Butterfield, Fox. "Hole in Gun Control Law Lets Mentally Ill Through." The New York Times, 11 April 2000, A, 1, p. 1.Notes: Available full-text on Lexis/Nexis Abstract: With the voices inside her head ordering her to kill, Lisa Duy walked into Doug's Shoot'n Sports to buy a Smith & Wesson, 9-millimeter, semiautomatic pistol. A call to the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification to run a background check on Ms. Duy found no record of felony convictions or mental illness. Ms. Duy was then taught how to hold and fire the heavy stainless-steel gun in a basement shooting range. Two hours later, she walked into the studio of television station KSL and began firing her new weapon. She shot more than four dozen times, killing a young mother and wounding the building manager. What the background check had been unable to detect was that Ms. Duy had a long history of psychiatric problems, had in fact been found to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and, only a year before the check, had been committed to a mental hospital by a judge after threatening to kill an FBI agent, an encounter that sprang from her delusions that the station was broadcasting information about her sex life. In the 100 episodes of rampage killings examined by The New York Times, none better illustrates, than the case of Lisa Duy, how difficult it can be to enforce a key provision of the nation's fundamental gun control law. This article, third in a series of four, examines this issue.

Cannon, Angie, et al. "Why? (Columbine High School Massacre)." US News & World Report 126, no. 17(May 3, 1999): p. 16.Notes: Also available full-text on InfoTracAbstract: The community of Littleton, Colorado, as well as the nation, are wondering why two high school students brought an arsenal of weapons to Columbine High School, killing 12 students and a teacher before taking their own lives. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were social outcasts who had an affinity for violence in video games, motion pictures, television and music, which has many blaming the various aspects of the media for warping their minds.

Chester, Graham. Berserk! Terrifying True Stories of Notorious Mass Murders and the Deranged Killers Who Committed Them. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.Call Number: HV 6529 .C53 1995 Abstract: "Time to pay." That was the announcement made by George Hennard, on Wednesday, October 16, 1991, moments before he opened fire in a Texas restaurant, cold-bloodedly shooting dead 22 people. The Luby's Cafeteria massacre is a typical example of a form of murder that has become all too familiar in recent years. The violence erupts suddenly, without warning. For no readily discernible reason, a man will arm himself with a gun, or guns, and take himself to some public place. He will begin shooting people, picking off his victims apparently at random. He will display little, if any, sign of emotion. In a brief but devastating assault, his bullets will scar and shatter the lives of individuals, families and whole communities, and the seemingly meaningless slaughter will frequently end with a bullet in his own brain--from either his gun or that of a police marksman. Although mass murderers claim far fewer lives than do road accidents, for example, or war, or industrial malpractice, they make a disproportionately large contribution to a prevailing climate of fear of violence--and to the mistrust and suspicion it engenders. This book examines many of the major cases from around the world and attempts to discover whether there is any pattern to the killings or whether they are truly meaningless, motiveless and random.

This bibliography is a representative selection of materials either owned or on order by the FBI Academy Library. Inclusion of an item does not represent an endorsement by the FBI of the material or its author.

Fessenden, Ford. "How Youngest Killers Differ: Peer Support." The New York Times, 9 April, 2000, 1, 3, p. 29.Notes: Available full-text on Lexis/NexisAbstract: When 16-year-old Evan Ramsey strode into the lobby of his high school in Bethel, Alaska, in 1997, and shot a popular basketball player in the stomach, there were already spectators gathered on the mezzanine above--students he had told to be there to witness his "evil day." Some may not have known exactly what was to transpire, but at least two students at Bethel Regional High had been intimately involved in the planning of Mr. Ramsey's crime, in which two people died. One student showed him how to load the shotgun the day before. The other carried a camera to record the event, but forgot to use it. Such goading, sometimes even collaboration, is not uncommon among the school-age killers who were part of The New York Times' study of 100 rampage killings in the United States in the last 50 years. This article discusses one of the principal factors that sets them apart from adult killers.

________. "They Threaten, Seethe and Unhinge, Then Kill in Quantity." The New York Times, 9 April 2000, 1, 1, p. 1.Notes: Available full-text on Lexis/Nexis Abstract: They are not drunk or high on drugs. They are not racists or Satanists or addicted to violent video games, movies or music. Most are white men, but a surprising number are women, Asians and blacks. Many have college degrees, but most are unemployed. Many are military veterans. They give lots of warnings and even tell people explicitly what they plan to do. They carry semiautomatic weapons they have obtained easily and, in most cases, legally. They do not try to get away. In the end, half turn their guns on themselves or are shot dead by others. They not only want to kill, they also want to die. That is the profile of the 102 killers in 100 rampage attacks examined by The New York Times in a computer-assisted study looking back more than 50 years and including the shootings in 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Four hundred twenty-five people were killed and 510 people were injured in the attacks. Though the attacks are rare when compared with other American murders, they have provoked an intense national discussion about crime, education, and American culture. The Times found, however, that the debate may have largely overlooked a critical issue: At least half of the killers showed signs of serious mental health problems. This article, first in a series of four, provides a statistical portrait of rampage killers.

