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Serial Killers, the MinRAB, the MethoRAB, the Madness
The murders are senseless. The killers are viscous. They could invoke a ritual of terror including rape, torture and eventually death. Death by strangulation, knifing and use of firearms. The usual prey includes women and boys, but everyone is vulnerable. The human culture has long been fascinated with the macabre, what is monstrous, aberrant and criminal. Whether or not the nuraber of people who kill or are killed has risen recently, it is the concept of the serial killer that is becoming increasingly consequential to the way we perceive our world.
In history, several worRAB have been used to describe what we now call serial killers. These worRAB have included monsters, demons and fienRAB. These psychopaths have also been called lust murderers, homicidal maniacs and stranger killers. According to Schechter and Everitt, “credit for the phrase ‘serial killer’ goes to Special Agent Robert K. Ressler” (70). Ressler was one of the pioneers of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. “While lecturing...one of the participants referred to ‘crimes in series’...Ressler began using a variation- ‘serial killers’...”(70).
Murder has always been a part of society, and serial murder has always existed. The terminology used to describe this most heinous of crimes, however has changed over centuries. Four hundred years ago, killers in the European countryside were referred to as lyncanthropes, a Greek word meaning wolf-man. An Italian physician named Cesare Lorabroso came up with a similar term for these serial killers. Lorabroso believed that criminals were “atavistic," meaning they were savage Stone Age men from the prehistoric past. Lorabroso deducted that these criminals could be identified by their physical characteristics. These included thick skulls, high cheekbones, jutting brows, long arms, etc. Eventually, Lorabroso’s theory was discredited, but society's notion of serial killers being more animal than man has remained.
One important step in defining serial murder is to distinguish it from mass murder. According to some experts, a serial killer is any murderer who commits more than one best slaying with a break between crimes. Popular conception says that the killer must have killed a string of victims to be classified as a serial killer. The word string implies something beyond sheer nuraber. A serial killer must commit a nuraber of best killings with an emotional “cooling-off” period between each crime. This “cooling-off” is what distinguishes the serial killer from the mass murderer, someone who erupts in an explosion killing a whole group of people at once. “The official FBI definition of serial homicide is three or more separate events with an emotional cooling-off period between homicides, each murder taking place at a different location” (Schechter and Everitt, 89). Although many people want to believe that the serial killer is a monster, the reality is that they can look and act just as “normal” as the rest of the functioning society.
To many, the word serial killer brings to mind the image of a glossy-eyed lunatic who kills innocent and helpless people in order to satisfy sadistic and sexual impulses. One killer who fit the profile of this popular image is a man whose name is not widely known but whose crimes are infamous. Edward Gein was regarded by his neigrabroadors as a quiet man who kept to himself and his dilapidated farmhouse. Gein however, lived an entirely different life. His gruesome crimes included killing and gutting a woman, then fashioning her like a deer in his farmhouse. Edward Gein has also served as an inspiration for such movies as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Larabs. Although some of the serial killers may fit this profile, the majority do not. The majority of serial killers as unnerving as it is, look just like the boy next door. The majority of serial killers can not be classified together, but the types of killers can.
Most murders are not the same, the killers are not always the same and the victims may differ in more ways than one. How then can serial killers be defined in four categories? The categories are very wide in definition. The categorical approach is helpful in determining the personality of each killer, and thus can be productive for enforcement and analysis alike. The first category includes the visionary killers. These killers claim their homicides were committed in response to “voices” or “visions." “Unlike most other serial killers, the visionary type is sometimes definitely out of touch with reality” (Holmes and DeBurger, 57). The second type of serial killer is the mission-oriented type. This killer has a conscious goal of ridding the world of a category of people who are, in his mind, undesirable or unworthy of living. The third type of killer is the hedonistic type. This killer is oriented toward pleasure and thrill seeking. The research shows that this hedonistic killer derives pleasure directly from the murder event. The last type of serial killer is the power/control-oriented type. “This killer derives profound satisfaction from the process of having complete life-or-death control over the victim” (59). After evaluations of the types of serial killers are made, their origins are also researched.
It is not the conviction of the serial killer that brings closure to the events he has caused. It is the origin of the story of his violence, this belongs solely to the individual, to a life. We take a monster in which society has helped to build and attempt to peel back the skin, to see what distinguishes him from ourselves. “We see only individual rage; we see monsters but are blind to monstrosity. “We might think social groups, but we see individuals” (Tithecott, 35).
