Chapter 16. Serial Killers Are Not A New Development. They

Statistically, the average serial killer is a white male from a lower-to-middle-class background, usually in his twenties or thirties. Many were physically or emotionally abused by parents. Some were adopted. As children, fledgling serial killers often set fires, torture animals, and wet their beds (these red-flag behaviors are known as the “triad” of symptoms.) Brain injuries are common. Some are very intelligent and have shown great promise as successful professionals. They are also fascinated with the police and authority in general (Scott).

A basic serial killer is a murderer of two or more victims at different times. There are several types of serial killers. The wildest category would be the Thrill- seekers. Thrill-seekers are known for being fearless of danger, having no remorse for their murders, irrational attitude, and impulsive behavior. They seem to enjoy the adrenaline rush they get when they kill and gain pleasure from doing it. The victims are usually strangers who they may stalk to make it more exciting as “a hunt” (‘Thrill Seekers”). Serial Killers are portrayed all the same in Hollywood. Average serial killers are usually old, uncanny men who go after women for sex or money but, Aileen Wuornos turned

A serial killer is someone who has murdered at least three people on at least three different occasions with a break between the murders (Egger, 2002; Hickey, 2002). … It is likely that they kill during a time of stress and after it is done, they feel temporarily

Several serial killers have a definitive and common personality profile. Almost every major social, biological, psychological behavioural influence that has been seriously suggested as playing a role in causing crime has been thoroughly thought as potentially

Most serial killers are white males between the ages of 25 and 35 years old with an intelligence level of average or higher. They also tend to be married with children and have a career (Serial 1). They also seem to have a childhood past of being physically and sexually abused and are from broken homes. As children, they often wet the bed, were infatuated with masturbation, were cruel to animals, and liked playing with fire. Because of their childhood, they often develop a psychopathic nature and do not know how to feel sympathy or be in a relationship (Scott 2). Because of their insecurity, a compulsive need to feel like they are in authority becomes a vital part of their well-being, even at the cost of others lives.

“The Incidence of Child Abuse in Serial Killers” was performed by Heather Mitchell and Michael G. Aamodt. This research study looked at serial killers and if they experienced child abuse in their childhood; to see if child abuse is a reason that a serial killer performs such heinous crimes. A serial killer is someone who murders multiple persons separately with time in between each kill. In this research study, child abuse is categorized as four different types: physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect. Physical abuse is causing or allowing non- accidental harm. Sexual abuse is the practice of any sexual activity that is unhealthy for a child’s development or any illegal sexual that is acted upon a child. Psychological abuse is any emotional damage caused to a child. Neglect is failing to provide necessities a child needs to develop. There are different types of serial killers, based on their motive to kill such as money, the experience of thrill, the sense of power, the desire to get rid of evil people, and lust. This study focuses on lust killers which kill mainly for sexual pleasure. Some lust killers will have sex with their victims then kill them to get

One of the most interesting aspects of catching serial killers is examining their psyche to determine their motivations, their classification, and underlying stressors that influence their behavior. This is called a behavior profile. Much like bloody fingerprints, no one serial killer is exactly like another. Classifications can vary from rage motivated killers to financially motivated killers to power/thrill killers. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, “regardless of motive, serial murderers commit crimes because they want to,” (Serial Murder).

Serial killers differ from mass murderers because serial killers kill over a period of time with a cooling off period whereas mass murderers have one big killing with four or more victims and no cooling

The idea of serial killers and the role they play in our lives has fascinated people since the cases of Jack the Ripper and H.H. Holmes, although serial murderers existed before them. The infamous and mysterious complexities of these cases have puzzled and terrified people for over a century. Perhaps due to the deviant and taboo nature of serial killings, people in our society and others have tried to attribute many reasons for why they occur. In this search for answers, one major scope has been widely left out of the research: the sociological imagination. It is through this method of understanding that I will attempt to explain the development of serial killers and apply theories that explain the frequency of serial killings in our society.

What is a serial killer? Retired Special Agent Robert Ressler, a twenty-two year veteran of the FBI’s Behavioral Sciences Unit in Quantico, Virginia, is responsible for creating the term “serial killer.” He defines this person as “one who commits a series of murders, usually three or more, the victims most often being strangers, and usually with a cooling-off period in between each kill” (Kelleher & Kelleher, 1998; Pearson, 1998; Ressler and Shactman, 1997). This precise definition is necessary to distinguish this type of predator from the mass murderer (who kills many simultaneously), mercenaries, war criminals, or mafia hit men.

The following typology of mass murderers was presented by Turvey (2008:510). The types were grouped according to the variables of motivation, crime scene types, and victim selection by Fox and Levin (2005), who used the five categories of power, revenge, loyalty, terror, and profit.

the organized (nonsocial serial murderers are generally assumed to be cunning, and spend vast amounts of time planning murders, whether consciously or not, and this behavior is reflected at their crime scenes. Another assumption is that the serial murderer’s planning is expressed in his preoccupation with, and constant need for control (Brown, 1991).

The four classification of serial killers classified by Later, Holmes and Holmes (1998, 2001): visionary killer, mission killer, hedonistic killer, and the power or control killer. “The visionary killer is who kills in the name of God, a devil, or an angel. They believe they are called by a higher power to kill. The mission killers are driven by earthly missions to establish a just regime or a group. They believe in their own ways and they think of ways to remove the evil from society. Additionally, the hedonistic killers, they just kill for the thrill and pleasure. Killing is a way to express themselves, they do not have an actual reason why they do kill. Furthermore, the power killers kill to symbolize their power over and control of the

Geberth (1995) speaks of the murderer being an “organized offender”. She goes on to talk about how the offender normally has a rather higher intelligence than of a normal person in society. Also, because most of the crimes

Behavior is sometimes defined as the response of an individual, group, or species to its environment. Parents, girlfriends, sisters, brothers, and peers can all affect a person's behavior. Not everybody necessarily will have the behavior of a serial killer. In this paper, I will attempt to show the difference between the psychopath and the psychotic. Explain how the environment, upbringing, and treatment of serial killers led them to become who they are today.