Serial killing and related

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This project paper was done because of my curiosity on why a person indulge into
serial killing, what actually triggers them to make the crime, and what are the
sociological reasons for this crime. It took a considerable amount of time and effort to
write this project paper, but with the guidance from Dr Simon Thong and my friends, I
manage to finish this work. Serial killing is a very interesting topic. It all started after I
watched a movie about a serial killer. The way the plot was made was really attractive
and really got me curious on how the serial killers actually work, why it happens, what
actually causes them to kill their victims?

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INTRODUCTION1
The term ‘serial killings’ means a series of three or more killings, not less than
one of which was committed within the United States, having common characteristics
such as to suggest the reasonable possibility that the crimes were committed by the same
actor or actors.
Dating back to ancient times, serial murderers have been reported around the
world. In 19th century Europe, Dr.Richard von Krafft-Ebing conducted some of the first
documented research on violent, sexual offenders and the crimes they committed. Best
known for his 1886 textbook Psychopathy Sexualise, Dr.Kraft-Ebing described numerous
case studies of sexual homicide, serial murder, and other areas of sexual proclivity.
Serial murder is a comparatively rare event, estimated to comprise less than one
percent of all murders committed in any given year. However, there is a cadaverous
interest in the topic that far exceeds its scope and has generated countless articles, books,
and movies. This broad-based public fascination began in the late 1880s, after a series of
unsolved prostitute murders occurred in the Whitechapel area of London. These murders
were committed by an unknown individual who named himself “Jack the Ripper” and
sent letters to the police claiming to be the killer.
“Dear Boss
I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they won’t fix me just yet. I have
laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about
1 Retrieved from
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.97.6084&rep=rep1&type=pdf

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Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I
do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal. How can
they catch me now? I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me
with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle
over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I can’t use it. Red ink is fit
enough I hope ha. ha. The next job I do I shall clip the lady’s ears off and send to the
police officers just for jolly wouldn’t you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work,
and then give it out straight. My knife’s so nice and sharp I want to get to work right
away if I get a chance. Good luck.
Yours truly
Jack the Ripper” – an example of letters Jack Ripper would send to the police.
Started from Jack the Ripper, serial killings have become a common thing in certain parts
of the world. The United States of America and the United Kingdom have the highest
reports on serial killers and some cases are yet to be solved. There are various reasons
that have caused these people to kill. But the public have been blinded by the Hollywood
style serial killers, bring the civilians to believe that a serial killer is mentally imbalanced,
lures for victims at the silent of nights and so on. But the ugly truth is, these were just
effects brought by the movie crew to bring the sense of trill and horror to the viewer,
resulting the public to be confused about the truth of serial killers. Law enforcement
professionals are subject to the same distortion from a different source: the use of
undependable information. Authorities involved in serial murder cases, such as
investigators, prosecutors, and pathologists may have limited exposure to serial murder.

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Their experience may be based upon a single murder series, and the factors in that case
are induced to other serial murders. As a result, certain stereotypes and misconceptions
take source regarding the nature of serial murder and the characteristics of serial killers.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
There are many different points of views about serial killings but most of it are
proved to be false. Impressions given by the media is normally not very accurate. This
includes the movies about serial killers and their victim. The reasons and what causes
someone to become a serial killer is always a question mark to us. Therefore, the conflict
discussed is about what are the attributes of a serial killer? What makes them become a
serial killer? What are signs of someone being a serial killer? And what is this the
sociological perspective about serial killers?
LITERATURE REVIEW2
Murder has been a dark presence in society since the beginning of time.
Researchers have diligently studied murder to identify its causes. The central theme of
studying murder is motivation. The question that is often asked is what motivates an
individual to become a murderer. Theories include biological predispositions,
sociological influences and psychological factors. In order to begin this critical review
2Retrived from

