The Norms of Necrophilia

Necrophilia is defined as having sexual attraction towards or a sexual act that which involves corpses. It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic manual, as well as by the American Psychiatric Association^[2] in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).

Necrophilia where nekros means corpse; and philia means love is a paraphilia or fantasies where the offender gets sexually aroused or attains sexual pleasure from performing sexual acts with a dead body (corpses). This phenomenon has many names, “as it is also known as necrophilism, necrolagnia, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia, it may be seen by itself or in association with a number of other paraphilias, namely sadism, cannibalism, vampirism (the practice of drinking blood from a person or animal), necrophagia (eating the flesh of the dead), necropedophilia (sexual attraction to the corpses of children), and necrozoophilia (sexual attraction to the corpses of or killing of animals – also known as necrobestiality). Very often the corpses that are used for sexual purposes are not fresh, but rather dug up from graves in a putrefied or mummified condition. Some prefer just bones. Necrophagists actually feed on decaying dead bodies to get sexual pleasure. These are different from cannibals, who prefer fresh meat or who consume dead loved ones for spiritual purposes. A vast spectrum of necrophagists is seen, from those who merely want to lick the genitals or breasts of a dead person, to persons who just want to devour specific parts, to necrophiles who would eat a whole body. Necrophilia is mostly seen in males. It is possible for a necrophile to have normal sexual relations with living beings.”[1]

In this article, we will be understanding what “Necrophilia” means and we will be explaining cases associated with necrophilia.  We will be looking at the concept on psychological, social and legal perspectives. “There have been cases which were distinguished as genuine necrophilia from pseudonecrophilia and classified as true necrophilia into types, they are: necrophilic homicide, “regular” necrophilia, and necrophilic fantasy. Neither psychosis, mental retardation, nor sadism appears to be inherent in necrophilia. The most common motive for necrophilia is possession of an unresisting and unrejecting partner. Necrophiles often choose occupations that put them in contact with corpses. Some necrophiles who had occupational access to corpses committed homicide nevertheless.”[2]

In dictionary terms, Necrophiliac is simply defined as someone who is sexually excited or attracted to dead bodies.[3] Various terms for the crime of corpse-violation animate sixteenth- through nineteenth-century works on law and legal medicine.[4] The plural term “nécrophiles” was coined by Belgian physician Joseph Guislain in his lecture series, Leçons Orales Sur Les Phrénopathies, given around 1850, about the contemporary necrophiliac François Bertrand.[5] Psychiatrist Bénédict Morel popularized the term about a decade later when discussing Bertrand.[6] Necrophilia is often assumed to be rare, but no data for its prevalence in the general population exists.[7]Some necrophiliacs only fantasise about the act, without carrying it out.[8] In 1958, Klaf and Brown commented that, although rarely described, necrophiliac fantasies may occur more often than is generally supposed.[9]

When it comes to legality of the crime in United States of America, there are no specific legislations. However, it would still be seen as acts of aggression and as such ever state have their own laws. We will be listing few state laws below:[10]

Case Studies:

1. Jeffrey Dahmer: “Jeffrey Dahmer (1960–1994) was one of the most notorious American serial killers, sex offenders, and necrophiliacs. His fascination with death was present from childhood, during which he reportedly owned a collection of various animal bones. In 1978, Dahmer killed the first of seventeen victims, later admitting to engaging in sexual acts with his victim’s post-mortem, as well as cannibalism.” [14]
2. Ted Bundy: “Ted Bundy (1946–1989) was an American serial killer who raped and murdered at least 30 young women during the 1970s. He also confessed to participating in necrophilic acts, claiming to have chosen secluded disposal sites for his victims’ bodies specifically for post-mortem sexual intercourse.”[15]
3. Karen Greenlee: “Karen Greenlee (born 1956) is a necrophilic criminal who was convicted of stealing a 1975 Cadillac hearse at a funeral and having sex with the corpse inside of it. She worked as an apprentice embalmer in Sacramento, California. On 17 December 1979, she stole the hearse along with the body of a 33-year-old man that was inside. She was sentenced to pay a $255 fine and 11 days in prison. In 1987, Greenlee gave a detailed interview called “The Unrepentant Necrophile” for Jim Morton’s (edited by Adam Parafrey) book Apocalypse Culture. In this interview, she stated that she had a preference for younger men and was attracted to the smell of blood and death. She considered necrophilia an addiction. The interview was held in her apartment, which was apparently a small studio filled with books, necrophilic drawings, and satanic adornments. She also had written a confession letter in which she claimed to have abused 20–40 male corpses.” [16]
4. Dennis Nilsen: “Dennis Nilsen (1945–2018) was a Scottish serial killer and necrophiliac who murdered twelve young men between 1978 and 1983. Following the death of his grandfather and his mother’s explanation that the dead are in a “better place,” Nilsen developed an association between death and intimacy, later finding posing as a corpse a source of sexual arousal. In 1978, Nilsen committed his first murder and enjoyed intercourse with the victim’s corpse, keeping the body for months before disposal. Nilsen was reported to have sexually abused the corpses of various victims until his arrest.” [17] 

[1] Necrophilia, Anil Aggrawal, in Encyclopedia of Forensic and Legal Medicine (Second Edition), 2016. Retrieved From: Necrophilia - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

[2] Sexual attraction to corpses: a psychiatric review of necrophilia - PubMed (nih.gov)

[3] Necrophiliac Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

[4] Janssen, Diederik F. (June 2020). "Medico-Forensic Pre-Histories of Sexual Perversion: The Case of Necrophilia (c. 1500–c. 1850)". Forensic Science International: Mind and Law. 1: 100025. doi:10.1016/j.fsiml.2020.100025.

[5] Aggrawal, Anil (19 April 2016). Necrophilia: Forensic and Medico-legal Aspects. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4200-8913-4.

[6] Goodwin, Robin; Cranmer, Duncan, eds. (2002). Inappropriate Relationships: The Unconventional, the Disapproved, and the Forbidden. London, England: Psychology Press. pp. 174–176. ISBN 978-0805837421.

[7] Milner, J. S., Dopke, C. A., & Crouch, J. L. (2008). "Paraphilia Not Otherwise Specified: Psychopathology and Theory". In Laws, D. Richard (ed.). Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment, 2nd edition. The Guilford Press. p. 399.

[8] Rosman, J. P.; Resnick, P. J. (1 June 1989). "Sexual attraction to corpses: A psychiatric review of necrophilia" (PDF/HTML). Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Bloomfield, Connecticut: American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. 

[9] Klaf, Franklin S.; Brown, William (1958). "Necrophilia: Brief Review and Case Report". Psychiatric Quarterly. 32 (4): 645–652. doi:10.1007/bf01563024. PMID 13634264. S2CID 7331296. Inhibited forms of necrophilia and necrophiliac fantasies may occur more commonly then is generally realised.

[10] These lists was retrieved from: Necrophilia - Wikipedia

[11] Section 13A-11-13 (archive.org)

[12] CA Codes (hsc:7050.5-7055) (archive.org)

[13] Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine (archive.org)

[14] Necrophilia - Wikipedia

[15] Molinari, Christina (August 2005). "NECROPHILIC AND NECROPHAGIC SERIAL KILLERS" (PDF). Florida Gulf Coast University Thesis: 59–60. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2019. 

[16] Necrophilia - Wikipedia

[17] Ibid.