After returning to the Federal Building from the crime scene, Reid was already waiting impatiently outside the conference room. The moment he saw Danny, he immediately voiced his request.
"I need arrest records for gun violence and illegal firearm possession in all New York City boroughs over the past six months, excluding the areas where the shootings have already occurred."
Danny followed Reid into the conference room, staring at the heavily marked-up administrative map of New York City with a puzzled expression. "I don't understand what you mean."
"Based on what you observed at the crime scene, I believe the suspect is unlikely to commit these crimes near their place of residence," Reid explained confidently.
Danny, even more baffled, asked, "How can you be so sure?"
"It's a form of reverse geographic profiling," Emily interjected to clarify.
"Although we don't have many clues at the moment, we can confirm one thing: the killer has a certain degree of planning. They commit their crimes during the same time period each day, they've scouted the locations beforehand, and they're aware of the positions of surveillance cameras."
"So?" Danny, who had worked with Jack on many cases, was still struggling to follow the BAU's seemingly far-fetched, theory-driven approach to solving crimes.
Fortunately, Reid was used to working with "non-profilers" and took the initiative to explain. "Killers like the 'Son of Sam,' who are driven by specific psychological needs, often target areas where they feel comfortable.
"When we connect their crime locations on a map, we can outline their general comfort zone—this is standard geographic profiling.
"However, a methodical killer with other motives often ensures, consciously or not, that they operate outside their comfort zone."
"In other words, far from where they live?" Danny said, finally catching on as he studied the circles and lines Reid had drawn on the map.
"Exactly. But that also means any other part of the city could be a potential target," Emily murmured.
"Let's just hope they limit their activities to Manhattan," Rossi sighed. "If they're operating across all of New York City, it'll be like searching for a needle in a haystack."
By midday the next day, Hotchner gathered everyone in the conference room. "The five victims—a man in his sixties, an office worker, a housewife, an insurance salesman, and a backpacker visiting New York—have all been identified. Their backgrounds have been thoroughly investigated. There's no overlap, no common traits."
"So, aside from premeditating the crime scenes, the killer's choice of victims is entirely random? Or are these victims simply people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?" JJ asked.
Reid nodded. "That seems to be the case for now. Of course, we can't rule out the possibility of a planned target, similar to the 'DC Sniper,' where the killer used random attacks to conceal their true motive."
The "DC Sniper" case was infamous in the United States. Between February and October 2002, a series of sniper attacks on innocent people occurred from Washington, D.C., to Virginia, and Maryland.
There were 27 victims in total: 17 were killed, and 10 were seriously injured, including a 47-year-old FBI intelligence analyst.
This string of murders was dubbed the "Beltway Sniper Attacks" by the FBI, while the media referred to the perpetrators as the "DC Snipers."
The victims varied across age, gender, race, and religion. The attacks occurred both day and night, throwing an already traumatized post-9/11 America into further chaos.
Unlike other serial killings, this case had two perpetrators: 41-year-old John Muhammad and his 17-year-old accomplice, Lee Malvo. Both were African American.
Rossi's notes detailed their backgrounds extensively. John Muhammad, originally surnamed Williams, had changed his name out of admiration for a certain figure after 9/11.
Rossi had divided Muhammad's motives into two phases in his notes. The first phase, between February and September, was chaotic. Of the 14 victims during this period (7 killed, 7 injured), some were targeted out of personal vendettas, some were robbed, and some were simply killed to practice shooting and build courage, with Lee Malvo pulling the trigger under Muhammad's direction.
Once they had secured enough funds through robbery, Muhammad purchased an XM-15 rifle with holographic sights and a bipod, along with a 1990 blue Chevrolet Caprice.
This marked the beginning of the second phase: a true campaign of terror.
The pair modified the car by creating a shooting port in the rear bumper. Muhammad would drive while Malvo lay on the folded-down back seat, using the rifle, propped on a spare tire in the trunk, to shoot targets from 300-400 meters away.
(Diagram attached, likely drawn by FBI experts post-case.)
Due to their concealed method of attack and the long range, ordinary people had no chance of noticing the seemingly ordinary car parked hundreds of meters away. Despite their audacity, the pair initially left the FBI and police helpless.
It wasn't until Muhammad taunted the police by calling and pointing out an overlooked robbery case that they were finally identified. The FBI reexamined the robbery scene, confirmed ballistic matches, and found Muhammad's fingerprints on a magazine at the scene, leading to their identification and the issuance of a warrant.
Between October 2 and October 24, 2002, when the two were apprehended, they killed 10 more people and injured three others. Of the injured, two were struck in the torso and suffered severe organ damage due to the military-grade rifle's cavitation effects, requiring extensive surgeries.
Rossi's notes provided a detailed account of interviews with both Muhammad and Malvo, particularly Muhammad's statements before his execution by lethal injection.
In these interviews, Muhammad revealed that in the early phase, his true target had been his ex-wife. His goal was to make her death appear consistent with the random killings, thereby gaining custody of his three children.
Ironically, Muhammad's ex-wife was never harmed. His first targeted victim was actually her friend, who had encouraged her to divorce him. In a twist of fate, the friend's niece, Nakia, became an unintended victim during the attack.
With "Son of Sam" and "DC Sniper" now in discussion, the team sat around the table, some resting their chins in their hands, others holding their heads in frustration.
Random serial killings like these are the type of cases law enforcement dreads most. For the BAU, these are also the hardest to solve. The lack of early clues and an unclear motive make psychological profiling nearly impossible.
By the time enough evidence is gathered for accurate profiling and behavioral predictions, it often comes at the cost of a horrifying number of victims and a trail of bodies.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]