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and analysis of literature related to the criminal mind of serial killers it is important to
begin with an understanding of the different types of murder and a brief historical
overview of how we as a society have come to this point in studying the criminal mind of
serial killers. There are a large variety of homicides and the legal system tends to put
them all together into one type. As Farmer and Hooker have noted, the legal system
“artificially lumps together desperate activities under the single heading of "homicide"
(Farmer and Hooker, 1987, p.3).
This tends to disregard the fact that different types of homicides and motivations
exist. Further research has helped law enforcement to recognize the different types of
homicide to include mass murder, spree killing, and serial killing. Mass murder is defined
as a "single eruption of violence that takes place in one location with a large number of
random victims (at least four, according to an FBI criterion)" (Schlecter and Everitt,
1997, p.179).
A spree killing is defined as a killing in which "someone murders a string of
people in several different locations with no cooling off period between homicides"
(Schlecter and Everitt, 1997, p.273).
Finally, a serial killing has been defined by one author as a series of killings
committed over a considerable span of time with the presence of a cooling off period
(Schlecter and Everitt, 1997).
In 1972, Cormier used the term "multicide" to define several homicides that had
been committed by one person, but spread over a period of time. The term multicide is
closely synonymous with the term "serial murder". (Cormier, 1972). The German's

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described multiple murders in the 1800's as "lustmord", or murder for pleasure. (Wilson,
1990).
Egger's initial definition was developed in 1983, which was the first attempt to
define serial murder in a more comprehensive manner. "Serial murder occurs when one
or more individuals in most known cases, males, commit a second murder or subsequent
murder; is relationship less (victim and attacker are strangers); occurs at a different time
and has no connection to the initial (and subsequent) murder, and is frequently committed
in different geographic locations. Further, the motive is generally not for material gain,
but is usually a compulsive act specifically for gratification at of the murderer. A key
element is that the series of murders do not share in the events surrounding one another.
"Victims share common characteristics of what are perceived to be prestige less,
powerless and/or lower socio-economic groups (that is vagrants,prostitutes, migrant
workers, and homosexuals, missing children and single and elderly women)" (Egger,
1984, p.8-9).

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1.0 CHARACTERISTICS OF SERIAL KILLINGS3
1.0.1 Genetics
Tests are showing that the nervous system of the psychopath is markedly
different, they feel less fear and anxiety than normal people. One carefully conducted
experiment revealed that "low arousal levels" not only causes impulsiveness and thrill-
seeking, but also showed how dense sociopaths are when it comes to changing their
behaviour. A group of sociopaths and a group of healthy individuals were given a task,
which was to learn what lever (out of four) turned on a green light. One lever gave the
subject an electric shock. Both groups made the same number of errors, but the healthy
group quickly learned to avoid the punishing electric shock, while sociopaths took much
longer to do so.
This need for higher levels of stimulation makes the psychopath seek dangerous
situations. When Gacy heard an ambulance, he would follow to see what sort of exciting
catastrophe was in the making. Part of the reason for many serial killers seeking to
become cops is probably due to the intensity of the job.
Genetics and physiological factors also contribute to the building of a psychopath.
One study in Copenhagen focused on a group of sociopaths who had been adopted as
infants. The biological relatives of sociopaths were 4-5 times more likely to be
sociopathic than the average person. Yet genetics don't tell the whole story; it only shows
a predisposition to antisocial behaviour. Environment can make or break the
psychopathic personality.
3 Retrieved from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/tick/victims_1.html

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When a psychopath does inherit genetically-based, developmental disabilities, it
is usually a stunted development of the higher functions of the brain. 30-38% of
psychopaths show abnormal brain wave patterns, or EEGs. Infants and children typically
have slower brain wave activity, but it increases as they grow up. Not with psychopaths.
Eventually, the brain might mature as the psychopath ages. This may be why most serial
killers are under 50. The abnormal brain wave activity comes from the temporal lobes
and the limbic system of the brain, the areas that control memory and emotions. When
development of this part of the brain is genetically impaired, and the parents of the child
are abusive, irresponsible or manipulative, the stage is set for disaster.
1.0.2 Smooth Talkers
Psychopaths know society's rights and wrongs, and will behave as if they
sincerely believe in these values. There are individuals who are so psychopathically
disturbed that, in my opinion, no attempts should be made to treat them. Many
psychopaths will read psychology books, and become skilled at imitating other more
"sympathetic" mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia. They will use any means possible
to manipulate their evaluators. Most functionally psychotic individuals do not experience
command hallucinations, and those who do, generally successfully resist them.
1.0.3 Alter Egos
One of the most predictable attempts to shift the blame is by creating an evil dark
side, or alter ego. Some of these creations are named as the true culprits of the crimes.
While in custody H. H. Holmes invented “Edward Hatch,” who he claimed was the
shadowy mastermind behind the murder of the young Pietzel children. “Lipstick Killer”

