Homicide

Abstract

Detection avoidance (DA) behaviours include removing evidence, manipulating bodies, and offenders protecting their identity, and staging the scene. There is a dearth of research on DA and its impact on homicide investigations. This study examines the role of DA in solving homicides in Victoria, Australia. It explores DA tactics used by offenders in 116 unsolved homicides, compares them to 35 solved homicides, and proposes a framework for their potential effect on solvability factors. The framework suggests that detection avoidance maps on to several solvability factors in complex ways, potentially complicating police investigations in a manner different to that anticipated. Future research is recommended.

INTRODUCTION

Homicides are rare in Australia and 10.5% are unsolved (Bricknell, 2019). This research is one of the first discussions of whether specific offender behaviour – detection avoidance – has the potential to impact solvability factors. Detection avoidance (DA) is when an offender attempts to hide, destroy or manipulate evidence to avoid detection and apprehension (Beauregard & Bouchard, 2010;