“Long Island Serial Killer”
Dr. Barbara Kirwin was recently featured on the A&E program, “Long Island Serial Killer” on July 12th and 13th.
The show looked at the unfolding events behind the highly publicized serial killings along a deserted stretch of road in Suffolk County, Long Island. 10 bodies have been found; among them, four prostitutes who had advertised on CraigsList.
Families of the victims believe the serial killer is hiding in nearby, wealthy Oak Beach; its residents have kept mum.
Filmmaker Louise Osmond presented the plight of the women’s families – determined to lock up the killer – and also offered a perspective from the Oak Beach residents wishing this baffling case would wash away.
Long Island native and longtime forensic psychologist Dr. Kirwin spent hours walking the deserted stretch of Gilgo Beach where the bodies were discovered. Dr. Kirwin has commented on numerous news programs trying to help the media make sense of the case and the significant elements that drive a serial killer to prey on his/her victims.
Dr. Kirwin is a renowned expert on serial killers stemming from the 1995 Joel Rifkin case – another Long Island-based serial killer – examining him for 56 hours in a 5x7 room before testifying for the defense that Rifkin was insane when he strangled 17 prostitutes to death.
A “myth buster” when it comes to profiling serial killers, Dr. Kirwin finds that there is often more fiction than fact when it comes to understanding the motive behind the crimes. According to the FBI, such misinformation can impede actual investigations, causing people to hunt for Dexter-like killers when more often that not, the murderer is the unassuming guy next door.
Check your local listings for repeat airings of “Long Island Serial Killer”.
New Services Offered
Dr. Kirwin has expanded her court-mandated programs in Anger Management, Battering and Domestic Abuse to include the Duluth Model, developed in Duluth, Minnesota, which is aimed at reducing domestic violence against women.
It is the first multi-disciplinary program designed to address the issue of domestic violence. The program has become a model for programs in many jurisdictions, including New York and California, where Dr. Kirwin currently provides court-mandated interventions.
A US study published in 2002 sponsored by the federal government found that batterers who complete programs based on the "Duluth Model," are less likely to repeat acts of domestic violence than those who do not complete any batterers intervention program.
Mad, the Bad, and the Innocent, The: The Criminal Mind on Trial - Tales of a Forensic Psychologist [Hardcover]
List Price: $35.00
