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.
Comments
Post a Comment