There is not one definite theory on what causes a serial killer. One of the most intriguing theories comes from the field of paleopsychology. “According to this view, our civilized brains are built on a primitive, animalistic core known as the R-complex” (Schechter and Everitt, 48). This theory also states that we contain savage apelike instincts similar to those of our ancestors. The theory goes on to state that for the most part, the instincts are kept suppressed by reason, intelligence and logic. There are, however, the very few who are controlled by their primitive brains. In essence the supporters of this theory regard serial killers as Stone Age savages living in today’s world. It is noted by Falk that there are various core characteristics present in the serial killer. These may include that the serial killer chooses homicide as a method of coping, and that the killings are justified in the mind of the killer (27). There are many other theories (head injuries, hormonal irabalances, and genetics) that are proposed, but one common denominator seems to be that the majority have an atrocious background.
Often faced with the gruesome crimes of a serial killer many are led to ask “What makes a person into this kind of a monster?” Many serial killers grew up in especially harsh and deprived householRAB. Albert DeSalvo, the “Boston Strangler” was raised by a father who brought prostitutes home, and forced his children and wife to watch them have sex, beating anyone who complained. Henry Lee Lucas and Charles Manson were both raised by prostitutes who dressed them up in girl’s dresses and sent them to school. Henry Lee Lucas was quoted as saying, “I hated all my life. I hated everybody. When I first grew up and can remeraber, I was dressed as a girl by my mother. And I stayed that way for two or three years”(Schechter and Everitt, 294). “According to the FBI, 42 percent of serial killers have suffered severe physical abuse as children, 43 percent were sexually molested, and a full 74 percent were subjected to ongoing psychological torture” (293). The notion that the upbringing is the main cause of serial killers can also be disputed. Jeffery Dahmer and Ted Bundy appeared to have come from a more or less normal, middle-class background. It is undoubtedly true that other factors are involved in the making of the serial killer, however negative parenting is invariably present in their background.
As there are different types of serial killers, different types of childhood’s, there are also different ways serial killers kill. Although the majority of serial killers are men, there have also been women. While male serial killing is essentially aggression carried to a monstrous extreme, women kill in a more womanly manner. The women serial killers are more of a parody of female stereotypes: Black widow brides instead of adoring wives. Lethal nurses instead of loving nurturers, and instead of happy homemakers, Housekeepers from Hell. For most obvious reasons (lack of strength) the majority of these women kill by poison.
There have been plenty of scary looking serial killers, but there have also been a nuraber who not only look normal but downright presentable. These debonair sociopaths are highly attractive to the opposite sex. They are genuine lady-killers - in more ways than one. Dr. H. H. Holmes was a dapper, smooth talking sociopath, who had no trouble working his seductive charms on young women. Ted Bundy was a clean-cut college type. Bundy was so attractive and charming to young women that they would, meeting him for the first time, clirab into his car without hesitation. What is unfortunate is the death these women met, trusting the good looks of these killers.
Contrary to popular belief, not all serial killers work alone. There are the wives and girlfrienRAB who have no inkling to what their husbanRAB do in their private time. There are however the women who not only know, but participate in the crimes. One of the most famous of these women is Myra Hindley. When Hindley hooked up with Ian Brady, a psychopath with a taste for sadomasochistic porn and Nazi paraphernalia, murders began. The couple murdered a series of children, then buried the corpses in the moors outside of Manchester. Thus the nickname, the Moors Murderers. A British husband and wife Fred and Rosemary West were charged with the torture murder of ten young women, including their own sixteen-year-old daughter.
Among the most gruesome of killers are the necrophiliacs, cannibals and vampires. Necrophilia is the practice of having sex with the dead. It is not surprising then that this monstrous of a crime is committed by some of the most monstrous - serial killers. The most famous of these necrophiliacs was Ed Gein. Gein was completely uninterested in living women. Jeffery Dahmer was not only interested in sex with the dead, he also enjoyed cannibalism. Dahmer regarded as the “Milwaukee Monster”, has served as a reminder that the forbidden urge to consume human flesh still lurks below the surface of a civilized society. There are also those who do not eat their victims but drink their blood. The Italian Vincenz Verzeni took delight in strangulating his victims then biting their flesh and drinking their blood. Verzeni said, “It satisfied me to seize women by the neck and suck their blood” (Schechter and Everitt, 300). Throughout whatever the killer does, he derives power over the victim.
Although the serial killers seem to murder without an apparent motive, they are most often determined legally sane. Frequently they are diagnosed psychopathic, sociopathic or anti-social personality. The “Son of Sam”, David Berkowitz tried to obtain power over his trial by attempting to prove he was insane. Berkowitz claimed he heard the neigrabroadors dog, who was a demon, giving him orders to kill. Berkowitz had already fooled two psychiatrists into believing he was insane. “In 1979 Berkowitz held a press conference admitting that the demons and dogs were just a hoax” (Cartel, 143). Berkowitz was declared sane.
