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A review by angus_mckeogh
Journey Into Darkness by John E. Douglas
3.0
Readable. The psychology of murder. A whole new set of cases about murderers and rapists, or a combination of both. As with most of the “soft” sciences there are some foibles. Douglas consults on one case in Toronto and insists the perpetrator is a specific type and the police pursue this lead. They arrest and jail the guy. Years later he’s exonerated by the DNA evidence as technology progresses, but Douglas insists he still believes the guy is guilty and imagines there’s just an error in the DNA evidence. Hmmmm. Not likely.
He also consults on another series of rapes and murders of white women, and despite being told by surviving witnesses that it was a black perpetrator, Douglas insists that the profile supports a white rapist/murderer, because 1) black perpetrators aren’t thought to mutilate or sexually assault women with objects like white guys and 2) the victims are white, so murderers stick with their own race. Hmmmm. You need to be open to changes in your hypothesis as a scientist or the possibility that they are wrong. (i.e. not all serial killers are bedwetters). As with Mindhunter this was a fascinating read but there are certainly variables that need to be adjusted or reconsidered.
There was a short piece at the end about the behavioral profile of the murderer in the Nicole Brown trial. Needless to say, there was all the physical evidence which pointed to O.J.’s guilt; Douglas makes the case that all the behavioral evidence does as well, and outlines why the “conspiracy of racism” theory of the LAPD against O.J. is not supported by the behavioral evidence. It was eye opening. As well as additional physical evidence implicating O.J. that I’d never heard before and wasn’t included in the trial. Overall an interesting read.
He also consults on another series of rapes and murders of white women, and despite being told by surviving witnesses that it was a black perpetrator, Douglas insists that the profile supports a white rapist/murderer, because 1) black perpetrators aren’t thought to mutilate or sexually assault women with objects like white guys and 2) the victims are white, so murderers stick with their own race. Hmmmm. You need to be open to changes in your hypothesis as a scientist or the possibility that they are wrong. (i.e. not all serial killers are bedwetters). As with Mindhunter this was a fascinating read but there are certainly variables that need to be adjusted or reconsidered.
There was a short piece at the end about the behavioral profile of the murderer in the Nicole Brown trial. Needless to say, there was all the physical evidence which pointed to O.J.’s guilt; Douglas makes the case that all the behavioral evidence does as well, and outlines why the “conspiracy of racism” theory of the LAPD against O.J. is not supported by the behavioral evidence. It was eye opening. As well as additional physical evidence implicating O.J. that I’d never heard before and wasn’t included in the trial. Overall an interesting read.