Richard Speck: Born To Raise Hell

From Ted Bundy to BTK to the “Zodiac Killer”, serial killers have been around the United States for a long time, but none is better than Richard Chase, or better known as the “Vampire of Sacramento”, to investigate the reasons behind serial killers. Born on May 23, 1950, Chase was raised in a very strict house and was constantly abused by his parents. As a

This essay aims to examine weather serial killers are born a certain way and their genetics define their psychotic tendencies or whether they're a product of a bad environment that they grew up. This essay looks at recent killings in the late 20th century as there is more information on the killers from this period and it's easier to gain details about their childhoods. Whilst I will look at various different killers to reach more rounded conclusions (see appendix for comparison table), this essay will focus on four in detail to examine the debate; Ted Bundy (1946-89), Jeffery Dahmer (1960-1994), John Wayne Gacy (1942-1994) and Gary Ridgway (1949-present).

“She’s not missing, she’s at the farm right now.” This haunting quote comes from the mouth of one of the most grotesque and brutal serial killers to ever live, Edward Gein. Edward was born on August 27th 1906 to an abusive alcoholic father, George Gein and an overly religious mother, Augusta Carter. Along with Edward, George and Augusta gave birth to Edwards older brother Henry in 1902. The family settled down in the little town of Lacrosse, Wisconsin where Augusta raised the young boys. For the most part, her husband George was left out of the picture mainly because Augusta believed he was a worthless alcoholic. This paper will discuss the connection between Edward’s crimes and social control theory in order to arrive at a conclusion as to why Gein committed the brutal murders he did.

On Saturday, December 1, 1900, a man named John Hossack was killed in his sleep with a hatchet by his wife, Margaret Hossack. The story told by Margaret was that she had heard what sounded like two boards banging together and by that time the attacker had fled and she didn’t catch a glimpse of him. The next thing she saw was her extremely wounded husband, John, who had a five-inch cut into his head and a fractured skull. A doctor, who came and examined John, and said there was no hope and John died the next morning. As an investigation started, a burglary was thought of as the first motive but the idea flawed because nothing was stolen so the idea was quickly abandoned. In the 4 days between the murder and the funeral, the police talked to

Antisocial personality disorder is “a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood.” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2007). It is often characterized by blatant inattention to social norms and laws, pathological lying, putting others at risk for personal benefit, and an obvious lack of remorse (NIMH, 2007). One of the most notorious people with this disorder is Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer and necrophiliac whose sexual nature and gruesome offenses captured the nation’s attention (Talbott, n.d.). This paper will attempt to provide an overview of Dahmer’s life, as well as explain how both nature and nurture played roles in not only the production of a criminal, but also in the personality of all people.

People were shocked to hear everything the elderly lady, Dorothea Puente, was capable of. Investigators weren’t suspicious of her even after corpses were found on her property because she didn’t fit the typical serial killer profile. The average serial killer is a white male in his mid to late 20’s. More than 90% of serial killers are men according to research done by criminologists James A. Fox and Jack Levin, and among these 73% were white. Only 4% had graduated with a bachelor’s degree. Victims were 67% female, with children, prostitutes, and the elderly and other common victims while 20% were males who had been raped by their attackers.

Perry Smith and Dick Hickock were two very different men who came together in one the most renowned and talked about murders in American history. Although the men’s motives were the same, the psychological differences that they experienced after the murders were very different. Smith and Hickock were living testaments to the fact that one’s upbringing really does play a part into the person one will someday become. For Perry, his traumatic family experiences, or lack of them, led him to a psychotic malfunction and for

In the biography “The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer” By Philip Carlo, Richard Kuklinski can be considered a man-made psychopath, as there are thoughts that he was made to be who he was through nurture; such as his family, rather than being born this way. It was often thought Richard could be two different people, the “good Richard” and “bad Richard”. The book explains how Richard lived his life as a contract killer that could be hired for many different Mafia families, as he was not Italian.