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William Heirens created George Murman, and actually corresponded with George by
letters. John Gacy based his alter ego, “Jack Hanley,” on a actual cop by the same name.
Gacy’s Jack was tough, in control, and loathed homosexuality. When Gacy drank too
much, the punishing hand of Jack would take control. One of the most notorious alter
egos is “Hillside Strangler” Kenneth Bianchi’s “Steve Walker.” Steve came out during
hypnotic sessions as the aggressive opposite to Ken’s gentle guy act. Clever hypnotists
were able to snare Steve as a hoax. (It was later revealed that Bianchi had seen the movie
“Sybil” two days prior to his psychiatric evaluation.)
Fabricating an alter ego is a convenient way to pin the guilt on another, even if
that other is within. It’s a psychological variation of “the devil made me do it.” But
diabolical alter egos are usually clumsy constructions that fall apart under scrutiny. At
best, a legitimate split personality could hope for a mental institution instead of death
row. But authentic cases are exceptionally rare.
1.0.4 4Deluded Warriors
In a manic state, the psychopath is fearless and thinks he is omnipotent,
sometimes evil incarnate, as we have seen in Richard Ramirez's "Night Stalker" run.
They are completely out of touch with reality. One psychopath, while in custody, would
dress himself as an Indian warrior using his own feces as warpaint. Many serial killers
identify with the myth of the warrior. Calavaras County torturer Leonard Lake was
fascinated by medieval knights, and on a more modern cinematic note, many serial
4 Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder

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killers, including Gacy and Kemper, worshipped John Wayne, the American archetype of
the lone warrior.
1.0.5 5Schizophrenia
Most schizophrenics will resist the aggressive commands of the auditory
hallucinations they hear, according to Dr. Meloy. Santa Cruz in the 1970's had a
renaissance of psychopathic killers. Of course, there is Edmund Kemper, the most
articulate of them the batch. His schizophrenic colleagues, however, are frightening
examples of the truly mentally-ill serial killer.
Herbert Mullin heard his father's voice in his head, commanding, "Why won't you
give me anything? Go kill somebody move!" By killing people, Mullin was convinced,
he was actually preventing earthquakes and tidal waves. Unlike most serial killers, he
was not seeking a certain type of victim. His 13 "sacrificial" victims included a family, a
priest, a homeless man and some hapless campers.
Upon his arrest everyone agreed that Mullin was a paranoid schizophrenic, but
was found "legally sane." Unlike many serial killers who try to convince the authorities
that they are crazy, Mullin tried to prove his sanity, stating that he was the victim of a
huge conspiracy. He declared that he "a good American person who was tricked into
committing the crimes. I know I deserve my freedom."
On a self-described "divine mission": John Linley Frazier, slaughtered a wealthy
Santa Cruz family in 1970 because he believed they had been "polluting and destroying
5 Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder

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the Earth." Initially he was called an "acid casualty," but later tests revealed Frazier as an
acute paranoid schizophrenic. Nonetheless, Frazier was declared legally sane and
sentenced to life imprisonment.
David Berkowitz's "Son of Sam" routine was a well-constructed attempt to appear
schizophrenic. "There is no doubt in my mind that a demon has been living in me since
birth," he raved. "I want my soul back!" he wrote. "I have a right to be human." Later he
held a press conference, announcing that his story of demons had been an invention.
1.0.6 6No Fear
Crime Times reports on findings that psychopaths have a greater fear threshold,
and are less likely to respond to fear-inducing stimuli, such as sudden, loud noises. In
other words, psychopaths may be immune to fear. The psychopath's heart rate and skin
temperature are low, and their "startle reaction" was substantially less than the average
person. The autonomic nervous system of intensely violent people is intensely
sluggish. ... They need a higher level of thrill or stimulation in order to have an intense
experience," says forensic psychologist Shawn Johnston.
6 Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/serial+killer

