Serial Killers And The Serial Killer

Serial killers, we have all heard of them and most of us are petrified of them. They commit horrendous crimes that many people cannot even begin to wrap their head around. Unfortunately, for those of us who are afraid of them it is likely we have encountered at least one if not multiple in our lifetime. That last sentence really puts the “be nice to everyone” quote into perspective, doesn’t it? It is not known how many serial killers are actually walking around among us however most studies conducted reviled we may not want the answer. Chances are the number is higher than we would have thought and definitely higher than we had hoped. Although I highly doubt we will ever get an actual number. It is not likely that a survey will be given to see how many serial killers are actually walking free. Even if this hypothetical survey was given I do not think an actual serial killer is going to put a checkmark in the are you a serial killer box. Although if they did mark the box they would save a lot of lives. Answering yes to such a question would land them in a psych ward. We may not know how to identify a serial killer simply by looking them up and down but we do have theories that help predict why they choose to commit unspeakable crimes. One of these theories that will be discussed is the biosocial theory. Throughout the report, the biosocial theory of crime will be thoroughly explained and applied to this topic to better understand serial killers. Anyone who has some time to

Serial killers represent a social problem in many ways. Many innocent lives are taken away by these serial killers. We as a society should care if serial killers or spree killers operate within our culture because we never know that we or a family member could be next on the list. People’s lives are taken away by these criminals; people who have a whole life ahead

Serial killers are yet to be understood by society. Psychologists have no reason behind why serial killers do what they do and what motivates them to murder innocent people. In most cases, police investigations and forensic data collected from crime scenes leads to arrest. In “The Chessboard Killer” by Peter Savodnik, the case of Alexander Pichushkin, a Russian serial killer, in prison after being convicted of killing 48 people maliciously. Pichushkin stated, “For me, life without murder is like life without food for you.”(204). Psychologists have found him insane, yet they have no explanation for his madness. In this article about Alexander Pichushkin, Savodnik uses logos in the article through data collected, Pichushkin’s life details, and direct quotations from those involved to reveal how the Russian society created such a violent individual.

Serial murder crime though rare, is not a a new phenomenon. This crime has been committed for centuries and will continue to be a crime that is committed throughout the world. It is unfortunate and scary that this is probably one of the most serious of crimes that cannot be prevented. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, serial murderers commit their crimes because they want to. Rehabilitation is not obtainable for serial killers due to their inability for remorse and empathy, or to see people as people and not objects(Knight 2006). This research paper will focus primarily on serial murder within the U.S. First and foremost, a legal definition provided by the U.S. Department of Justice will be presented to set forth the discussion of this research paper. As follows will be a detailed discussion explaining serial killer typologies with the use of examples of known serial killers in the U.S. Types of serial killers are: power oriented, mission oriented, visionary, and hedonistic, each typology will be clearly defined and explained. Some serial killers can have a mixture of each typology’s characteristic. Serial killers that will be discussed and used as examples to represent the content of this research paper will be, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Robert Berdella, Jeffery Dahmer, and lastly the most prolific serial killer in American history, Gary Ridgeway. Problems with studying serial killing, are that because of rarity and access. Most of what we think

A serial killer is traditional defined as the separate killings of three or more people by an individual over a certain period of time, usually with breaks between the murders. (Angela Pilson, p. 2, 2011) This definition has been accepted by both the police and academics and therefore provides a useful frame of reference (Kevin Haggerty, p.1, 2009). The paper will seek to provide the readers with an explanation of how serial killers came to be and how they are portrayed in the media.

