Btk Killer Case Study Essay

There is no real general profile of serial killers; each serial killer has a unique set of characteristics. In attempt to profile these types of criminals, there has been some common characteristic that serial killers have exhibited during child that has been mention in early in this paper. Research into serial killers is important partly because even though there is literature out there on serial killers, there is still not much known about these types of criminals. The purpose of this paper's focus on Mr. Kuklinski is to hopefully debunk stereotypes and myths in regards to serial killers. Popular or common belief of serial killers to deranged psychopathic people who are unhinged. However, Kuklinski is the opposite he is cold hearted and possesses a full mental capacity to where he understand everything he doing and full ramification of his action. He completely understands that he is indeed committing first-degree murder and if he were to get caught he would punish with life in

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.

This journal is written 3 authors: Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida and received his doctorate from the University of Cincinnati, Steven T. Holmes. Dean of the California School of Forensic Studies at Alliant International University, Eric W. Hickey, Ph.D. and Emeritus Professor in the Department of Justice Administration at the University of Louisville, Ronald M. Holmes, M.A. They constructed different types of females who are serial killers and discussed homicidal behavioral traits. It begins with differentiating

In the article The Serial Killer Phenomenon Richard Whittington-Egan aims to explain what exactly a serial killer is and how they differ from a mass murderer. Whittington-Egan breaks down and showcases the defining characteristics of a serial kill with the help of numerous cases of evidence to confirm the accuracy of each statement. The article concludes with examining the future of this phenomenon, what has been done, and most importantly how difficult it will be to solve such an unpredictable behavior.

Serial Killers have been studied by psychologists, anthropologist and sociologists for years. In the following case study I will be talking about Robert Pickton. Robert Pickton is Canada’s most notorious serial killer, he was charged with 26 murder cases in 2006. I will analyze Roberts’s case with theories from psychology, sociology and anthropology. Psychology can tell us about Robert’s individual behaviour. Sociology can tell us about how the people and society around Robert affected him and Anthropology can tell us how his culture affected him.

In order to understand how serial killers are affected by social changes, one must understand their psyche. A serial killer is "sexually motivated but the underlying reason is power" (Newton 197). The killer wants power over his victims. Serial killing, itself, is a "distinctly modern phenomenon, a product of relatively recent social and cultural conditions to which criminologists can provide fresh insight by accentuating the broad institutional frameworks, motivations, and opportunity structures within which serial killing occurs" (Haggerty and Ellerbrok 6).  According to John E. Douglas, co-author of Mindhunters, the reason that murders committed by serial killers, at first blush, seem to be senseless crimes is because serial killers are often "motivated by a strong emotional feeling" (Dokterman), such as hate, vengeance, or regret. FBI agents have identified domination,

This literature review focuses on serial killers from a psychological viewpoint while trying to answer the question, “Are serial killers born to kill or are they bred to kill?” Firstly, this review will define a serial killer and the different kinds of killers, then it will take a look at different case studies of children who fantasized about mass killing and identify similarities between the cases attempt to find a way to possibly prevent their fantasies from becoming reality. The debate of nature vs. nurture is also discussed as psychologists and researchers come to the conclusion that environmental factors play a bigger role in the developmental character of a person than genetics, but there is still no definite answer as to why some individuals grow up with the urge to murder other people and/or animals.

We all have the deep desire to kill, however, some people can hide or suppress this feeling more than others. This is what seeker science tries to unravel. While it’s not a single person to write this, its a team of experienced writers, teachers, and analysts. In the begging of the article, it is stated that “ Serial murderers are distorted reflections of society's own values, according to new research.” (Serial Killers Shaped by Society, Study Claims 2009).

Dennis Rader was born on March 9th, 1945. He grew up in Park City, Kansas just outside of Wichita. His parents were William and Dorothea Rader. Both have passed away. Dennis has 3 brothers, Jeff, Paul and Bill Rader. He regulary attended church and was a compliance officer and also installed security systems. Rader was married on May 22nd, 1971 to Paula. They have 2 kids, Brian Rader and Kerri Lynn Rader. Brian is 31 years old and kerri is 28 years old. His daughter Kerri is currently living in Farmington, Michigan. Dennis Rader has been described as having a tight Christian control over his family, and as a by-the-numbers type of person, arrogant, rude, confrontation, meticulous, neat, efficient, friendly, a regular guy, and petty.

In today’s society there has been many different types of serial killers since the 1880’s that have different characteristic traits, behavioral traits, motives and environmental factors that have led the person to kill people. The general profile of a serial killer is a person that has had a very troubled childhood. They are usually arsonists, like to kill animals and have had bed wetting problems growing up past the normal age. Some serial killers have been in mental hospitals before committing the murders. All serial killers have different motives and are arranged in certain categories due to their types of crimes, if they have a signature or take a souvenir.

Though serial killer may have a fairly specific definition, there is no single precise profile for the serial killer. Each has a unique identity, set of motives and methods, and a unique psychopathology that would attempt to explain the mens rea, that is, the purpose or intent of the murder. “Psychological profiling is an investigative tool used strictly to answer the how of the crime, not the why” (Severence et al, 1992; Lanier and Henry, 1998). By examining the psychological make-up of the serial killer, it is often possible to explain the behavior, which might make it a useful tool in solving crimes.

The events of the past can hold a great influence on the actions and behaviors of the future. From being raised in a supportive and loving home, to one that is full of neglect and abuse, each event can potentially impact the future of an individual. In the case of serial killers, there has been some debate on whether the evil ones are made or born; does it happen because of a genetic factor, environmental factor, or is it simply they addicted to the feeling of slaughtering another individual’s life? Although, the most important key in finding the truth deals with the past and shapes the outcome of the future. Upon viewing in a psychological stance, there is no clear understanding of why one aspect that most serial killers share, namely

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.

They usually hate their parents. Almost every serial killer is abused as a child, whether it is sexually, emotionally, physically, or psychologically. This abuse may come from a stranger or a family member, but many serial killers try to lie about this history of abuse. Most serial killers have records of early psychiatric problems and often spent time in institutions as children (i.e.: mental hospitals or psychological rehabilitation centers). They have an intense interest in voyeurism, fetishism, and sadomasochistic porn at a very early age, and they also have a very high rate of suicide attempts. Future serial killers share three other traits in their childhoods. More than sixty precent of serial killers wet their beds past the age of twelve. They also have a fascination with fire, which may be an early manifestation of their fondness for mass destruction. In addition, almost every serial killer starts his abuse and sadistic torture on animal victims (Fisher and Fisher, 2003).