Which term specifically applies to the killing of four or more victims at a single location on one occasion?

• A. Serial murder
• B. Intimate partner violence
• C. Mass murder
• D. Stranger rape

Answer: (C)

Mass murder is the term for four or more people killed at a single location on one occasion. This definition sets it apart from serial murder, where a single killer takes multiple victims over a period of time with cooling-off intervals and usually in different places. Intimate partner violence describes violence by a current or former partner and isn’t defined by the number of victims in one event. Stranger rape refers to sexual assault by someone unknown to the victim and isn’t about killing. So, when the killings happen all at once in one place, the label that fits is mass murder.