Canadian Homicide: An Investigation of Crime Scene Actions

C Gabrielle Salfati* and France Dupont

Recent literature suggests that different ‘styles’ of homicide will most appropriately be reflected in the different types of behaviors committed by offenders at a crime scene. These distinctions, it has been proposed (e.g. Salfati 2000) can best be understood using an Instrumental and Expressive thematic framework in the way the offender acts at the crime scene. Multidimensional Analysis was carried out on the crime scene actions derived from 75 Canadian single offender, single victim homicides, with the aim to replicate these earlier studies. A multivariate structure resulted, encompassing both hypothesized styles. Results are discussed in terms of implications for cross-national similarities and differences in the thematic structure of homicide, and explorations regarding future avenues for research regarding crime scene classification.