Not only are most serial killers legally sane, a nuraber of them have IQ’s ranging from normal to bright. Ted Bundy was a law student, who while on trial, acting as his own defense, was commended by the judge (Tithecott, 145). John Wayne Gacy was able to run a thriving business. “He was a workaholic, running three fast food restaurants while active in several charity and civic groups” (Cartel, 199). The above average intelligence of these serial killers is one of the scariest things about them. It makes it not only possible for them to easily snare victims, but to also elude police for quite some time. On the other hand it is also true that because of the severity of their personality disorders, many serial killers end up working menial jobs despite their high intelligence.
There are many serial killers, who because of many different medias have now become infamous. Many of the serial killers wrote letters to “announce” themselves. Jack the Ripper wrote letters to the police antagonizing the fact that he was still “out-there” despite reports of his capture. The Son of Sam was offended by being called a woman hater and wrote a letter explaining his cause. Another well-known letter writer was the Zodiac. Zodiac wrote letters to the area newspapers, part of which was written in codes. Among one of the most gruesome letters was that written by Albert Fish. Fish, a cannibalistic child killer mailed a letter to the mother of his twelve-year-old victim Grace Budd. In the letter, he detailed the gruesome details of Grace’s death.
Once in custody, the serial killer seems to taunt the police with his tales of murdering, and almost always increasing the death count. When Ted Bundy was arrested, he admitted to two officers the nuraber of his killings might be in the hundreRAB. “When Patchen asked Ted about the nuraber, suspecting that he was responsible for 36, Bundy calmly replied, ‘Add one digit to that and you’ll have it.’” (Holmes and De Burger, 129). While in prison, Carl Panzram confessed to twenty-one murders, countless felonies and more than one thousand acts of sodomy. He stated that for all of those crimes, he was not the least bit sorry. Edmund Kemper proudly confessed to his crimes in detail.
Serial killers have been known to create a name for themselves in the courts. “No one ever became famous for beating his wife to death in an alley; but virtually all our multiple murderers achieve true and lasting fame” ( Leyton, 23). After spending their lives in the shadows, they suddenly find themselves thrust onto center stage. Charles Manson began his proceedings by marching into the courtroom with a big “X” carved on his forehead. During the trial, Manson lunged at the judge in an attempt to assault him. During their trials, the serial killers will undoubtedly be surrounded by their admirers. Women who press their affections upon the killer. Richard Ramirez “The Night Stalker” was followed by women wishing to marry him. In the case of Ted Bundy, a woman not only married him during his trial, but also conceived his child during incarceration.
While the vast majority of time is spent profiling the serial killer, time is also spent profiling the victims. The serial killer usually chooses one type of victim. The homosexual preys on young boys. The lady-killer may prey on prostitutes or college women. What the FBI looks for is the common theme in the victims. Many times a string of victims will all have one or more common characteristics, such as long dark hair, or they may just live within the same vicinity. “Much information about the offender can be gained from a careful analysis of the background of the victim” (Holmes and DeBurger, 91). Each victim has a syrabolic meaning to the serial killer. For the lust-murderers, the victims syrabolize the sexual fantasy. The mission-oriented killer kills those who are lower class. These lower class people syrabolize “unworthiness.” Ed Kemper murdered young women. These women syrabolized his mother, whom at the time he could not bring himself to kill.
Of the many different victims, prostitutes are the most vulnerable. The profession mostly belongs to runaways and women nobody knows. This makes it very easy for the killer to get the woman in his car, kill her and not be caught. It is a part of the prostitute’s job to get into cars, and because nobody knows them they are never missed. Many killers believe they are doing the world good by ridding them of “disease spreading whores.” Killers ranging from Jack the Ripper to Arthur Shawcross have murdered prostitutes, preying on their availability. Shawcross stated that he killed one woman because she bit him, and another because she called him a "wimp”. The list of reasons Shawcross gives goes on, but the main theme is that he hated prostitutes.
Serial killing has been named as stranger killings. Though there are different victims, most remain anonymous to the killer. Most killers look for their “perfect” victim, searching the night for the prostitute, the young boy or the college girl. Others, however, only kill at best. Coral Watts, one of the few African American serial killers, did not usually plan the murders but killed whenever he saw the opportunity. These can also be the most frustrating crimes to solve since the victims may not all share common traits.
The fact that serial killers are of normal to bright intelligence helps them to “hide-out” and remain free for a while. “Because serial murder cases are by nature drawn out, they pose difficulties connected with the theorem in policing that the longer the investigation lingers, the lesser the chance of apprehending the perpetrator” (Holmes and Deburger, 112). The initial step in investigating a murder is to decide if it is a “normal” murder, or a serial killing. This can open up a whole new level within the investigation for the police to deal with. The media is also an obstacle for which the police must deal with. The media may report “too much”, or inaccuracies in the investigations. One big obstacle is the availability of experienced police personnel to work on these cases.