Fox, James Alan and Jack Levin. Overkill: Mass Murder and Serial Killing Exposed. New York: Plenum Press, 1994.Call Number: HV 6529 .F69 1994Abstract: This book describes and explains the most infamous and deadly murders of our time. The authors explain specific motives and rationale for these cases, as well as the reasons underlying the growth of such hideous crimes. They examine the psychological, sociological and biological explanations behind the murderous thoughts, drives and behaviors of these and other mass murderers and serial killers.

Fried, Itzhak. "Syndrome E." The Lancet 350(December 20-27, 1997): pp. 1845-47.Notes: Available full-text on InfoTrac Abstract: Repeatedly throughout history, groups of individuals, usually young men, have violently attacked other members of society, often with the approval of, or encouragement from, those in authority. The victims are usually defenseless and are no direct threat to their attackers. Some of the notable manifestations of the phenomenon in the 20th Century are the killing of Armenians by Turks in 1915-16, of European Jews during World War II, of Cambodians during the Pol Pot regime in the 1970's, and the ethnic killings in Rwanda in the 1990's. Civil strife, extreme conditions, and ethnic conflicts have often had a role in these events, much as poverty and lack of hygiene lead to outbreaks of infectious disease. Yet these events would not have happened without a distinct transformation of the behavior of individuals. The uniformity and repeating nature of this transformation suggests a common syndrome affecting individuals for which is proposed the term "Syndrome E." This article discusses the syndrome.

Glaberson, William. "Man and His Son's Slayer Unite to Ask Why." The New York Times, 12 April 2000, A, 2, p. 1.Notes: Available full-text on Lexis/Nexis Abstract: Across the country, families whose loved ones have been killed or wounded by rampage killers try to find a place in their lives for the shattering events. Some join victims’ rights groups. Others form gun control organizations. There are those who want to be alone with their experience, and there are those who say they have turned a corner and no longer want to look back. Coming full circle, this article, the fourth in a series of four, looks at the aftermath of rampage killings.

Glenister, Ron and Kurtis Productions. Mass Murder: An American Tragedy. New York: A&E Home Video, 47 min., 1996.Call Number: HV 6529 .M377 1996 A/VAbstract: Join Bill Kurtis as he looks at some of the most shocking mass murder cases in the United States and surveys what triggered the killings and what could have been done to prevent these tragedies.

Goodstein, Laurie and William Glaberson. "The Well-Marked Roads to Homicidal Rage." The New York Times, 10 April 2000, A, 3, p. 1.Notes: Available full-text on Lexis/Nexis Abstract: An examination by The New York Times of 100 rampage murders found that the killers just didn't snap, most of them spiraled down a long slow slide, mentally and emotionally. Most of them left a road map of red flags, spending months plotting their attacks and accumulating weapons, talking openly of their plans for bloodshed. Many showed signs of serious mental health problems. This article, second in a series of four, discusses the warning signs.

Heide, Kathleen M. "Consulting Editor's Editorial: Juvenile Mass Murderers--A New Breed or a Younger Version of an Old Problem?" International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 43, no. 1(1999): pp. 5-7.Notes: Available full-text on Criminal Justice Periodical Index Abstract: The massacre at Jonesboro Middle School on March 24, 1998, happened in a small rural southern community. Within minutes, it became a global event. The faces of the two young killers, ages 11 and 13, were displayed prominently around the world. These two "kids" later were convicted of killing four girls and a teacher and wounding 10 more in an ambush of their fellow students. Tried as juveniles, these boys were sentenced to juvenile facilities where they can be legally held until their 18th birthdays. The public outcry regarding the sentence length was heard way beyond the state of Arkansas; it resounded across the United States. For the older boy, the sentence amounted to less than a year for every victim killed. What kind of sentence is that for a mass murderer? We are not used to thinking of children as mass murderers. However, the body count--5 dead and 10 wounded--puts these two boys into the class of mass killers. The increase in incidents such as this strongly suggests that the phenomenon of mass shootings in US schools is relatively new and fast becoming more lethal. This article discusses juvenile mass murder and its place in the criminal justice system.

