Unmasking serial murder: a comparison of a South African murder series with characteristics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Serial Murder Database
Date
2015
Authors
Holland, Shakeera
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Abstract
The term ‘serial killer’ brings to mind notorious criminals whose crimes are so heinous as to
test the limits of the most vivid imagination and make us question their humanity. What is the
reality of serial murder?
In 2005, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) hosted a symposium on serial murder,
which brought together international experts in the field of serial murder with the aim of
clarifying and understanding this multifarious crime. On the 12th of March 2008, Gcinumzi
Richman Makhwenkwe, ‘The Moffat Park Serial Murderer’ was convicted of 5 counts of
murder, 3 counts of rape and 3 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances. The
Department of Forensic Medicine and Pathology of the University of the Witwatersrand,
based at the Johannesburg Forensic Pathology Service (FPS) Medicolegal Mortuary Facility
performed the medicolegal investigations of death in all the victims. This research report
explores the characteristics of serial murder and serial murderers as documented in the
literature; documents the features and characteristics of the Moffat Park murder series;
compares the features of this South African murder series to those from the findings of the FBI
serial murder symposium; explores the role of the forensic medical practitioner in the
investigation of the Moffat Park series and serves to educate and inform forensic medical
practitioners of the features of serial murder as awareness may potentially lead to earlier
identification of a murder series. This could ultimately lead to earlier implementation of
specialist investigative methods, earlier apprehension of the serial murderer and most
importantly fewer victims.