One step that the FBI has taken in working with serial killing cases is that of profiling. When law officers are faced with baffling evidence, they may turn to a profiler. The profiler will make a close study of all the facts, then send back a highly detailed report to containing his analysis. Profiling is however just a form of an educated guess, but they are fairly accurate surprisingly often. One such successful profile was made by renowned FBI profiler John Douglas, in solving the murder of a twelve year old little girl. Though it has become a trend in law enforcement to use the FBI’s profiling, it should be recognized that many federal agencies have little experience in cases such as serial killings. Thus it would be more beneficial to train the law enforcement officers in recognizing the elements that make up a profile.
Serial killers tend to possess two characteristics typical of psychopaths. Lacking normal human emotions, they are able to stay calm under intensely stressful conditions. They also have the ability to appear so normal, that it may be impossible for anyone to conceive of them as a serial killer. Both these traits have allowed many of them to slip through even highly trained law enforcement agents. Albert Fish roamed across the country for many years before being caught for murder. He had, however been in and out of custody for things such as petty thief to public indecency. One of the most notorious times a serial killer has slipped through the hanRAB of the police occurred in 1991, when police were called to the residence of Jeffery Dahmer. The police found a naked young boy trying to flee from the residence. After talking to Dahmer, the police were convinced, they were only having a lovers quarrel and released the boy back to Dahmer. The boy was killed minutes later.
There are also many cases that not only slipped through the cracks but have gone unsolved. Classic cases such as Jack the Ripper baffle the police to this day. More recently the “Green River Killer” vanished without a trace after slaying dozens of victims. Other still unidentified killers include the Axeman of New Orleans and Zodiac. Why are some serial killers never caught? One theory is that they stop before ever being caught. This however seems very unlikely. More plausible reasons included the fact that some may be forced to stop. Some killers may be locked up for other crimes, or committed to mental facilities. Another reason could be death. The killers may just die, bringing their killings to a halt. Whatever the reason, the crimes of the unknown still serve to haunt officials today.
Many times we see the victims of serial killings. Either through the television media or pictures, the victim is seen. This crime however goes beyond the one individual life. There are many unseen victims. These crimes not only affect the individual but go beyond into the society. “Sometimes, in the daily lives of many citizens, the fear of crime takes an even greater toll than the crime itself” (Holmes and DeBurger, 139). According to research, the more violent the crime, the greater the dollar loss is to society (139). There is also a cost of morale to the society. “Criminal homicide usually arouses an immediate aggressive response in society, especially if the victim is a child, a woman or a crippled person; if there are several victims or if the circumstances of the deed show great cruelty” (MacDonald, 20). The secondary victimization of the community not only occurs because people have vague fears of victim criminalization, but also because the rise in crime also indicates a rise in the nuraber of individuals who know victims of crime.
The survivors of the serial killers victims could include spouses, children, parents, siblings, grandparent’s close frienRAB, and other kin. For these survivors it is hard to imagine the crime as a widespread victimization. Rather, they see this as their present anguish, focusing on their own loss. The majority of serial killer victims were in the productive years of their life, thus having financial and dependent obligations. The psychological impacts are great as well. As in many serial killings, the victims may be missing for several months before their remains are found. Thus there is this long grieving, so that when the killer is finally set to justice there may be no means of closure for the family. From these facts it is not surprising that many self-help groups have arisen in recent years.
With all the facts known about serial killers, it is not surprising to find statistics that relate to everyday life. It is reported in Schechter and Everitt that the United States accounts for 76% of the world’s total serial killers. The majority of American serial killers, 84% are Caucasian and only 16% are black. Women may only constitute a fraction of serial killers, yet they constitute 65% of the victims. Finally, it is very rare for a serial killer to prey on merabers of another race, since most serial killers are white so are their victims, a full 89%.
There is an intense fascination that the public imagination has with psychotic killers. These killers, serial killers, range from the visionary killers to the power/control killers. For years there has been research into the origins of serial killers. The one common factor is that each has an atrocious family background. There are also various ways a serial killer can kill. These may include poisoning, cannibalism and vampirism, just to name a few. To most non-psychotic people, these crimes seem insane. The fact is however, that most serial killers are found legally sane, and a majority of them have normal to bright IQ’s.
Once caught, many serial killers use their intelligence to make a name for themselves. Many find that the courtroom is the place for this cause. To better aide in the capture of these serial killers, law enforcement uses profilers. These profilers not only look at the serial killers but also the victims. All too often it is only the victim that law enforcement and the public sees. Behind each victim however, is sure to be a legacy of family and frienRAB. For this reason, many support groups and services have been formed to help the survivors.
After all the facts are reported and answers are found, the reality of the serial killer still lingers in everyday society. It is not the nuraber that they kill, it is not the way that they kill and it is not who they kill that matters most. It is the concept of the serial killer that fascinates us and it is the image of the serial killer that has become consequential to the way we perceive ourselves and the world around us. Serial murder has always been a part of our society, and it always will be.