Kelleher, Michael D. Flash Point: The American Mass Murderer. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1997.Call Number: HV 6529 .K45 1997Abstract: Mass murderers are discussed with respect to their demographic characteristics, the nature of their crimes, their weapons, the numbers of deaths and injuries they caused, their motivations, and the consequences they experienced in the criminal justice system or elsewhere. The book explains the differences between serial murder and mass murder, explains the definition of mass murder, and describes the evolution of this crime over recent decades.

Meloy, J. Reid. "Predatory Violence During Mass Murder." Journal of Forensic Sciences 42, no. 2(1997): pp. 326-29.Notes: Also available full-text on Criminal Justice Periodical Index Abstract: A case of mass murder by a 35-year-old male is reported. Following a week of separation from his spouse and temporary loss of custody of his son, the subject went to his wife's worksite and murdered her and the store manager, wounded a passerby in a car, and murdered a police officer arriving on the scene. Weapons used were a .32 caliber revolver, a 9-millimeter pistol, a 7.62-millimeter assault rifle, and a .50-caliber rifle. The fact pattern of the case is shown to be quite consistent with a predatory mode of aggression--violence that is planned, purposeful, emotionless, and not preceded by autonomic arousal. This article discusses the forensic importance of considering mode of violence, whether predatory or affective, independently of psychiatric diagnosis.

Palermo, George B. and Lee E. Ross. "Mass Murder, Suicide, and Moral Development: Can We Separate the Adults From the Juveniles?" International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 43, no. 1(1999): pp. 8-20.Notes: Available full-text on Criminal Justice Periodical Index Abstract: Mass murder--the sudden, explosive killing of a group of people--when committed by adults often is followed by the offender committing suicide. Recently in the United States, frequent cases of mass murder are reported as committed by adolescents. However, among juvenile mass murderers, there are no reported suicides (or attempts) by the offenders. This article provides a typology of mass murderers and offers a dynamic interpretation of the development of conscience and moral decisional capacity in adult and juvenile offenders. Preventive measures are explored along with methodological techniques that may distinguish between adult and juvenile mass murderers in their propensity to commit suicide after the events.

Petee, Thomas A. "Debunking the Stereotype: An Examination of Mass Murder in Public Places." Homicide Studies 1, no. 4(November 1997): pp. 317-37.Abstract: Much attention has been devoted in the past several years to public incidents of mass murder. Events such as the shooting on a Long Island commuter train in 1993, the massacre in Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, in 1991, or the seemingly numerous workplace homicides have received intensive media coverage and public interest. As a consequence, a stereotype of mass murder has emerged that may or may not be very accurate. This study examines incidents of mass murder that occurred in public settings in the United States between 1965 and 1995 to more closely scrutinize both the events and the offenders involved.

Schlesinger, Louis B. "Familicide, Depression and Catathymic Process." Journal of Forensic Sciences 45, no. 1(2000): pp. 200-203.Notes: Also available full-text on Criminal Justice Periodical Index Abstract: A case of familicide by a 36-year-old male is reported. After years of stable marriage, exemplary military service, and steady employment, the subject developed his first episode of depression triggered, in part, by his inability to solve a problem associated with completion of a home improvement project. As the depression intensified and dormant conflicts regarding his competency and self-esteem were rekindled, he experienced pronounced feelings of failure. After an extended period of agonizing about his problem, the idea suddenly emerged that his only recourse was to kill his family and himself, in order to spare everyone the humiliation of his perceived inadequacy. Such a fixed idea, along with a mounting pressure to act, is characteristic of the (chronic) catathymic process, in which a subject, without apparent motive, resorts to extreme violence directed at someone close to him. This article provides a detailed discussion of this case within the framework of catathymic process, which adds to our knowledge of family mass murder and refines the profile of potentially familicidal men.

Segrave, Kerry. Women Serial and Mass Murderers: A Worldwide Reference, 1580 Through 1990. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1992.Call Number: HV 6515 .S44 1992 Abstract: The major difference between male and female mass murderers is that women are more apt to target powerless people. Few if any males have made a practice of wholesale killing of only toddlers and young children. Few if any have singled out very old, bedridden people. Yet many women have. Part of the reason for this may be simple opportunity; it is women mainly who come in contact with these groups as sitters, care givers, and so on. It may also be a reflection of the position of females in the "pecking order." If it is safer to aggress against those lower on that pecking order, then this propensity of women to target the powerless is logical. This volume profiles 87 female serial and mass murderers who have killed at least three people, covering women from all over the world and extends from 1580 to 1990.

Compiled by Jean Caddy, 11/00