Modus Operandi by Mauro Corvasce (universal ebook reader txt) 📕

place as follows: The target is driven to a remote location under the pretense of performing a task. While the target is occupied, a gunman will come up from behind and shoot him at close range in the head. The victim is left where he is shot. Assassins do not want to be apprehended with a body in the trunk of their vehicle. The weapons used are dumped, preferably

into a river, making it very difficult, if not impossible, to recover them.

Inner-city gangs generally deal with problem members or members of other gangs themselves. Everyone has heard of drive-by shootings. This is the usual assassination method of ethnic gangs. A plan is formulated and a location, almost always on the opposing gangbanger's turf is picked. Sometimes, a car will be stolen and other times they will use their own vehicle. The vehicle is loaded with four or five gangbangers who drive to the location with the passenger's side facing their target. Upon arrival, they indiscriminately open fire.

Gangbangers prefer high-capacity, large-caliber weapons of mass destruction. They want to spray as many bullets as possible in the shortest time possible. They will use both semiautomatic and fully automatic weapons. AK-47s and 9mm or .45 caliber semiautomatic pistols are most often used. Some of the flashier gangbangers choose chrome-plated weapons. Gangbangers have even been known to possess military hand grenades.

Ritualistic Cults

During the 1960s and early 1970s, Satanism was popular. Satanists believe that the more they kill, the more power they will achieve in hell. The more innocent their victims, the more power they will receive. Thus, babies and virgins are in demand. People are attracted to Satanism because they are attempting to receive the power of demons and use it for themselves. Satanism is growing again and the crimes related to it are increasing, but there is no statistical way to measure the threat. When criminals are arrested, they are arrested for the crime, not for what they believe in.

In teen occult practices, you may or may not find symbols and instruments related to Satanism. In some satanic circles, where sacrificing is performed, ritualistic symbols and other paraphernalia will abound.

A noteworthy case of satanic killing is the night stalker Richard Ramioez who was accused of killing fourteen people. The satanic ritual aspect of the case came out when pentagrams were found at several of the homicide scenes and when a witness testified that she was forced to swear to Satan that she would not call for help when Ramioez left from the scene.

Stabbing

Stabbing deaths account for a large number of homicide-related deaths yearly. Some statistics report that the number of deaths caused by stabbing is just below the number caused by gunshot wounds.

There are two types of injuries caused by sharp items. The first is the stab wound: A pointed object, such as a knife, is pushed through the skin causing injury to the victim. Little or no bruising is observed around the wound. The hilt of some knives may cause bruising. The bleeding associated with the stab wound is internal and little blood is observed at the crime scene. The injuries suffered are internal and to the different organs of the body.

The second is the cut wound: A sharp knife, or other object such as a razor blade, is dragged across the skin causing cuts to the surface of the skin. These injuries will bleed profusely and will only be as deep as the pressure that is applied. Therefore, the injury indicates the amount of force used to make the cut.

Cut wounds are closely related to defense wounds. Defense wounds are injuries suffered by the victim in an attempt to protect himself from the attack. Defense wounds are found on the palms of his hands and on his fingers from when our victim made an attempt to grab the knife. Fingers will be cut deeply causing a large amount of bleeding. When the knife is grabbed by the victim, the perpetrator will pull back with extreme force causing large wounds.

Defense wounds may also be located on the forearms, below the knees on the legs, and sometimes the feet as the victim kicks the assailant.

For suicides, stab and cut wounds are quite different. The victim will show signs of past attempts of suicide: old scars or semi-healed wounds from prior attempts. At the time of the suicide, a number of superficial wounds will be present. These wounds are referred to as hesitation wounds and are caused by the victim's attempts to cut himself.

Most suicide lacerations are horizontal. Even with self-inflicted stab wounds, the victim will have hesitation wounds from experimenting prior to the actual suicide. This is one of the ways of determining if a victim was killed by his own hands or those of another.

Some weapons used in stabbings are axes, scissors, forks, screwdrivers, razors, kitchen knives or ice picks. The following cases give an indication of how stab wounds and their attendent (or non-attendent) blood splatter and pooling assist the forensic detective in determing the method of death:

Example 1: A young couple are at home and are complaining about the lack of money to pay their bills. The argument starts in the living room, and proceeds to the bedroom where the wife attempts to take refuge. The husband forces his way into the bedroom by pushing the locked door open. The wife, fearing for her safety, picks up her knitting needles and strikes the husband until he is mortally wounded. The victim's body may show defense wounds on the hands and forearms. The body may also show signs of one or more stab wounds. All injuries to the victim will be pre-mortem. The blood splatter found at the scene will be consistent with the suspect's story and the blood will be contained in one room.

Example 2: Let's take our same young couple and add some complicating factors. The wife wants to leave the husband because she found a better lover, but she knows that if she gets a divorce, she will walk