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2.0 7FACTORS OF BECOMING SERIAL KILLER
2.0.1 Childhood Abuse
One of first places our society looks to for an explanation is the serial killer's
upbringing. "So many of us wanted to believe that something had traumatized little
Jeffrey Dahmer, otherwise we must believe that some people simply give birth to
monsters," Ann Schwartz has written. In some cases, the abuse of children by their
parents is barbaric, and it seems little wonder that anything but a fledgling serial killer
would come from such horrible squalor. As a child, the "Boston Strangler" Albert
DeSalvo was actually sold off as a slave by his alcoholic dad. Many sadistic murderers
portray their childhood as an endless chain of horrifying sexual abuse, torture, and
mayhem. Some stories of torture may be exaggerated for sympathy (it is always to the
killer's advantage to concoct wicked parents as an excuse) but some have been
corroborated by witnesses. Even families that appear healthy on the outside may be
putting on an act. Children can learn the "Jeckyl and Hyde" routine from parents who are
outgoing and social with neighbors and co-workers, but who scowl at their kid's
inadequacies when they get home.
As we examine childhood abuse as a possible key to the serial killer's behaviour,
we must remember that many children have suffered horrible abuse at the hands of their
parents, but did not grow up to be lust murderers. Childhood abuse is not a direct link to a
future in crime. And while many girls are victimized as children, very few grow up to be
7 Retrieved from http://www.crime-times.org

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sadistically violent toward strangers. Childhood abuse may not be the sole excuse for
serial killers, but it is an undeniable factor in many of their backgrounds.
Some parents believed that by being harsh disciplinarians, it would "toughen" the
child. Instead, it often creates a lack of love between parent and child that can have
disastrous results. If the child doesn't bond with its primary caretakers, there is no
foundation for trusting others later in life. This can lead to isolation, where intense violent
fantasies become the primary source of gratification. "Instead of developing positive
traits of trust, security, and autonomy, child development becomes dependent on fantasy
life and its dominant themes, rather than on social interaction," writes Robert Ressler,
Ann Burgess and John Douglas in Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives. When the
child grows up, according to these authors, all they know are their fantasies of
domination and control. They have not developed compassion for others. Instead, humans
become flattened-out symbols for them to enact their violent fantasies.
2.0.2 8Childhood Events
Adoption as a potential contribution to the serial killer's motivation is fascinating
because it creates two questions. The first one is that the biological parents may have left
their child with deviant genes. (We will look into the genetics of serial killers shortly.)
Finding out that one was adopted may also undermine the sense of identity in a fragile
youth, and make the child prone to fantasizing an identity of his "true" parents, either
good or bad. Was the mother a prostitute? A nun? Was the father a gangster? A hero?
And why did they "reject" their child? This sense of rejection can have profound
8 Retrieved from

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consequences on an already unstable psyche. If the child actually meets his biological
parent and is again rejected, the damage is worse. David Berkowitz was deeply hurt when
his biological mom brushed him off. Some have speculated that Berkowitz's "Son of
Sam" was an fantasy attempt to reclaim a parent/child identity that had been crushed in
real life. According to Bundy biographers Michaud and Aynesworth, Ted's emotional
growth was stopped in its tracks after he learned that he was illegitimate at age 13. "It
was like I hit a brick wall," Bundy had said. Of course, he tried out every excuse he could
rummage, so it's difficult to take his word on this when his family life appeared otherwise
healthy.
Some lust murderers claim that exposure to violent events ignited their thirst for
blood. Ed Gein, among others, said that seeing farm animals slaughtered gave him
perverted ideas. But wouldn't that make 4-H a breeding ground for serial killers? Both
Albert Fish and Andrei Chikatilo blamed their sadistic bloodlust on frightening childhood
stories. Does this mean we can expect Stephen King's children to top the murder charts?
Even truly traumatic experiences don't automatically create a serial killer. "Acid Bath
Murderer" John Haigh, as a child, ran outside after a WWII bombing at his London
home. The bomb came with "a horrifying shriek, and as I staggered up, bruised and
bewildered, a head rolled against my foot." Joel Peter Witkin, a well-known artist whose
work is admittedly gruesome but fascinating, experienced the same event after witnessing
a car accident. So what makes one person become a serial killer, and another a famous
artist?

