Skip to main content

Characteristics of Serial Murder


Serial killers are often glorified in the media.  Some serial killers get a type of “cult” following, even letters professing love and admiration for the offender.  People seem to be fascinated with serial killers.
In The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations The Grisly Business Unit, Robert Keppel and William Birnes note that “Recognition is the single most important concept in serial murder investigations.” (Keppel & Birnes 3).  Serial killers sometimes remain undetected and undeterred as they operate on the fringes of society or appear so normal that they hide in plain sight.  Another obstacle is that some police departments may not want to admit they have a serial offender on their hands.  There are many reasons for this.  The rate of solving serial murder cases is generally much lower and slower than other murders and crimes.  The media and public attention may cause additional stress on the police department to solve the case.  Also, some law enforcement agencies may be unwilling to share information due to territorial bureaucracy between departments (Keppel & Birnes).  This is a mistake, since many times there may be unknown living witnesses that could come forward and may help crack the case if the public is made aware of a suspected serial killer.
Study of serial killers and serial killer investigations is eye opening.  Serial killers are often subjected to abuse as children.  They sometimes act out on animals or exhibit other dangerous and violent behavior in their youth.  As adults, serial killers assert their power and control over their victims.  The victims are only seen as a means to gratify their fantasies, that are usually sexual in nature (Murray).  Serial killers are the real life “boogey man” that we warn our children about.  Often, the fear and hype surrounding serial killers in the media and public pressure investigations hinders the resolve of detectives to believe in themselves and their systems (Keppel & Birnes).  Having a system in place to handle the large amount of data will help prepare any agency for when a serial murderer is suspected.
A pattern of possible linked murders can be gleamed from descriptions of the offender(s), physical evidence, and the way in which the perpetrator left the crime scene and/or body.  Often, a possible serial murder’s mentality can be suspected by the in the way the victim’s body is ritualistically dressed, undressed or positioned, even if it may be the killer’s first murder (Keppel & Birnes).
Sometimes, law enforcement can be completely blindsided, not knowing that they are in the midst of an active serial killer.  As in the case of John Wayne Gacy, police were not aware the murders were taking place, due to Gacy’s tendency to choose his victims from the edges of society, namely homeless or runaway young men.  Since Gacy concealed his victim’s bodies inside his house, police were not aware that murders had taken place. (Keppel & Birnes).
The serial killers that are caught should definitely be studied and interviewed.  Once they are locked behind bars, we should use them as a resource as much as possible.  “The more you know about serial killers, the more effectively they can be stopped.” (Murray 5).  There is much that can be learned about the mindset of these violent offenders.  If it is possible to use psychologists or trained law enforcement officer interviews to either keep someone else form becoming a serial killer or help further law enforcement understanding in order to help catch serial killers, that should be done.  Rehabilitation of serial killers should be attempted within a prison setting.  Rehabilitating serial killers could help us gain insight into them, while possibly improving the lives of inmates and staff where these perpetrators are being held.  Serial killers should never be allowed access to the general public again.  Since most serial killers are extremely manipulative, we will never know if they are truly rehabilitated.  As evidenced when Ted Bundy escaped from prison, he killed after only 15 days after escaping.  Bundy brutally attacked 5 college women at a Florida State University sorority house, killing 2.  Still on the run from the law, and less than a month later, he killed again, this time a 12 year old girl (Murray).  This type of killer is obviously out of control and cannot be trusted to be a member of society at large.




Works Cited
Keppel, Robert D., and William J. Birnes. The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations The Grisly Business Unit. Academic Press, 2003.
Murray, William. Serial Killers Notorious Killers Who Lived Among Us. Canary Press, 2007.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Scott William Cox

In November of 1990 and February of 1991, two prostitutes were murdered in the Portland area.   These two murders were solved due to the realization of a possible serial killer in an unrelated assault and different law enforcement agencies working together.   In May of 1991, another prostitute in Seattle was severely sexually and physically assaulted and thrown from the cab of an 18 wheeler truck.   The victim had to be hospitalized as a result of the attack.   Even though the victim did not want to prosecute the case, the detective in charge realized that this attack showed signs of a current or future serial killer.   Police were able to track down a man by the name Seth Scott Cutter through the employer, the trucking company.   Police felt that Cutter could be the person responsible and information about Cutter was disseminated to neighboring agencies.   An officer from a different police department recognized the suspect as a local man named Scot...
Post a Comment
Read more

Male or Female? Issues Transgender People Face

            In “Aligning Bodies,” Judith Lorber and Lisa Jean Moore bring to light the burdens endured by people in our society that don’t necessarily fit into preconceived notions of sex and gender.   On a daily basis there are issues they must consider:   when filling out forms that ask for their sex, when going to the restroom and when showing legal documents that may not match the gender they identify with.   Transgender people may or may not have surgery on their chest and/or genitalia and/or face or other surgery and may choose to use hormone therapy.   Some people are born with ambiguous genitalia or with genitals or chromosomes of both sexes.   Yet others may identify as a gender different than their birth sex and choose to not alter their body physically.   There is a wide spectrum of people in our world that don’t neatly fit into the “F” and “M” boxes.   Society and individuals need to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Case Study of Serial Killer Dennis Nilsen

Dennis Nilsen is a Scottish serial killer, born in 1945.   When Nilsen was just 4 years old, his parents divorced.   He was eventually sent to live with his grandparents when his mother remarried.   At just 16, Nilsen joined the army and worked as a cook and butcher for many years.   He also briefly worked as a police officer.   Nilsen craved sexual relationships with men and feared abandonment of his lovers leaving him (Murray).   During the late 70’s and early 80’s, Nilsen took men or boys back to his apartments for sex (Dennis).   He would strangle the men to death while they slept and would wash the bodies periodically and keep them over the course of several weeks or months hidden under his floor boards.   Nilsen would bring the men’s bodies out to be with him, “watch” television with him, and lay in the bed with him.   Later, he dismembered the bodies and burned them in the garden, along with a tire to mask the smell of burning flesh....
Post a Comment
Read more