How did Fox and Levin define multiple homicides?

• A. The slaying of four or more victims, simultaneously or sequentially, by one or a few individuals
• B. Two or more victims in a single incident
• C. Four or more victims in a single location
• D. Three or more victims across multiple incidents

Answer: (A)

Fox and Levin define multiple homicides as the slaying of four or more victims, simultaneously or sequentially, by one or a few individuals. This threshold is chosen to capture both mass murder situations (four or more killed at once in a single incident) and cases where the killings occur over time but by the same offender or a small group. It also keeps the category distinct from ordinary homicide, which involves fewer victims. The option that specifies two or more victims in a single incident is too broad and would lump together many cases that aren’t intended to be labeled multiple homicide. The choice that fixes the scene to a single location is too narrow, excluding killings that happen across different places or over time. The option with three or more across multiple incidents uses too low a victim count and would misclassify cases Fox and Levin would not categorize as multiple homicide.