法律心理学第八章

5THEPAULBERNARDOCASETheScarboroughRapesTheMurderofTammyHomolkaTheSt.Catherine'sSexualAssaultSeriesTheInvestigationofPaulBernardo:TimeandWeightofEvidenceTheBernardoInvestigationReviewReferencesInthesimilarcasesI'mlookingatexamplesoftaskforcebreakdown,thesecondoneisthePaulBernardocase,whichdraggedonforaboutfiveyearseventhoughtheCanadianauthoritieshadthenameofthekillerintheirfiles.Theyalsohadthekiller'sDNA,andtherewerelivingwitnesseswhohadbeenrapedbyBernardowhohadgivendescriptionsofthesuspecttothepolice.ThebreakdownofthetaskforcesystemintheBernardocase,likethebreakdownofthetaskforcesystemintheYorkshireRippercase,wassoextensive,thatitpromptedanofficialreviewoftheinvestigationtofindoutwhatwentwrongandwhatcouldbedoneaboutit(CampbellandArchie,1996).Thebestandclearestdescriptionoftheproblemissetforthintheintro­ductiontothe1996Bernardocasereportitselfwhichsays:BetweenMay1987andDecember1992,PaulBernardorapedorsexuallyassaultedatleast18womeninScarborough,Peel,andSt.Catharine'sandkilledthreewomeninSt.Catharine'sandBurHngton.PaulBernardoisauniquetypeofcriminal,adetermined,organized,mobile,sadisticserialrapistandkillerwhodemonstratestheabilityofsuchpredatorstostrikeinanyOntariocommunityThetragichistoryofthiscase,andsimilar113114ROBERTD.KEPPELANDWILLIAMJ.BIRNEScasesfromothercountries,showsthatthesepredatorsposeauniquechallengetothesystemicinvestigativecapacityoflocallaw-enforcementagenciesthroughoutNorthAmericaandEurope.TheBernardocaseprovesthatOntarioisnoexception.TheBernardocase,likeeverysimilarinvestigationhaditsshareofhumanerror.Butthisisnotastoryofhumanerrororlackofdedicationorinves­tigativeskill.Itisastoryofsystemicfailure.Itiseasy,knowingnowthatBernardowastherapistandthekiller,toaskwhyhewasnotidentifiedearlierforwhathewas.Butthesamequestionandthesameproblemshaveariseninsomanyothersimilartragediesinothercountries.Virtuallyeveryinterjurisdictionalserialkillercase,includingSutcliffe(TheYorkshireRipper)andBlack(thecross-borderchildkiller)inEngland,TedBundyandtheGreenRiverKillerintheUnitedStates,andCliffordOlseninCanada,demonstratethesameproblemsandraisethesamequestions.Andalwaystheanswerturnsouttobethesame—systemicfailure.Alwaystheprob­lemsturnouttobethesame,themistakesthesame,andthesystemicfailuresthesame.Theanswertotheproblem,thereportexplains,isnotsimplybettermoti­vationofthetroopsinthefieldormoreaccountabilityonthepartofthosehandlingtheinformation.Whenthereisasystemicfailureinaninvestiga­tionthatsoimpedestheabilityofthepohcetofindtheoffenderthattheyareatalosstoexplainwhy,theyimparttotheoffenderuniquepowersofinvisibilityorcamouflageandtheyblametheirownskillsasareasonfortheirfailure.Inshort,whensystemsfail,thecollectivepsychologicalreac­tiononthepartoftaskforcemembersisthatthekillergrowsinhisabilitytoeludedetectionandthepolicearediminishedintheirabilitiestofindhim.ThereportquotesoneMetroinvestigator,in1992,assaying:Theboyisbetterthanwemightgivehimcreditfor,orhe'sfallenthroughthecracks.Eitherway,thekillerhasdefeatedthepolicewhoareonhistrail.But,astheBernardoreportsuggests,theMetroofficerwascorrect.Bernardohadindeedfallenthroughthecracks,butthecrackswereofthetaskforce'sownmakingbecauseoftheinabihtyofthedifferentlaw-enforcementagenciestopooltheirinformationandcooperateeffectively.ThisisalsowhathappenedinAtlantaduringtheAtlantachildmurders,andIhadseenitwithmyowneyes.THESCARBOROUGHRAPESAccordingtotheofficialhistoryofthecasesetforthinthe1996Bernardocasereport,betweenMay4,1987,andMay26,1990,aviolentsadisticpredatorsexuallyassaulted14youngwomeninScarboroughand1inMissigauga.Thevictimswereintheirteensorearlytwentiesandwerereturninghomeatnight,oftenbetweenabusstopandtheirhome.Thepredatorwasviolentandquick.Hismodusoperandi(MO)included:CHAPTER5.THEPAULBERNARDOCASE115stalking,thenattackingfrombehind,draggingthevictimintoadrivewayorbushes,punchingandbeating,rapinganallyandvaginally,takingtrophiessuchasjewelryoranarticlefromthevictim'spurse,sometimespersonalidentifica­tion.Someoftherapeswereaccompaniedbydeaththreats,oralintercourse,tighteningaligatureorelectricalcordaroundthevictim'sneck,digitalpene­tration,biting,threatoffurtherviolence,gagging,cuttingclothesandunder­wearwithaknife,smashingthevictim'sheadontheground,forcingthevictimtosayshelovedtheattacker,forcingthevictimtoutterwordsofself-deprecation,threateningtoreturnlatertothevictim'shouseandrapeandkillher,andcuttingthevictimwithaknife.MostofthesearedisplaysofwhatIcallsignaturebehaviorandportendthattheoffenderisalreadyonanarcorcontinuumofviolenceinwhichheexperimentswithbehaviorsthatdrivehissexualdesireorrage.HechangeshisMOasitbecomesnecessary,eithertothrowthepoliceoffthetrackortofindnewwaystosatisfyhimself.Signatureanalysisisavitalwaytodeterminewheretheoffender'scrimesaregoing,aswe'llseebelow,andtopredictwhattheoffendermightbecapableof.Inthisinstance,theScarboroughrapist,agoodsignatureanalysisofwhattheunknownrapistwasdoingtohisvictimsmighthaveledin­vestigatorstolinkupthelatermurderswiththeearlierrapesonthebasisoftheperpetrator'ssignaturebehavior(KeppelandBirnes,1997).However,P