The murders are senseless. The killers are viscous. They could invoke a ritual of terror including rape, torture and eventually death. Death by strangulation, knifing and use of firearms. The usual prey includes women and boys, but everyone is vulnerable. The human culture has long been fascinated with the macabre, what is monstrous, aberrant and criminal. Whether or not the nuraber of people who kill or are killed has risen recently, it is the concept of the serial killer that is becoming increasingly consequential to the way we perceive our world.
In history, several worRAB have been used to describe what we now call serial killers. These worRAB have included monsters, demons and fienRAB. These psychopaths have also been called lust murderers, homicidal maniacs and stranger killers. According to Schechter and Everitt, “credit for the phrase ‘serial killer’ goes to Special Agent Robert K. Ressler” (70). Ressler was one of the pioneers of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. “While lecturing...one of the participants referred to ‘crimes in series’...Ressler began using a variation- ‘serial killers’...”(70).
Murder has always been a part of society, and serial murder has always existed. The terminology used to describe this most heinous of crimes, however has changed over centuries. Four hundred years ago, killers in the European countryside were referred to as lyncanthropes, a Greek word meaning wolf-man. An Italian physician named Cesare Lorabroso came up with a similar term for these serial killers. Lorabroso believed that criminals were “atavistic," meaning they were savage Stone Age men from the prehistoric past. Lorabroso deducted that these criminals could be identified by their physical characteristics. These included thick skulls, high cheekbones, jutting brows, long arms, etc. Eventually, Lorabroso’s theory was discredited, but society's notion of serial killers being more animal than man has remained.
One important step in defining serial murder is to distinguish it from mass murder. According to some experts, a serial killer is any murderer who commits more than one best slaying with a break between crimes. Popular conception says that the killer must have killed a string of victims to be classified as a serial killer. The word string implies something beyond sheer nuraber. A serial killer must commit a nuraber of best killings with an emotional “cooling-off” period between each crime. This “cooling-off” is what distinguishes the serial killer from the mass murderer, someone who erupts in an explosion killing a whole group of people at once. “The official FBI definition of serial homicide is three or more separate events with an emotional cooling-off period between homicides, each murder taking place at a different location” (Schechter and Everitt, 89). Although many people want to believe that the serial killer is a monster, the reality is that they can look and act just as “normal” as the rest of the functioning society.
To many, the word serial killer brings to mind the image of a glossy-eyed lunatic who kills innocent and helpless people in order to satisfy sadistic and sexual impulses. One killer who fit the profile of this popular image is a man whose name is not widely known but whose crimes are infamous. Edward Gein was regarded by his neigrabroadors as a quiet man who kept to himself and his dilapidated farmhouse. Gein however, lived an entirely different life. His gruesome crimes included killing and gutting a woman, then fashioning her like a deer in his farmhouse. Edward Gein has also served as an inspiration for such movies as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Larabs. Although some of the serial killers may fit this profile, the majority do not. The majority of serial killers as unnerving as it is, look just like the boy next door. The majority of serial killers can not be classified together, but the types of killers can.
Most murders are not the same, the killers are not always the same and the victims may differ in more ways than one. How then can serial killers be defined in four categories? The categories are very wide in definition. The categorical approach is helpful in determining the personality of each killer, and thus can be productive for enforcement and analysis alike. The first category includes the visionary killers. These killers claim their homicides were committed in response to “voices” or “visions." “Unlike most other serial killers, the visionary type is sometimes definitely out of touch with reality” (Holmes and DeBurger, 57). The second type of serial killer is the mission-oriented type. This killer has a conscious goal of ridding the world of a category of people who are, in his mind, undesirable or unworthy of living. The third type of killer is the hedonistic type. This killer is oriented toward pleasure and thrill seeking. The research shows that this hedonistic killer derives pleasure directly from the murder event. The last type of serial killer is the power/control-oriented type. “This killer derives profound satisfaction from the process of having complete life-or-death control over the victim” (59). After evaluations of the types of serial killers are made, their origins are also researched.
It is not the conviction of the serial killer that brings closure to the events he has caused. It is the origin of the story of his violence, this belongs solely to the individual, to a life. We take a monster in which society has helped to build and attempt to peel back the skin, to see what distinguishes him from ourselves. “We see only individual rage; we see monsters but are blind to monstrosity. “We might think social groups, but we see individuals” (Tithecott, 35).
