Necrophilia

Necrophilia refers to engaging in sexual intercourse with a corpse. This behavior has been referred to as a dangerous sex crime, regardless of the physical state of the victim before the act of necrophilia. The necrophile may mutilate a corpse before, during, and/or after the sexual encounter, or may simply sexually assault the corpse. In some instances, the perpetrator actually commits a murderous act and then performs an act of necrophilia upon the corpse. The necrophile is typically an individual who becomes sexually excited and aroused by viewing a dead body or simply going to a funeral home or cemetery, and who then needs or relies on the dead body to fulfill the sexual gratification.

Most individuals view the act of necrophilia as immoral and heinous, and the individual who performs an act of necrophilia as mentally deficient, having an abnormal and perverse sensuality. Although it is difficult for most people to accept that any individual could engage in this type of behavior without some type of mental abnormality, the behavior develops out of an erotic attraction to dead bodies emerging from the need to gain control by engaging with a partner who is unable to resist.

The typical necrophile is male and the typical victim is female, although a few female necrophiles, such as Karen Greenlee and Leilah Wendell, have been identified in recent years. Victims are generally viewed, by the necrophile, as substitutes for the women who have rejected him, so he resorts to corpses to stimulate and facilitate the act of masturbation. Sexual gratification, therefore, is [Page 778]achieved through the engagement of sexual activities with a dead body. Although many necrophiles can and do engage in consenting sexual relationships, many with spouses, the most desired and powerful sex is with a corpse.

Necrophilia as a sexual act is not a new phenomenon. Evidence indicates that ancient people, including Egyptian, Roman, and Greek men, practiced the act of necrophilia. For example, in ancient Egypt, precautions were taken to ensure that the corpses of the wives of men of rank were not violated by the embalmers. It is also known that government agencies attempted to thwart this activity by placing guards to protect the gravesites of royalty from grave robbers and sexual predators. In the late 20th century, necrophilia became more recognized in the United States and elsewhere, as stories of serial killers having sex with their dead victims became headline news.

The American public seems fascinated with stories of murder and sex. Indeed, the lives of Ted Bundy and Jeffery Dahmer became not only frontpage news, but also “movies of the week” on various cable movie networks. But these stories are not limited to the United States. Serial killers and necrophiles Dennis Nilson in London and Andrei Chikatilo in Russia, known as the “Rostov Ripper,” made headlines across the world. In 2006, police in New Delhi, India, identified Surendra Koli as a serial killer, with some labeling him a necrophilic predator.

Currently, there is no federal legislation barring the engagement of sex with a corpse. However, at least 17 states have enacted statutes making the act of necrophilia a crime. About half of the states have made the act of necrophilia a felony, carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

...