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On the other hand, many multiple murderers are isolated as children. Lucas, who
was already a shy child, was ridiculed because of his artificial eye. He later said that this
mass rejection caused him to hate everyone.
Kenneth Bianchi was also a child loner, with many problems. One clinical report
said that "the boy drips urine in his pants, doesn't make friends very easily and has
twitches. The other children make fun of him." Dahmer was antisocial as a kid, laughing
when he saw a fellow classmate injured. He later became an alcoholic teenager, routinely
ignored by his peers.
As the isolation grows more severe, the reliance on fantasies, especially
destructive ones, can grow. These fantasies of violence often reveal themselves through
two of the three "triads" of predicting criminal behaviour, fire-starting and animal cruelty.
2.0.3 9Genetics
Tests are showing that the nervous system of the psychopath is markedly different
they feel less fear and anxiety than normal people. One carefully conducted experiment
revealed that "low arousal levels" not only causes impulsiveness and thrill-seeking, but
also showed how dense sociopaths are when it comes to changing their behavior. A group
of sociopaths and a group of healthy individuals were given a task, which was to learn
what lever (out of four) turned on a green light. One lever gave the subject an electric
shock. Both groups made the same number of errors, but the healthy group quickly
9 Retrieved from

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learned to avoid the punishing electric shock, while sociopaths took much longer to do
so.
This need for higher levels of stimulation makes the psychopath seek dangerous
situations. When Gacy heard an ambulance, he would follow to see what sort of exciting
catastrophe was in the making. Part of the reason for many serial killers seeking to
become cops is probably due to the intensity of the job.
Genetics and physiological factors also contribute to the building of a psychopath.
One study in Copenhagen focused on a group of sociopaths who had been adopted as
infants. The biological relatives of sociopaths were 4-5 times more likely to be
sociopathic than the average person. Yet genetics don't tell the whole story; it only shows
a predisposition to antisocial behaviour. Environment can make or break the
psychopathic personality.
When a psychopath does inherit genetically-based, developmental disabilities, it
is usually a stunted development of the higher functions of the brain. 30-38% of
psychopaths show abnormal brain wave patterns, or EEGs. Infants and children typically
have slower brain wave activity, but it increases as they grow up. Not with psychopaths.
Eventually, the brain might mature as the psychopath ages. This may be why most serial
killers are under 50. The abnormal brain wave activity comes from the temporal lobes
and the limbic system of the brain, the areas that control memory and emotions. When
development of this part of the brain is genetically impaired, and the parents of the child
are abusive, irresponsible or manipulative, the stage is set for disaster.

PAGE | 16
Can psychopaths be successfully treated? According to the psychiatrists, "No."
Shock treatment doesn't work; drugs have not proven successful in treatment; and
psychotherapy, which involves trust and a relationship with the therapist, is out of the
question, because psychopaths are incapable of opening up to others. They don't want to
change.
3.0 Signs of Becoming Serial Killer10
3.0.1 Triad
The triad links animal cruelty, obsession with fire setting, and persistent
bedwetting past the age of five to violent behaviors, particularly homicidal behavior.
However, other studies have not found statistically significant links between the triad and
violent offenders. Nevertheless, some serial killers exhibited at least some of these
behaviors during childhood.
3.0.2 11Animal Cruelty – precocious sadism
It is believed that many serial killers tend, before killing people, to kill animals as
a "training and testing" phase of their fantasy. Children or teenagers building up anger,
rage, and humiliation would take it out on animals as they are easier to control to get back
to the people who made them suffer. "Wright and Hensley (2003) named three recurring
themes in their study of five cases of serial murderers: as children they vented their
frustrations because the person causing them anger or humiliation was too powerful to
10 Retrieved from
11 Retrieved from

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take down; they felt as if they regained some control and power over their lives through
the torture and killing of the animals; they gained the power and control they needed to
cause pain and suffering of a weaker, more vulnerable animal - escalating to humans in
the future." Juvenile sadism directed at lower life-forms is nothing new. There have
always been children and adolescents (usually male) who enjoy hurting small creatures.
Certainly Shakespeare knew about such things. In King Lear, he writes about “wanton
boys” who pull the wings off of flies for “sport.” And in Mark Twain’s Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, the hero finds himself in a one-horse town where a bunch of young
loafers are amusing themselves by tying a tin pan to the tail of a stray dog and watching
him “run himself to death.” This characteristic is common among serial killers.
3.0.3 12Bed-Wetting – enuresis
There’s nothing unusual or alarming about bed-wetting in itself; it’s a common
phenomenon among little children. When the problem persists into puberty, however, it
may well be a sign of significant and even dangerous emotional disturbance. According
to the findings of the FBI’s Behavioural Science Unit, fully 60 percent of sex-murderers
were still suffering from this condition as adolescents-like the African-American serial
killer Alton Coleman, who wet his pants so often that he was saddled with the taunting
nickname “Pissy.”
Formative years may play a role in the molding of a serial killer, but they cannot
be the sole reason in every case. Many killers blame their families for their behavior,
seeking sympathy. In true psychopathic fashion, serial killers are blaming someone else
12 Retrieved from

