ABBREVIATED OFFENDER PROFILE

The purpose of this profile is to provide the general public with a glimpse into the personality and behavior of the Kansas college rapist. It does not contain any identifying information or
case-specific details that would potentially impact the investigation and should not be considered
all inclusive. The analysis of the perpetrator is based upon probabilities. Note, however, that no two criminal acts or criminal personalities are exactly alike and, therefore, the offender may not always fit the profile in every category.

Reported Assaults

Between October 1, 2000 and July 27, 2015, 14 assaults, predominantly sexual, were committed between Manhattan and Lawrence, Kansas. The assault details are relatively consistent across incidents. A table (see below) provides a general overview of the dates and locations of the incidents.

Offender Physical Description

All of the victims who observed the perpetrator’s race identified him as a White male. His estimated age was 20 to 30 years old at the time of the earlier assaults.  His current estimated age is at least 35 years old. The victims’ reports are consistent with the age range for individuals who commit this type of crime; just over half of stranger rapists are aged 18 to 28 years, and more than three quarters are between 16 and 33 years.
Victims’ descriptions of the perpetrator’s height ranged from 5’9” to 6’0.” The description of the perpetrator’s build varied, but several victims mentioned a prominent stomach. In the most recent incident, he was described as having a medium to thick build, slight stomach and noticeable muscle tone in the thigh area. Victims were unable to provide any description of hair or facial features due to the intruder being masked.

Offender Behavioral-Psychological Profile

Behavioral-psychological profiling can be used to interpret repeat rape behavior patterns and offer predictions of associated offender characteristics. By having a clearer picture of the offender’s motivations, personality, and modus operandi (MO), it is possible to link other potentially related sexual offenses to the offender.

Pathway to Offending

There are multiple “pathways” or motivations that lead to sexual offending. Some offenders are opportunistic and highly impulsive and tend to be behaviorally dysregulated. Other offenders demonstrate explicit and systematic planning of their offenses, often watching victims in order to become acquainted with their daily routine. Based on the behavior of the perpetrator in this case, it appears he fits the profile of the latter. He carried out the attacks in a cold, calm, and

calculated manner.

Behavioral-Typology/Personality

The perpetrator is intelligent, adept at delaying gratification, and capable of extensive planning. This may be apparent in his personal and professional life, particularly when he is interested in or motivated by the topic or task. He may come across to some as emotionally detached, unexcitable, or disengaged. Any experience or display of intense emotions will likely be infrequent and short-lived. Others may view him as someone capable of staying composed, focused, and effective under pressure.

The perpetrator may be perceived as a “wallflower” with an unassuming and reserved manner. In his personal life he may be prone to accommodating requests and reassuring people, as he may feel unable to assert himself or stand his ground. His inability to assert himself increases

when he finds himself in situations with few rules; when such rules are present, however, he may follow them in a concrete, mechanized manner. His approach to romantic relationships may be perfunctory and leave him unsatisfied. He is most likely drawn to jobs that do not require a great deal of interpersonal adeptness and where there is little risk of encountering situations that will exacerbate his feelings of inadequacy.

Modus Operandi (MO)

MO can be defined as behaviors that are necessary for the commission of the crime. MO changes or evolves as the offender gains experience or matures in his criminal career. Victims’ responses can significantly influence the evolution of an offender’s MO. Several elements of his MO were reviewed, including victim selection, method of approach, and method of control.

Time of Day

The majority of the assaults occurred between 0200 and 0430. This is not particularly revealing since most sexual assaults occur during that timeframe. It is notable that the victims were asleep.

Day of Week: Surveil/Attack Pattern

The perpetrator appears to conduct surveillance prior to his assaults. Taking into consideration the time of day of almost all assaults (i.e., very early morning), it presumes the assault-related behaviors likely started in the evening leading up to the crime. This is referred to as the “surveil/attack” pattern. For example, if a sexual assault occurred Sunday morning at 0200, it is likely the perpetrator began engaging in “pre-assault” behaviors (e.g., surveilling the victim’s residence to establish she was home alone) late Saturday night. By examining the behavior in this manner, a different pattern emerges from that obtained by simply tallying days of the week.

Over the course of 15 years and across 14 assaults, the perpetrator never engaged in the surveil/attack pattern in either Lawrence or Manhattan on a Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Assaults occurred most often on Sunday night/Monday morning (four incidents). In Lawrence, specifically, no assaults occurred from Wednesday nights to Friday mornings or on Saturday nights/Sunday mornings.
This pattern needs to be interpreted with a caveat in mind, however. Given the low frequency of assaults (one to three per year) over a prolonged period (15 years) it is difficult to assign significant meaning to these patterns. Nonetheless, it provides a comparison point when examining other potentially related cases.

Time of Year

No assaults occurred during January, February, April, or November. The pattern of assaults across school semesters provides additional insight into the Kansas serial rapist’s behavioral patterns. Half of the incidents occurred during Fall semester, or the weeks immediately preceding or following Fall semester (i.e., August intersession and Winter Break). Only two assaults occurred during Spring semester. The remaining five assaults occurred over Summer Break; that is also the only time two assaults occurred during the same semester/break.
It is important to note that all assaults corresponded with a school break (e.g., Winter Break, Spring Break) except one. This suggests the perpetrator is familiar with the academic calendar, and knows how academic breaks impact the campuses.

Elapsed Time Between Incidents

The shortest period was one month (30 days); the longest amount of time was close to seven years (2,429 days). Prior to the lengthy break between the 2008 and 2015 assaults, the longest (known) period the perpetrator remained dormant was just over one year (420 days). The shortest re-offense period occurred in 2004, when the perpetrator committed his first assault in Lawrence only 30 days after assaulting his sixth victim in Manhattan. There is no clear explanation for the ebb and flow of the assault frequency. This is compounded by the likelihood there are other unreported assaults that have occurred over this timeframe that could alter any interpretation.

Case Linkage Analysis

Case linkage involves linking crimes to form a series on the basis of physical evidence, behavioral similarity and distinctiveness, and temporal or geographic proximity. Traditionally, profiling has focused almost exclusively on identifying the series of rapists based on similarity in MO behavior. However, some repeat rapists are not sufficiently consistent or distinctive in their MO. Broadening the analysis to include not only how the offender committed the offenses, but also when and where they occur, can help resolve this issue. The motivation, personality, and MO and signature behaviors of the offender, and the geographical and temporal elements of the assaults were reviewed. It is believed that sufficient similarity (and lack of significant dissimilarity) exists between the assaults committed against the victims to be considered as a potential series.