There is not one definite theory on what causes a serial killer. One of the most intriguing theories comes from the field of paleopsychology. “According to this view, our civilized brains are built on a primitive, animalistic core known as the R-complex” (Schechter and Everitt, 48). This theory also states that we contain savage apelike instincts similar to those of our ancestors. The theory goes on to state that for the most part, the instincts are kept suppressed by reason, intelligence and logic. There are, however, the very few who are controlled by their primitive brains. In essence the supporters of this theory regard serial killers as Stone Age savages living in today’s world. It is noted by Falk that there are various core characteristics present in the serial killer. These may include that the serial killer chooses homicide as a method of coping, and that the killings are justified in the mind of the killer (27). There are many other theories (head injuries, hormonal irabalances, and genetics) that are proposed, but one common denominator seems to be that the majority have an atrocious background.
Often faced with the gruesome crimes of a serial killer many are led to ask “What makes a person into this kind of a monster?” Many serial killers grew up in especially harsh and deprived householRAB. Albert DeSalvo, the “Boston Strangler” was raised by a father who brought prostitutes home, and forced his children and wife to watch them have sex, beating anyone who complained. Henry Lee Lucas and Charles Manson were both raised by prostitutes who dressed them up in girl’s dresses and sent them to school. Henry Lee Lucas was quoted as saying, “I hated all my life. I hated everybody. When I first grew up and can remeraber, I was dressed as a girl by my mother. And I stayed that way for two or three years”(Schechter and Everitt, 294). “According to the FBI, 42 percent of serial killers have suffered severe physical abuse as children, 43 percent were sexually molested, and a full 74 percent were subjected to ongoing psychological torture” (293). The notion that the upbringing is the main cause of serial killers can also be disputed. Jeffery Dahmer and Ted Bundy appeared to have come from a more or less normal, middle-class background. It is undoubtedly true that other factors are involved in the making of the serial killer, however negative parenting is invariably present in their background.
As there are different types of serial killers, different types of childhood’s, there are also different ways serial killers kill. Although the majority of serial killers are men, there have also been women. While male serial killing is essentially aggression carried to a monstrous extreme, women kill in a more womanly manner. The women serial killers are more of a parody of female stereotypes: Black widow brides instead of adoring wives. Lethal nurses instead of loving nurturers, and instead of happy homemakers, Housekeepers from Hell. For most obvious reasons (lack of strength) the majority of these women kill by poison.
There have been plenty of scary looking serial killers, but there have also been a nuraber who not only look normal but downright presentable. These debonair sociopaths are highly attractive to the opposite sex. They are genuine lady-killers - in more ways than one. Dr. H. H. Holmes was a dapper, smooth talking sociopath, who had no trouble working his seductive charms on young women. Ted Bundy was a clean-cut college type. Bundy was so attractive and charming to young women that they would, meeting him for the first time, clirab into his car without hesitation. What is unfortunate is the death these women met, trusting the good looks of these killers.
Contrary to popular belief, not all serial killers work alone. There are the wives and girlfrienRAB who have no inkling to what their husbanRAB do in their private time. There are however the women who not only know, but participate in the crimes. One of the most famous of these women is Myra Hindley. When Hindley hooked up with Ian Brady, a psychopath with a taste for sadomasochistic porn and Nazi paraphernalia, murders began. The couple murdered a series of children, then buried the corpses in the moors outside of Manchester. Thus the nickname, the Moors Murderers. A British husband and wife Fred and Rosemary West were charged with the torture murder of ten young women, including their own sixteen-year-old daughter.
Among the most gruesome of killers are the necrophiliacs, cannibals and vampires. Necrophilia is the practice of having sex with the dead. It is not surprising then that this monstrous of a crime is committed by some of the most monstrous - serial killers. The most famous of these necrophiliacs was Ed Gein. Gein was completely uninterested in living women. Jeffery Dahmer was not only interested in sex with the dead, he also enjoyed cannibalism. Dahmer regarded as the “Milwaukee Monster”, has served as a reminder that the forbidden urge to consume human flesh still lurks below the surface of a civilized society. There are also those who do not eat their victims but drink their blood. The Italian Vincenz Verzeni took delight in strangulating his victims then biting their flesh and drinking their blood. Verzeni said, “It satisfied me to seize women by the neck and suck their blood” (Schechter and Everitt, 300). Throughout whatever the killer does, he derives power over the victim.
Although the serial killers seem to murder without an apparent motive, they are most often determined legally sane. Frequently they are diagnosed psychopathic, sociopathic or anti-social personality. The “Son of Sam”, David Berkowitz tried to obtain power over his trial by attempting to prove he was insane. Berkowitz claimed he heard the neigrabroadors dog, who was a demon, giving him orders to kill. Berkowitz had already fooled two psychiatrists into believing he was insane. “In 1979 Berkowitz held a press conference admitting that the demons and dogs were just a hoax” (Cartel, 143). Berkowitz was declared sane.
