Roger Depue

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Roger Depue is a 21-year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where he served as Unit Chief of the Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia. Following retirement from the FBI, Depue founded The Academy Group, Inc (AGI). Served on panel investigating the VA Tech shooting, and the handling of it by the University.[1] Spoke at length about the report at the press conference on August 30, 2007.

[edit] History

One of the pioneers of the FBI's Behavior Science Unit, Dr. Depue was first assigned there in 1974 as a Supervisory Special Agent. He served as an instructor and researcher until his promotion to the position of Chief of Behavioral Sciences in 1980, a post he held until his retirement from the FBI in 1989.

Regarding his work with violent predators, Dr. Depue says: "Understanding the fantasy is very important. Many times in crime scene you can see fantasy. Many times the criminals with intense fantasies will draw victimizations. In prison and criminological research you will find all kinds of drawings where the fantasy is still alive".^[1] This led him to coin the term “leakage”, which basically means that one's fantasies consciously or subconsciously tend to leak out.^[2] It also allows offender profilers obtain information on a criminal's motivation.

Roger's wife died of cervical cancer which caused him a great amount of despair and he joined a Seminary for a while. He later transformed his work into preventing crime rather than solving cases.

One of his most important contributions for ensuring justice for the victim was the cold case of Terri Brooks. She was an assistant manager at a Roy Rogers in Bucks County Pennsylvania. She was found brutally murdered with her head wrapped in a trash bag and a knife stuck in her back. A large amount of money was missing so the Detectives ruled it a robbery that went bad. Terri’s fiancé was interviewed once, but never asked hard questions.

Roger Depue became involved in this case several years later and the memory of it haunted him. Through case examination, advanced profiling techniques and an interview of the fiancé, Roger immediately named the fiancé James Keefe, suspect #1. The law enforcement officials at the time were complacent and did not follow up on Roger's finding. This caused him much angst as he was retired from official law enforcement.

It was not until years later that a Bucks County Detective Whitney reopened the case and with DNA evidence got a signed confession from the fiancé. Detective Whitney was able to tell Terri's father that they had solved the case, even though Mr. Brook's was on his deathbed it brought him great relief that his daughter's murderer was brought to justice 15 years after her death. Roger Depue views this case as one of his greatest achievements in his life.

Another case important to Roger Depue was that of James Joseph Richardson, even though Richardson was viewed as a victim of injustice, Roger Depue disagrees and makes a compelling argument why he was actually guilty of killing his seven children.

[edit] Sources and Further Reading

• Depue, Roger L. and Susan Schindehette, Between Good and Evil: Hunting Society's Most Violent Predators, Warner Books, 2005.
• Chasing the Dragon: A Conversation with the Academy Group. (Interview with Roger Depue), Millennium TV series Fox DVD documentary, 2004.

[edit] References