Signature crime

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Signature crime is when a criminal shows patterns that come from a psychological need, not just how the crime is done. These signature aspects, also called signature behaviors or characteristics, stay pretty much the same across offences. This is different from the modus operandi (MO), which is the practical way of committing the crime and can change.

Examples include a Michigan bank robber who made tellers undress so he could photograph them, and a rape case where the attacker forced the husband to return home to be humiliated. The 1898 Gatton murders also had signature aspects, with the bodies rearranged so their legs crossed and feet pointed west. Ted Bundy used a complex set of signature behaviors as well.