Citation

Ferreira LB, Iglesias F, Verde MAS. J. Crime Crim. Behav. 2023; 3(1): 101-120.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Academic Research Foundations (ARF))

DOI

10.47509/JCCB.2023.v03i01.06

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

When killing includes extreme brutalities, sometimes called extralethal violence, it usually carries a social function that goes beyond that of a "mere" execution. In this research were present the analysis of a filmed triple homicide that was committed and deliberately spread through social networks by members of an organized crime group in northeastern Brazil. Content analyses of seven amateur videos showed that the tortures, murders, and beheading were producing a type of criminal propaganda. Apparently, the perpetrators acted in accordance with criminal social norms, without any reluctance to commit the killings. Remarkably, one of the criminals ordered the deaths from inside a prison by phone. Feelings of belonging to the criminal organization, deindividuation, obedience to the leader, dehumanization, and repulsion towards members of rival criminal groups, are discussed as a basic dynamic of this type of extreme violence.

Language: en