Not only are most serial killers legally sane, a nuraber of them have IQ’s ranging from normal to bright. Ted Bundy was a law student, who while on trial, acting as his own defense, was commended by the judge (Tithecott, 145). John Wayne Gacy was able to run a thriving business. “He was a workaholic, running three fast food restaurants while active in several charity and civic groups” (Cartel, 199). The above average intelligence of these serial killers is one of the scariest things about them. It makes it not only possible for them to easily snare victims, but to also elude police for quite some time. On the other hand it is also true that because of the severity of their personality disorders, many serial killers end up working menial jobs despite their high intelligence.
There are many serial killers, who because of many different medias have now become infamous. Many of the serial killers wrote letters to “announce” themselves. Jack the Ripper wrote letters to the police antagonizing the fact that he was still “out-there” despite reports of his capture. The Son of Sam was offended by being called a woman hater and wrote a letter explaining his cause. Another well-known letter writer was the Zodiac. Zodiac wrote letters to the area newspapers, part of which was written in codes. Among one of the most gruesome letters was that written by Albert Fish. Fish, a cannibalistic child killer mailed a letter to the mother of his twelve-year-old victim Grace Budd. In the letter, he detailed the gruesome details of Grace’s death.
Once in custody, the serial killer seems to taunt the police with his tales of murdering, and almost always increasing the death count. When Ted Bundy was arrested, he admitted to two officers the nuraber of his killings might be in the hundreRAB. “When Patchen asked Ted about the nuraber, suspecting that he was responsible for 36, Bundy calmly replied, ‘Add one digit to that and you’ll have it.’” (Holmes and De Burger, 129). While in prison, Carl Panzram confessed to twenty-one murders, countless felonies and more than one thousand acts of sodomy. He stated that for all of those crimes, he was not the least bit sorry. Edmund Kemper proudly confessed to his crimes in detail.
Serial killers have been known to create a name for themselves in the courts. “No one ever became famous for beating his wife to death in an alley; but virtually all our multiple murderers achieve true and lasting fame” ( Leyton, 23). After spending their lives in the shadows, they suddenly find themselves thrust onto center stage. Charles Manson began his proceedings by marching into the courtroom with a big “X” carved on his forehead. During the trial, Manson lunged at the judge in an attempt to assault him. During their trials, the serial killers will undoubtedly be surrounded by their admirers. Women who press their affections upon the killer. Richard Ramirez “The Night Stalker” was followed by women wishing to marry him. In the case of Ted Bundy, a woman not only married him during his trial, but also conceived his child during incarceration.
While the vast majority of time is spent profiling the serial killer, time is also spent profiling the victims. The serial killer usually chooses one type of victim. The homosexual preys on young boys. The lady-killer may prey on prostitutes or college women. What the FBI looks for is the common theme in the victims. Many times a string of victims will all have one or more common characteristics, such as long dark hair, or they may just live within the same vicinity. “Much information about the offender can be gained from a careful analysis of the background of the victim” (Holmes and DeBurger, 91). Each victim has a syrabolic meaning to the serial killer. For the lust-murderers, the victims syrabolize the sexual fantasy. The mission-oriented killer kills those who are lower class. These lower class people syrabolize “unworthiness.” Ed Kemper murdered young women. These women syrabolized his mother, whom at the time he could not bring himself to kill.
Of the many different victims, prostitutes are the most vulnerable. The profession mostly belongs to runaways and women nobody knows. This makes it very easy for the killer to get the woman in his car, kill her and not be caught. It is a part of the prostitute’s job to get into cars, and because nobody knows them they are never missed. Many killers believe they are doing the world good by ridding them of “disease spreading whores.” Killers ranging from Jack the Ripper to Arthur Shawcross have murdered prostitutes, preying on their availability. Shawcross stated that he killed one woman because she bit him, and another because she called him a "wimp”. The list of reasons Shawcross gives goes on, but the main theme is that he hated prostitutes.
Serial killing has been named as stranger killings. Though there are different victims, most remain anonymous to the killer. Most killers look for their “perfect” victim, searching the night for the prostitute, the young boy or the college girl. Others, however, only kill at best. Coral Watts, one of the few African American serial killers, did not usually plan the murders but killed whenever he saw the opportunity. These can also be the most frustrating crimes to solve since the victims may not all share common traits.
The fact that serial killers are of normal to bright intelligence helps them to “hide-out” and remain free for a while. “Because serial murder cases are by nature drawn out, they pose difficulties connected with the theorem in policing that the longer the investigation lingers, the lesser the chance of apprehending the perpetrator” (Holmes and Deburger, 112). The initial step in investigating a murder is to decide if it is a “normal” murder, or a serial killing. This can open up a whole new level within the investigation for the police to deal with. The media is also an obstacle for which the police must deal with. The media may report “too much”, or inaccuracies in the investigations. One big obstacle is the availability of experienced police personnel to work on these cases.