On September 1, 1956, Peter woodcock had committed his first murder (Bourrie, 2010). Peter Woodcock lured a 7-year-old boy named Wayne Mallette into toronto’s exhibition where he then killed him¬¬¬¬ (Bourrie, 2010). The next month on October 6, 1956, Mr. Woodcock picked up a 9-year-old boy named Gary Morris. Woodcock drove Gary Morris on his bike to cherry beach where he then strangled and killed him (Newton, n.d.). About three months after Peter Woodcock offered a ride to a 4-year-old girl named Carole Voyce. Peter Woodcock sexually assaulted her and killed her (Liam, 2015). Mr. Woodcock was then arrested but then was found not guilty by reason of insanity (Liam, 2015). Mr. Woodcock was placed at Oak Ridge (a psychiatric

Truman Capote, a reporter of one of the many cold blooded murders in our nation takes an unorthodox path in reporting the murder of the “all-American” Clutter family of 4 by Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. In his story In Cold Blood, by giving the reader an insight into the past and the minds of both Dick and Perry, a likeness can be observed between them and the psychological profiles of thousands of other cold-blooded killers since the murder of the Clutter family. However, this gives a false impression that all deranged killers have rational, easily detectable reasons for their abhorrent crimes. Perry had an appalling childhood and is psychopathic. Dick had a great childhood, but because he couldn’t go to college, he became bitter and resentful, hating the entire world. Simple enough, right? However, through an analysis of Capotes In

David Berkowitz was an American serial killer taking the lives of many throughout NYC in the mid 70’s (Biography.com Editors 2013). Early on, Berkowitz adopted parents knew there was a problem within him. Although having above average intelligence, Berkowitz lost interest in school and began to focus on more rebellious habits such as petty larceny and pyromania (David Berkowitz: Son of Same Killer). The death of his adoptive mother to breast cancer at age 14 proved to cause major problems and resentment for Berkowitz. Lack of sleep, depression, and guilt are only some of the problem Berkowitz was faced with (Healthpsychologyconsultancy, 2012). Due to the supposed idea that one of Berkowitz’s neighbor’s dog was the mastermind behind the murders he

Many people wonder it takes to make a serial killer. Is there something inherently defective in that person that means that they have the ability to commit murder without remorse or somehow enjoy the suffering or others, or doses childhood abuse and other mistreatment mean that someone will grow up to commit these atrocities? Unfortunately, the conflicting information about Bundy's childhood does little to help answer these questions. On the surface, Bundy's childhood does not appear to feature the level of child abuse or neglect that one normally associates with a serial killer. He was born to a single mother in 1946, a time in which there was a tremendous social stigma attached to being born out of wedlock. However, Bundy did not experience that stigma, as his grandparents raised him as their son. Bundy's own accounts of his childhood vary tremendously. At times, he seems to indicate that he was raised in a stable and loving home, but at other times he

Albert DeSalvo, more commonly known as The Boston Strangler, was born on September 3, 1931 and died on November 25, 1973 due to a tragic stabbing while in prison. The reasoning behind DeSalvo’s placement in prison were the heinous acts he had conducted in which he raped over 300 women (The Boston Strangler, (n.d)). However, this was not DeSalvo’s first run-around in prison. Years prior to the imprisonment of DeSalvo, he had been imprisoned for breaking and entering into a house During his second imprisonment, DeSalvo admitted to committing a series of 13 murders called “The Silk Stock Murders.”(insert citation) These murders consisted of the killing of 13 women, ages ranging from 19 to 85, in the Boston area. Due to the extent and absurdity of DeSalvo’s crimes, an investigation was lead into his health to determine if something there was something psychologically altered about DeSalvo. It was later found that DeSalvo was a paranoid schizophrenic. However, in order to trigger these behaviors, something must have psychologically deepened his urge to kill.

On December 6th, 1941 the world welcomed Richard Benjamin Speck, who would become a well-known mass murderer. Speck, having a rather rough childhood, had an extensive criminal background before committing the unspeakable murders that made him famous. After being found guilty, Speck spent his remaining days in Chicago’s Stateville Penitentiary. One can look at Richard’s personal history, crime and criminal history to try and pin him to one criminological theory, when in reality, none will really fit him to a “T”. He was a psychopath who was in great need of psychological help, among other things.

Although tallying just two deaths, Ed Gein is one of America’s most infamous murderers. His notorious killings are remembered as being among the most perverse of any this century. His lunatic atrocities were magnified by the number of victims who fell prey to his sick deeds and who also fueled his numerous habits of cannibalism, necrophilia of women, and his obsession with the female body, especially his mother, Augusta Gein. Although clearly guilty for the acts Gein committed, psychiatrists were confident in their conclusion of his insanity. As is in many cases, Gein’s birth of insanity started in childhood.