated murder. Prosecutor Stephan Kay, Los Angeles County District Attorney, in his closing remarks in the Bittaker case (Chapter 5) challenged the jury by describing the defendant as an “excuse for a man” and “one of the most shocking, brutal cases in the history of American Crime…. If the death penalty is not appropriate in this case, then when will it ever be?”

Historical Context

There is an essentially universal intense and macabre interest in serial murder cases. The “Jack the Ripper” case (1888) in Whitechapel, England has been the subject of literally thousands of articles, books, and mass media events. A recent frenzy (2003, 2014) was ignited by two books claiming to use scientific investigative procedures to identify the actual killer (i.e., DNA). This is over a century after the victims were murdered. American serial killer, Ted Bundy, as well as many others, have received similar interest. This level of continued interest stems from sensationalism and the populace’s inability to understand how fellow humans can engage in such horrific behavior. Speculation as to how and why such behavior occurs is abundant but actual psychological data are sparse, at best.

Data Used in This Book

The serial murder cases discussed here do not comprise what is scientifically called a “random” sample. Random samples comprise the bedrock of certain scientific endeavors. In this book we are interested in the population of serial killers in the United States. A random sample of this population would consist of selecting a subset of serial killers designed in such a way that each individual has an equal chance of being chosen. Such a sample is essentially impossible to obtain. As mentioned above, general FBI estimates suggest that some 20-50 serial killers are currently active in the United States in a population of over 370 million people. These killers have not been identified and may never be, thus we cannot generate a random sample or even a sample of convenience. The subject of this book is a sample of serial killers referred to me by defense attorneys for evaluation. This is not a scientific sample, but a sample of necessity since it is the only one available. It may also be fraught with many potential biases. However, it may have significant heuristic value in that it serves as a guide for a potentially better understanding of a critical problem and hopefully may offer some guidance for further investigation.

The major goal of this text is simply to provide objective data based on this author’s personal forensic evaluation of seven serial killers. A second goal is that these data may lead to hypotheses as to how serial killers develop and behave.

The book is broken down into three parts. Part One (4 chapters), following the Introduction, presents brief historical data about murder, as well as chapters on Mass Murder and Spree Murder with case examples.

Part Two deals with the issue of Serial Murder and includes 7 chapters, each covering one serial killer, presenting demographic data, background data and clinical data from interviews, psychological tests, and analyses, as well as law enforcement information (e.g., investigation, arrests) and legal proceedings (trial and appellate transcripts). Following is a summary of the seven serial killers, each comprising one chapter.

Chapter 5

Lawrence Sigmund Bittaker (1979-1980), with a partner Roy Norris, were dubbed “The Toolbox Murders”, since they used a variety of tools including a sledgehammer, vise grip pliers, duct tape, ice picks, coat hanger wire and other tools to abduct, sexually assault, horribly torture, and murder five teenage girls in the South Bay area of Southern California. Their rampage lasted several months before their capture which thwarted their goal (they called it a “game”) to kill one girl of each teenage year from 13 to 19. They were convicted of killing 5 girls, but there may have been more. Bittaker was sentenced to death and had been on Death Row in San Quentin State Prison in California for over three decades until he died of natural causes in 2018. Roy Norris testified as a prosecution witness against Bittaker and is serving a life sentence in prison.

Chapter 6

Douglas Clark (1981-1982), referred to as “The Sunset Strip Mur­derer”, also had a partner (Carol Bundy-not related to Ted Bundy), was convicted of murdering six prostitutes or runaways who were picked up on or near Sunset Boulevard in the Los Angeles/Hollywood area. Most were shot in the head while engaging in oral sex with Clark. One was decapitated. Necrophilia was also involved. Clark is alive and on Death Row in San Quentin State Prison. Carol Bundy died of natural causes in state prison.

Chapter 7

David Carpenter (1970s-1980s), referred to as “The Trailside Killer”, was ultimately convicted of 10 murders in Santa Cruz and Marin Counties, California. All of these murders occurred in isolated beautiful California State Parks. Carpenter, at age 91, is the oldest condemned prisoner in San Quentin.

Chapter 8

William Bradford (1984-1987) was convicted of garroting (strangulation) two women and mutilating one. He is suspected in many other deaths that are still under investigation at this time. He died of “natural causes” while a condemned prisoner on Death Row in San Quentin at the age of 61 in March 2008.

Chapter 9

Mauricio Silva (1984) is convicted of killing four teenagers including his half-sister. He suffers “gigantism” (Achromegaly). He is over 7 feet tall and has been given the moniker “monster” on the San Quentin Death Row. His case is still under appeal.

Chapter 10

Mitchell Sims (1986) was convicted in the cruel murder of a pizza store employee in California and was sentenced to death. He was also convicted of two murders in South Carolina where he was also sentenced to death. He is alive and on Death Row in San Quentin State Prison.

Chapter 11

Danny Barber was evaluated by this author at the Texas Department of Corrections, Ellis #1 in Huntsville, Texas on March 21, and April 13, 1991. Some relatives were also interviewed. He was convicted of four murders in Dallas County, Texas and sentenced to death. He died of lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit, Texas Penitentiary at age 43 in 1999.

A concept, which I refer to as fatal detachment, first came to mind as a result of evaluating Lawrence Bittaker (1980) and...