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for their actions. If their bad childhood is the primary reason for their homicidal
tendencies, then why don't their siblings also become serial killers? And if these
conditions truly created them, serial killers would probably be unionized by now, there
would be so many of them (a sad commentary on our continuing neglect of children.) We
must look at other components to see what pushes a serial killer over the edge.
5.0 CAUSES OF SOMEONE BECOMING A SERIAL KILLER
5.0.1 13Social Evils
Violent Contemporary Culture Many multiple murderers blame our violent
culture for feeding their appetites. Days before he was executed, Bundy declared that
hard-core pornography was responsible for his murderous rampage. In our entertainment,
sex and violence seem to go hand in hand. Is there any validity to Bundy's claim?
Many serial killers adopt violent figures as their role models. Mild mannered
Peter Kurten, who on the surface was a polished and polite gentleman, idolized Jack the
Ripper while in jail (Weimar Germany as a culture seemed fascinated by the Ripper's
nefarious deeds.) "I thought of what pleasure it would give me to do things of that kind
once I got out again," he said. Both John Wayne Gacy and Ed Kemper worshipped John
Wayne, who obviously had a broader fan base than only serial murderers, but his
vigilante justice appeals to the killer who feels he has been wronged. To this day many
homicidal acts are blamed on movies and music. Although there is no direct proof that
violence in the media creates serial killers, it may activate the fantasy, and perhaps

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legitimizes it for some. As Ed Kemper said regarding violent pornography, "That didn't
make me mean. It just fuelled the fire."
According to Elliot Leyton, in his book Hunting Humans, serial killers are "not
alien creatures with deranged minds, but alienated men with disinterest in continuing the
dull lives in which they feel entrapped. Reared in a civilization which legitimizes
violence as a response to frustration, provided by the mass media and violent
pornography with both the advertising proclaiming the 'joy' of sadism and the instruction
manual outlining correct procedures, they grasp the 'manly' identity of pirate and
avenger."
5.0.2 14Stranger Society
It is easier for us to see each other only as strangers, or stereotypes. The serial
killer stalks stereotypes. "We are creating strangers of each other," says Steven Egger.
"As we become strangers we begin to see others more as objects and less as human
beings."
"It’s the anonymity factor," said Bundy on the ease of killing. In the 20h century,
the angst of the city continues to spawn both killers and victims. Serial killers can easily
troll for victims among the "forgotten": runaways, prostitutes, drug addicts, and the
poverty-stricken. Perhaps the anonymity itself is a factor that creates a serial killer.
Feeling disenfranchised, forgotten, ignored in the looming crowd, the psychopath not
only kills those who mirror back his own forgotten, anonymous identity, but even makes
a name for himself, "becomes somebody" in the process.

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5.0.3 15Serial Killing as a Career?
David Berkowitz illustrates this possibility. "Hello from the cracks in the
sidewalks of New York City, and from the ants that dwell in these cracks. ... " he wrote.
Berkowitz had no stable identity no achievements, no friends, no attachments. Just
isolation. The "Son of Sam" identity gave him great notoriety and power over others. "I
believe they were rooting for me," he said of the general public. He was thrilled to hear
co-workers at the post office chat about the Son of Sam, with no idea that the mild-
mannered David was the same psycho-killer in the daily newspapers.
Notoriety as a possible incentive is indeed frightening. The serial killers who are
initially motivated by a need for power love the media attention. Gacy treasured his
scrapbook of all the press he received. Jeffrey Dahmer's trial had "the air of a movie
premiere, complete with local celebrities, groupies who hounded for autographs, and a
full-scale media onslaughtof which I was a part," wrote Dahmer biographer Anne
Schwartz.
But Dr. Meloy, author of The Psychopathic Mind, warns us against celebrating
serial killers: "If the murder attracts media attention and catalyzes both public fear and
fascination, it will reinforce the psychopathic's concept of self as larger than life. ... In a
real sense, the popular media may mythologize predators to the degree that they do
become a legend in their own minds. This verification in reality of that which heretofore
had only been experienced in fantasy leads the psychopath to consider predation as the
sole means to achieve notoriety."
15 Retrieve from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/index.html

