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

Ted Bundy Film Analysis

Ted Bundy is a movie that chronicled the life and crimes of serial killer Theodore Robert Bundy.   The film starts out showing Bundy as an impulsive kleptomaniac.   The movie continues with alternating scenes between fairly normal life with his girlfriend and her daughter and times where Bundy is stalking, attacking, raping and killing women.   He sometimes broke into women’s houses with a lock picking kit.   He would often attack women on the streets or trick them into letting their guard down before attacking them.   The scenes with assaults are shocking, as Bundy nonchalantly attacks and kidnaps women, usually in broad daylight.   One scene with Bundy putting makeup on a severed head in his house is particularly chilling.   When Bundy ends up moving to Utah, his killings appear to have ramped up, and he killed in multiple areas in Utah and Colorado.   Bundy picked up a woman at a shopping center, claiming to be a police officer working on a case.   When she realizes that they hav
Post a Comment
Read more

Female Leadership in Tech

Women only make up 3 out of 15 positions at Microsoft’s senior leadership and only 4 out of 14 board members (“Leadership”).   Twitter’s board consists of only 4 women out of 11 total board members and their management has 3 women out of 10 upper level management (“Our Leadership”).   By having the representation at the top of tech companies reflect the general population should be a goal.   Women are half of the population and that should be reflected in leadership at companies.   Having females in leadership opens opportunities for more women to come into the tech field.   Women are less likely to have a negative stereotype of another woman and can help close the gender gap.   Tech companies can make hiring women a priority.   They need to talk about it and hold themselves accountable for having honorable hiring practices.   Works Cited "Leadership." Microsoft , news.microsoft.com/leadership/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2018. "Our Leadership." Twitter , about.twitter
Post a Comment
Read more

Traditional Female Muslim Attire

A big part of the Muslim faith is having a modest dress (Williams et al.).  Hijab is a term that refers to the headscarf that many Muslim women wear to cover their hair, neck and ears, leaving their face out.  Hijab also refers to the concept of modesty as a whole.  There are other forms that cover up more.  The niqab covers the face also, but leave the eyes out in the open.  Also, the burkah covers the entire head and face, with a mesh veil over the eyes so that the woman may see, but her eyes are shielded.  Muslim men are also to be modest in dress.  Some Muslim men wear a jilbab – a long sleeved full robe (Williams et al.). A Muslim woman who may be asked to remove or change her traditional attire would likely be very insulted and offended.  The Civil Rights Act of 1964 protect beliefs and expressions of belief of religious nature (Benson).  Title VII protects against discrimination in workplace hiring and promotion, provide for reasonable accommodations, and protection from hara
Post a Comment
Read more