Throughout history, serial killers and murderers have received a significant number of news articles dedicated to them and have attracted audiences all around the world; however, the question that nobody can seem to answer is, “Why?” What causes people to grow up with the desire to kill and what can we do to prevent others from becoming serial killers in the future? “All serial killers are murderers, but not all murderers are serial killers,” as stated on The Undergraduate Times. A serial murder is defined by Encyclopedia Britannica as “the unlawful homicide of at least two people, carried out in a series over a period of time,” while mass murder is the

The stereotype that exists for individuals who commit serial murder is one that mainly includes males of a specific race. However, it is now known that white males are not the only individuals who commit serial murder. Men and women from all racial and ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic statuses have been found to be serial murderers. Although this information has been presented to society, the cultural schema of the white male serial killer is still prevalent. The assumptions that involve serial murderers often include two aspects, the serial murderer is male and the serial murder is a type of “lust murder”, often involving sexual crimes by a sadist (Keeney and Heide, 1995). Keeney and Heide (1994) define serial murder to be the

Serial killers traumatize entire communities and cause tremendous disturbance to everyone. The Gilgo Beach serial killer is also known as the Long Island serial killer and Craigslist Ripper is said to have been responsible for 10 to 17 murders. The killer is said to target those who work in the sex industry and is believed to have been active for more than 20 years. Although the killer has been active more than 20 years the police are nit anywhere near to catching him. This essay will take a look at the investigation of the serial killer, take a look at who some of the victims were and finally give my opinion on how the case is being handled. It is important to note that the identity of the killer has not been identified therefore there has not been a trial and a sentencing. Also for the purpose of this essay I will be referring to the Unsub as The Gilgo Beach serial killer or simply as the killer.

Studies show that traits of a serial killer can be seen in a person at a very young age. Most warning signs go unnoticed which is why the growth of the killer continues. A thing such as animal cruelty is one of many clues inside the growth of a serial killers mind “They often start out their careers by maiming, harming, and torturing small animals.” “In extreme cases, they have been known to spend hours inflicting a slow death on animals...this is a form of control that allows them the power to crave” (Kocsis,2008) . Many future serial killers also show a major interest in setting fires. Even though it is common for most young children to show a slight interest in fire, those with serial killing in their future are somewhat pyromaniacs.

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.

“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both”. When saying justice, it is meaning getting what you deserve. Serial killers, which are people who kill multiple people, get their fair share at justice. Many serial killers receive punishment that is equivalent to the outrageous, unjust acts that they have committed.

A lot of people view serial killers as psychopaths, deranged, lunatics, just people that’ve went off the deep end. They are special and extremely dangerous, but at one point in time they were all just like you; living a regular life, maybe working a 9-5, even had a family, but it’s clear as day, something went wrong. “All it is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy” (Ledger, The Dark Knight). A serial killer’s motive to kill isn’t completely haphazard, such inhumane behavior comes from a negative psychological background 9 times out of 10, a background which is sometime quite hard to discover.

Edward had seen them that morning, walking through the town. He had stared, and they had noticed it, for sure. Another murder, he guessed. He did not care about the murders that had haunted this town for years. His family was gone, some dead, while some fled the town. Since Pace and the detective had left the diner that day, he had planned ways to avenge his cousin. Pace will pay for what he did. He could kill him if he wanted, but then he needed to stop drinking, which was not an option. Edward wanted him to feel slow pain. First, destroy his friends, then his soul and last his life. He knew he could break him if he wanted. Edward could imagine his happiness when he had broken Pace. No more pain, no more drunkenness and no more cold days.

Since a young age, I have wondered the age old question: why is there bad in this world? Only later did I learn about hormonal imbalances in the brain and the importance of an equilibrium between dopamine and serotonin. With my fascination of the mind and a question perhaps as old as time, I have decided to do my graduation project on the psychology and sociology of Serial Killers. My graduation project also relates to my current desired career, a clinical psychiatrist.

Serial killers have unsuspectingly dwelled among society for as long as evil has been amongst the human race. The world would not be the same without these vile people. Yes, serial killers are awful human beings but there is something about them that has, and will continue, to be a topic of interest to the innocent. Serial killers are always talked about; in fictional movies, documentaries, books, speeches, dinner topics, the list goes on. The average, day by day people in society have always craved the mysteries of serial killers and that is what gives these despicable people the reason to keep killing, fame.