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When Do They Stop? When does a serial killer stop? Either when they are caught
or killed. Very few have turned themselves in. Only Ed Kemper called the police to
confess, and waited at a phone booth to be picked up. Recently, a Humboldt county truck
driver walked into a police station with a female breast in his pocket as proof of his
deeds. Some plea to be caught, yet coyly disappear before the cops arrive to arrest them.
William Heirens wrote his memorable message ("For heaven’s sake catch me before I kill
more I cannot control myself") in bizarre, red lipstick cursive on the wall, while his
victim lay dead, shot and stabbed in the neck. If there are any serial killers who quit
because they were satiated or bored, we cannot know because they are not in captivity.
Some claim that if they could they would have indulged in mass destruction. The
"Vampire of Dusseldorf" Peter Kurten said "the more people the better. Yes if I had the
means of doing so, I would have killed whole masses of people brought about
catastrophes." When Carl Panzram wasn't fantasizing about poisoning towns with
arsenic, he spent his time plotting a grand scheme to incite war between the British and
the Americans. "I believe the whole human race should be exterminated, I'll do my best
to do it every chance I get," he told a jury before their deliberation (they sentenced him to
death in less than a minute.)
5.0.4 16Natural Born Killers
Genetics/Bad Seeds are the psychopathic criminals really different from birth?
Many parents say that their children who grow up to be violent offenders are markedly
different from their non-violent siblings. Three-year-old Ted Bundy sneaked into his
16 Retrieve from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/index.html

PAGE | 22
teenage aunt Julia's room one morning, and slipped butcher knives under the covers of
her bed. "He just stood there and grinned," she said. Serial killer Carl Panzram himself
wrote: "All of my family are as the average human beings are. They are honest and
hardworking people. All except me. I have been a human-animile ever since I was born.
When I was very young at 5 or 6 years of age I was a thief and a lier and a mean
despisable one at that. The older I got the meaner I got." German child killer Peter Kurten
had drowned two playmates by the tender age of nine.
Are these children just born bad? Environment alone cannot explain deranged
behaviour too many abused and neglected children grow up to be law-abiding citizens. If
there is a genetic explanation, it’s a slippery, discreet mutation. We don't see entire
families of serial killers. There is no such thing as a "kill gene", but research is revealing
some genetic tendencies to violent behaviour. In other words, bad seeds blossom in bad
environments.
One study of twins who were raised apart, done by Yoon-Mi Hur and Thomas
Bouchard in 1997, revealed a strong link between impulsivity and sensation-seeking
behaviour, "attributed almost entirely to genetic factors." Both sensation-seeking traits
and impulsivity have been "found to be higher in drug abusers, delinquents, and
psychopaths."

PAGE | 23
CONCLUSION
Much of the general public’s knowledge concerning serial murder is a product of
Hollywood productions. Story lines are created to heighten the interest of audiences,
rather than to accurately portray serial murder. By focusing on the atrocities inflicted on
victims by “deranged” offenders, the public is captivated by the criminals and their
crimes. This only lends more confusion to the true dynamics of serial murder.
Law enforcement professionals are subject to the same misinformation from a
different source: the use of anecdotal information. Professionals involved in serial murder
cases, such as investigators, prosecutors, and pathologists may have limited exposure to
serial murder. Their experience may be based upon a single murder series, and the factors
in that case are extrapolated to other serial murders. As a result, certain stereotypes and
misconceptions take root regarding the nature of serial murder and the characteristics of
serial killers.
A growing trend that compounds the fallacies surrounding serial murder is the
talking heads phenomenon. Given creditability by the media, these self-proclaimed
authorities profess to have an expertise in serial murder. They appear frequently on
television and in the print media and speculate on the motive for the murders and the
characteristics of the possible offender, without being privy to the facts of the
investigation. Unfortunately, inappropriate comments may perpetuate misperceptions
concerning serial murder and impair law enforcement’s investigative efforts. It was
decided by a majority of the attendees to issue a formal statement of position regarding
the media’s use of these types of individuals.

