Psiquiatria

Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine 18 (2011) 280e284

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Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jflm

Case report

A case report of necrophilia e A psychopathological view
S.S.T. Boureghda MSc Psychologist *, W. Retz PhD Assistant Professor, F. Philipp-Wiegmann Dipl. Psych.,
Psychologist, M. Rösler PhDDirector of the Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Professor of Psychiatry
Saarland University Hospital, Neurocenter e Institute for Forensic Pychology and Psychiatry, 66421 Homburg/Saar, Germany

article info

abstract

Article history:
Received 23 December 2010
Received in revised form
21 February 2011
Accepted 20 April 2011
Available online 23 May 2011

This paper presents thecase of a 40-year-old German man who was convicted for disturbing the dead. He
performed heterosexual necrophilic acts over the course of two decades. The most recent case was well
documented by the necrophiliac himself by means of photography and video. His actions ranged from
visiting cemeteries to dissecting bodies and taking the body parts home with him for sexual purposes.
Theperpetrator displayed no signs of other psychiatric illnesses. The case is discussed in light of the
currently available literature.
Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Keywords:
Necrophilia
Case report
Psychopathology
Paraphilia

1. Introduction
Necrophilia, or the sexual relation and attraction to corpses, is
one of the rarest and mostextraordinary sexual disorders found in
the legal field. It is classified in the DSM-IV-TR as a paraphilia not
otherwise specified.1 The disorder is considered rare. However, this
conclusion is drawn on the fact that there is little information
available on the subject and no information present on the frequency of undetected necrophilia.2 Necrophilia enjoyed its first
scientific detailed description inKrafft-Ebings’ Psychophopathia
sexualis.3 Krafft-Ebbing described necrophilia as a type of sexual
sadism, arguing that the origins of the disorder were not understood.
A thorough review and overview of literature on necrophilia of the
decennia following the work of Krafft-Ebbing is presented by Burg.2
Several authors have attempted to classify various types of
necrophilic activity. The mostrecent were described by Rosman and
Resnick,4 and Aggrawal.5 Rosman and Resnick proposed 2 subgroups
based on their review of 122 cases of necrophilia: (i) genuine
necrophilia and (ii) pseudonecrophilia. Genuine necrophilia is
present in those who have a persistent sexual attraction to corpses.
This type of necrophilia may manifest itself in the fantasies of
a person or in the form ofnecrophilic acts. Most of the genuine
necrophiles are argued to fit the DSM-IV diagnosis paraphilia not
otherwise specified1. Rosman and Resnick distinguish 3 subgroups
within the genuine necrophilia typology based upon the nature of
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ49 (0) 6841 1626350; fax: þ49 (0) 6841 1626335.
E-mail address: sboureghda@gmail.com (S.S.T. Boureghda).

the act: (1) Necrophilichomicide, (2) regular necrophilia, and (3)
necrophilic fantasy. Necrophilic homicide is defined by the act of
murder to obtain a corpse for sexual purposes. A recent study
analyzed 16 sexual-homicide cases in which necrophilic activity was
present.6 They found this case of homicide to be the least common
type, constituting of less than 1% of all homicides. However, none of
their subjects killedwith the goal of obtaining a corpse, which
excludes them from the necrophilic homicide group. They would
find a better fit under the later described pseudonecrophilia
typology. Regular necrophilia is found in those who use pre-existing
dead bodies for sexual purposes. Necrophilic fantasy is described as
the act of fantasizing about sexual actions with dead bodies with the
absence of any real...