Serial Killer Victimology

There are many things that could facilitate a higher risk of being a victim of a serial killer.  In some cases in which victims are tricked, the victims may be trusting and gullible, putting their fate in the hands of a stranger.  Some people living on the fringes of society have a higher probability of becoming a victim of a serial killer, such as prostitutes, homeless, runaways, drug addicts, or hitchhikers.  In this way some victims have allowed themselves to be in a vulnerable position. When someone becomes a victim, their actions could possibly save them if they realize they are in danger and can act in time.  Such is the case when a victim of Ted Bundy’s actually fought him in the vehicle and was ultimately able to escape (Ted Bundy). The victim may not have lived if she were submissive to Bundy and didn’t fight for her life.  Ultimately, the serial killer will kill and the blame relies solely on the killer.  Should one person not fit the bill, or be an easy prey, they will simply pick another target.  If someone is ever in a situation where they are under attack from a serial killer, their fight or flight instinct could possibly save their life.

            Some people who are killed by serial killers have no way of predicting or stopping the attack.  However, there may be warning signs and it is a good idea to be aware of your surroundings, people around, and always trust your gut instinct.  Just as in cases of domestic violence and sexual assault, it does no good and is unproductive to “blame the victim” in serial killer murder cases.  The person who committed the murder is ultimately the only one responsible for the crime.

            The serial predator usually has his own idea of who the victim will be, based on looks, attitudes, age, sex, or some other possibly unknown characteristic.  Bundy’s victims were mostly white college age women.  The Atlanta Child Killer’s victims were black children and young adults.  Gacy killed young men.  The Granny Killer sexually assaulted and killed older women. (Keppel & Birnes).  And the Phantom Killer’s victims were all couples (Stowers).

            In 1997, I lived in Carrollton, Texas and worked in Addison, Texas.  We didn’t have a vehicle, so I took the DART bus down Belt Line Road every day.  I usually worked a 12 pm to 9 pm shift and rode the bus both ways.  Some days, when I was waiting for the bus on the way to work, I would see an older gentleman riding on a bicycle around the bus stop.  I didn’t see him every day.  I don’t even think I saw him every week, but I had seen him consistently over a period of time riding his bicycle.  I didn’t think much of this and often smiled at the man.  One day, as I was riding the bus home from work, I saw this man sitting at the front of the bus.  I didn’t see him get on as I was busy reading a book during the 30 minute ride.  When I looked at him, he was staring at me and it gave me an uneasy feeling.  Although I had seen him many times, I had never seen him on the bus.  When I got off the bus, he got off at the same stop and I walked into a convenience store that was right there, instead of walking straight home as I normally did.  After about 10 minutes, I figured he left and walked home.  I didn’t see him again for some time – it may have been a couple weeks or a month.  This time I saw him on the bus again, in the front and staring at me again.  I was scared.  I really wanted to tell the bus driver, but the man was sitting right next to the bus driver.  He got off at the same stop as me again; this time it felt as if he was right on my back as I walked so fast towards the convenience store.  I figured again I would wait about 10 minutes, then walk home.  When I left the store, I saw him waiting for me behind the short fence that was to the side of the store.  He was looking down and he didn’t see that I saw him, so I turned quickly around and walked back into the store and called my husband.  My husband rode his bicycle down to walk with me home.  As I was waiting for my husband, the man walked in front of the store and looked in the window at me.  Although I really found this man creepy now, I still didn’t realize how much potential danger I was in.  When my husband arrived, we started walking home and I was telling my husband about this weird man and all the weird things he was doing.  My husband noticed a person standing outside and asked if that was him.  It was dark and I couldn’t tell until we got fairly close.  My husband asked him why he was bothering me and the man said, “You don’t belong here.” and pulled out a long knife.  My husband told me to go back to the convenience store and call the police.  My husband held the bike up and defended and shielded us with the bike from the man.  The man ran away and the police couldn’t find him, even with police dogs.  The police told us to let them know if either of us saw the man again.  My husband saw him about a month later and called the police who arrested him.  We were told that the man was convicted of two separate murders of women, but was released because he was declared mentally insane.  He was in his 50’s and lived with his mother about a block from my bus stop. 

So there are several things I would like to say about my case and victimology.  I may have been his type: my age, my sex, my body type, my personality, etc.  There are many things I would have done differently now with this knowledge.  I would have paid more attention to the fact that I saw this man riding around on his bike, not apparently going anywhere.  I would have made a bigger noise about seeing this man on the bus, especially the second time.  I might have notified the bus driver, even though the man was there.  I might have stayed on the bus until I thought of something else.  I probably would have called the police earlier, instead of leading myself and then my husband into danger.  I tend to be a positive, fairly trusting person, but now I am more cautious.  Unfortunately, if I had not seen him behind the fence – if he had only ducked and waited for me behind the fence, I most likely would have fallen victim to him, along with how many ever people he actually killed.

  

Works Cited

Keppel, Robert D., and William J. Birnes. The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations The Grisly Business Unit. Academic Press, 2003.

Stowers, Carlton. "The Phantom Menace." Dallas Observer, 1 Feb. 2001, www.dallasobserver.com/news/the-phantom-menace-6392880. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.

Ted Bundy. Directed by Matthew Bright, First Look Home Entertainment, 2002.