ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 4

Erotomania, Triangulation, and Homicide
Reid Meloy, J
University of California-San Diego, CA

(Received 26 May 1998; accepted 17 August 1998)

Abstract

A case of homicide by a 29-year-old male with erotomanic delusional disorder and various personality disorders is reported. Following a month of pursuit of a female stranger with whom he had briefly conversed in a local bar, he assaulted an automotive plant where she worked, delusionally believing that she was at imminent risk and needed to be rescued. One plant manager was killed and two police officers were wounded. The case illustrates the phenomenon of triangulation, where rage toward the rejecting object is displaced onto a third party, which is then perceived as impeding access to the victim and may be at risk for violent assault.

Keywords:
forensic science, forensic psychiatry, forensic psychology, erotomania, homicide, delusions, violence, psychosis, mental disorder, stalking

Paper ID: JFS14478J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS14478J
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