PAGE | 24
REFERENCE
Candice, S. (2001, September). Defining Serial Murder: A Call for a Return to the
Original Lustmord. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 16 (2), pp. 10-24.
Cannon, A. (2003). 23 Days of Terror: The Compelling True Story of the Hunt and
Capture of the Beltway Snipers. New York, NY: Pocket Books.
Canter, D. V., Alison, L. J., Alison, E., & Wentink, N. (2004, September). The
Organized/Disorganized Typology of Serial Murder: Myth or Model? Psychology, Public
Policy, and Law, 10 (3), pp. 293-320.
Canter, D. (2003, October 13). Offender Profiling and Investigative Psychology. Journal
of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 1, pp. 1-15.
Cawthorne, N. (2007). Serial Killers and Mass Murderers: Profiles of the World’s Most
Barbaric Criminals. Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press.
DeFronzo, J., Ditta, A., Honnan, L., & Prochnow, J. (2007). Male Serial Homicide.
Homicide Studies, 11(1), pp. 3-14.
Douglas, J. (2006). Interviewing Murderers and Suspects; Learning about the Crime and
the Killer. Forensic Examiner, 16(2), pp. 44-47.
Drukteinis, A. M. (1992). Serial Murder - The Heart of Darkness. Contemporary
Psychiatry, 22(10), pp. 532-538.

PAGE | 25
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Phobias. (17 December 2013). Retrieved from The FBI, http://www.fbi.gov/stats-
services/publications/serial-murder
Phobias. (18 December 2013). Retrieved from Directnic.com, http://www.crime-
times.org
Phobias. (18 December 2013). Retrieved from Crime Library,
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/
serial_killers/notorious/tick/victims
Phobias. (18 December 2013). Retrived from Citeseerx, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/
viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.97.6084&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Phobias. (19 December 2013). Retrieved from The Free Dictionary by Farlex,
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/serial+killer

PAGE | 26
APPENDIX
Two world’s most famous serial killers.
1) The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who operated in northern California in the
late 1960s and early 1970s. The killer's identity remains unknown. The Zodiac
murdered victims in Benicia, Vallejo, Lake Berryessa, and San Francisco between
December 1968 and October 1969. Four men and three women between the ages
of 16 and 29 were targeted. The killer originated the name "Zodiac" in a series of
taunting letters sent to the local Area press. These letters included
four cryptograms (or ciphers). Of the four cryptograms sent, only one has been
definitively solved. Suspects have been named by law enforcement and amateur
investigators, but no conclusive evidence has surfaced. In April 2004, the San
Francisco Police Department marked the case "inactive," yet re-opened the case at
some point prior to March 2007. The case also remains open in the city of Vallejo,
as well as in Napa County and Solano County. The California Department of
Justice has maintained an open case file on the Zodiac murders since 1969.
2) Jack the Ripper is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who
was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the
Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter written by
someone claiming to be the murderer that was widely disseminated in the media.
The letter is widely believed to have been a hoax, and may have been written by a
journalist in a deliberate attempt to heighten interest in the story. Within the crime

PAGE | 27
case files as well as journalistic accounts the killer was known as "the
Whitechapel Murderer" as well as "Leather Apron". Attacks ascribed to the
Ripper typically involved female prostitutes who lived and worked in the slums of
London and whose throats were cut prior to abdominal mutilations. The removal
of internal organs from at least three of the victims led to proposals that their
killer possessed anatomical or surgical knowledge. Rumors that the murders were
connected intensified in September and October 1888, and letters from a writer or
writers purporting to be the murderer were received by media outlets and Scotland
Yard. The "From Hell" letter, received by George Lusk of the Whitechapel
Vigilance Committee, included half of a preserved human kidney, supposedly
from one of the victims. Mainly because of the extraordinarily brutal character of
the murders, and because of media treatment of the events, the public came
increasingly to believe in a single serial killer known as "Jack the Ripper".
Extensive newspaper coverage bestowed widespread and enduring international
notoriety on the Ripper. An investigation into a series of brutal killings in
Whitechapel up to 1891 was unable to connect all the killings conclusively to the
murders of 1888, but the legend of Jack the Ripper solidified. As the murders
were never solved, the legends surrounding them became a combination of
genuine historical research, folklore, and pseudo history. The term "ripper ology"
was coined to describe the study and analysis of the Ripper cases. There are now
over one hundred theories about the Ripper's identity, and the murders have
inspired multiple works of fiction

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