One step that the FBI has taken in working with serial killing cases is that of profiling. When law officers are faced with baffling evidence, they may turn to a profiler. The profiler will make a close study of all the facts, then send back a highly detailed report to containing his analysis. Profiling is however just a form of an educated guess, but they are fairly accurate surprisingly often. One such successful profile was made by renowned FBI profiler John Douglas, in solving the murder of a twelve year old little girl. Though it has become a trend in law enforcement to use the FBI’s profiling, it should be recognized that many federal agencies have little experience in cases such as serial killings. Thus it would be more beneficial to train the law enforcement officers in recognizing the elements that make up a profile.
Serial killers tend to possess two characteristics typical of psychopaths. Lacking normal human emotions, they are able to stay calm under intensely stressful conditions. They also have the ability to appear so normal, that it may be impossible for anyone to conceive of them as a serial killer. Both these traits have allowed many of them to slip through even highly trained law enforcement agents. Albert Fish roamed across the country for many years before being caught for murder. He had, however been in and out of custody for things such as petty thief to public indecency. One of the most notorious times a serial killer has slipped through the hanRAB of the police occurred in 1991, when police were called to the residence of Jeffery Dahmer. The police found a naked young boy trying to flee from the residence. After talking to Dahmer, the police were convinced, they were only having a lovers quarrel and released the boy back to Dahmer. The boy was killed minutes later.
There are also many cases that not only slipped through the cracks but have gone unsolved. Classic cases such as Jack the Ripper baffle the police to this day. More recently the “Green River Killer” vanished without a trace after slaying dozens of victims. Other still unidentified killers include the Axeman of New Orleans and Zodiac. Why are some serial killers never caught? One theory is that they stop before ever being caught. This however seems very unlikely. More plausible reasons included the fact that some may be forced to stop. Some killers may be locked up for other crimes, or committed to mental facilities. Another reason could be death. The killers may just die, bringing their killings to a halt. Whatever the reason, the crimes of the unknown still serve to haunt officials today.
Many times we see the victims of serial killings. Either through the television media or pictures, the victim is seen. This crime however goes beyond the one individual life. There are many unseen victims. These crimes not only affect the individual but go beyond into the society. “Sometimes, in the daily lives of many citizens, the fear of crime takes an even greater toll than the crime itself” (Holmes and DeBurger, 139). According to research, the more violent the crime, the greater the dollar loss is to society (139). There is also a cost of morale to the society. “Criminal homicide usually arouses an immediate aggressive response in society, especially if the victim is a child, a woman or a crippled person; if there are several victims or if the circumstances of the deed show great cruelty” (MacDonald, 20). The secondary victimization of the community not only occurs because people have vague fears of victim criminalization, but also because the rise in crime also indicates a rise in the nuraber of individuals who know victims of crime.
The survivors of the serial killers victims could include spouses, children, parents, siblings, grandparent’s close frienRAB, and other kin. For these survivors it is hard to imagine the crime as a widespread victimization. Rather, they see this as their present anguish, focusing on their own loss. The majority of serial killer victims were in the productive years of their life, thus having financial and dependent obligations. The psychological impacts are great as well. As in many serial killings, the victims may be missing for several months before their remains are found. Thus there is this long grieving, so that when the killer is finally set to justice there may be no means of closure for the family. From these facts it is not surprising that many self-help groups have arisen in recent years.
With all the facts known about serial killers, it is not surprising to find statistics that relate to everyday life. It is reported in Schechter and Everitt that the United States accounts for 76% of the world’s total serial killers. The majority of American serial killers, 84% are Caucasian and only 16% are black. Women may only constitute a fraction of serial killers, yet they constitute 65% of the victims. Finally, it is very rare for a serial killer to prey on merabers of another race, since most serial killers are white so are their victims, a full 89%.
There is an intense fascination that the public imagination has with psychotic killers. These killers, serial killers, range from the visionary killers to the power/control killers. For years there has been research into the origins of serial killers. The one common factor is that each has an atrocious family background. There are also various ways a serial killer can kill. These may include poisoning, cannibalism and vampirism, just to name a few. To most non-psychotic people, these crimes seem insane. The fact is however, that most serial killers are found legally sane, and a majority of them have normal to bright IQ’s.
Once caught, many serial killers use their intelligence to make a name for themselves. Many find that the courtroom is the place for this cause. To better aide in the capture of these serial killers, law enforcement uses profilers. These profilers not only look at the serial killers but also the victims. All too often it is only the victim that law enforcement and the public sees. Behind each victim however, is sure to be a legacy of family and frienRAB. For this reason, many support groups and services have been formed to help the survivors.
After all the facts are reported and answers are found, the reality of the serial killer still lingers in everyday society. It is not the nuraber that they kill, it is not the way that they kill and it is not who they kill that matters most. It is the concept of the serial killer that fascinates us and it is the image of the serial killer that has become consequential to the way we perceive ourselves and the world around us. Serial murder has always been a part of our society, and it always will be.