Serial killer: one
who murders on multiple occasions, generally having similar victims with
similar motives. A serial killer cannot be rehabilitated due to their lack of
emotions, lack of fear and anxiety, and because of the complexity of their
mental state otherwise known as being a sociopath. Despite all of the research
done about this exact topic, we have yet to find a cure to the madness with in
a serial murderer. “We can somehow accept the fact that a few people go ‘crazy’
sometimes and start shooting others. However, it is more disconcerting to learn
that some of the ‘nicest’ people one meets lead to a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
life: a student by day, a killer of coeds by night; a caring attentive nurse
who secretly murders sick children, the handicapped, or the elderly; a building
contractor and politician who enjoys sexually torturing and killing young men
and burying them under his home. When we discover that people exist who are not
considered to be insane or crazy but who enjoy killing others for ‘recreation’,
this indeed gives new meaning to the word ‘stranger’” (Hickey 2). As this topic
is introduced, keep in mind that there are several different types of serial
killers and even more reasons for the murders.
Erik W. Hickey demonstrated the top ten types of serial killers. They
are as follows; the depressive killer, the psychotic killer, killers who are
affected by a brain disorder, the psychopathic killer, the hysterical killer,
the juvenile killer (in these cases the murderer was a child), the mentally
retarded killer, and the people who kill due to sexual reasoning. Hickey also
listed the top eleven reasons behind the murders. They include; profit (in
extensive research I found that this reason is rare), passion, hatred,
domination, revenge (also found to be rare in further research), contract
killing, opportunism, fear, desperation, compassion, and ritual. There are
several different aspects to what creates a sociopathic individual, otherwise
known as a psychopath.
In the 19th century, this type of
situation was considered to be “moral insanity”. It is now called antisocial
personality disorder, sociopathology or being a psychopath. Some experts
believe that it is a type of genetic dysfunction. There are tests that show the
nervous system of a serial killer is different than that of a normal being.
They typically have lower body temperatures, and a decreased pulse rate.
Experts say that this is caused by their lack of anxiety and emotion. Their
lack of emotion in a sense creates a lack of satisfaction. So a sociopathic
individual looks for thrill seeking actions, thus leading to murdering multiple
people. The same studies also showed that it is nearly impossible to change the
behavior of a sociopath because their mental state is so complex. Shirley Lynn
Scott explains that 30-38 percent of sociopaths individuals have abnormal
electroencephalograms (recording of brain activity). The abnormal activity in
the sociopath’s brain comes from the areas that control emotion and memory, the
temporal lobes, and limbic system. When these two parts of the brain are
damaged or deformed, the individual will suffer consequences, such as, being a
psychopath. Although some blame genetics, it is a child’s environment that is the
key to creating a psychopathic human. The biggest aspect to blame is a corrupt
child hood.
The estranged
childhood usually begins with child abuse. Most sociopaths have been
emotionally, physically or sexually abuse by one or both parents. Shirley Lynn
Scott states, “Many sadistic murderers portray their childhood as an endless
chain of horrifying sexual abuse, torture, and mayhem.” There are different
classifications of parenting that experts say are part of the blame. First,
there are loose moms. These mothers expose their children to inappropriate
sexual behaviors. Scott states, “Bobby Jo Long killed women he characterized as
whores and sluts, who he said reminded him of his own mom. She had frequent sex
(according to him) with men in the same room where Bobby slept. According to
Long, he shared his bed with his mother until he was 13 years old.” There are
also uptight moms. These people are usually very religious. One example would
be the serial killer named Ed Kemper. As a child, he had surgery on his stomach
to correct a hernia. His Catholic mother told him that the surgery was to prevent
his penis from growing. Young Kemper did not know any better so he did not
question his mother’s statement, going through life believing his penis had
been stunted. She would also make him hold his hand over an open flame. If he
cried, she would beat him. When he grew older, he beheaded her, ripped out her
vocal cords and put them down the garbage disposal then, raped her decapitated
body and proceeded to use her head as a dartboard on the mantle-piece in his
living room. There is also a classification for deadly dads. These are the
fathers that are very disciplinary. They beat their kids, causing them physical
and emotional pain that is unforgettable. For example, the known serial
murderer Albert De Salvo’s father would often bring prostitutes home in front
of young De Salvo and his mother, then would beat his spouse. It is said the he
would break her fingers one by one and make young Albert watch as he did so.
(Scott 8). Some parents believe in the tough love concept. The tougher they are
on the child, the tougher the child will be and he or she will learn to respect
authority. In most cases such as that, the parent is creating a huge
communication barrier between the parent and the child. In essence, it creates
a lack of love and compassion. A child needs nurture in order to become a
healthy, loving, and trusting adult. If a parent deprives his or her child of
the love and care that they need to grow, it is called emotional abuse. Joel
Norris states, “Parents who abuse their children physically as well as
psychologically, instill in them an almost instinctive reliance upon violence
as a first resort to any challenge (Scott 6).”
The harshness of a child’s past often leads them into inappropriate and
intense thoughts of violence. There are other important aspects to take into
consideration. A child may have a normal childhood, but has experienced one
dramatic situation that disturbed him for life.
Sometimes children
are exposed to things that they should not be. For example, Ed Gein lived on a
farm during his childhood and seen many farm animals get slaughtered. He explained
that this gave him a sort of sexual arousal that grew into something
uncontrollable. Another example is the
Acid Bath Murderer, John Haigh. As he was young, there was a bombing in his
home in London, England. He states, “A horrifying shriek as a staggered up,
bruised and bewildered, a head rolled against my foot.” One more situation that
is relative would be Joel Peter Witkin. He became a deranged serial murderer
after witnessing a gruesome care accident as a child. Another aspect that is
considered when researching sociopaths is adoption. Many of the well-known
serial killers were adopted. This idea fascinates the kellier because it
creates questions. They often fantasize about who their real parents are.
Questioning if they were gangsters, prostitutes, nuns, and why did they reject
their newborn child? Juvenile detention , is also said to be a large factor in
creating sociopathic individuals. Scott states, “Reform school in the early 20th
century did anything but reform. The stories of sadistic guards and mid-evil
punishments are almost paralleled by the violent behavior of the prisoners who
went on to serial killing.” Peer rejection also contributes to the making of a
serial killer. Kenneth Bianchi, a shy child was very rejected by his fellow
peers. One reporter says, “The boy drips urine from in his pants, doesn’t make
friends very easily and has twitches, the other children make fun of him.” As
these issues become larger, they become disorders that show symptoms and
progress over time.
Many serial
killers show distinct signs as they are children. The three main signs that are
given off according to Scott, are, animal cruelty, pyromania, and bed wetting. Many
children that have been abused in some way, will torture animals. Some of them
torture them to death simply for the fun of it. They are said to be “practice
for killing humans (Scott 12).” Edmund Kemper is known for burying the family
cat alive, then digging it up and beheading it. Yet, Jeffery Dahmer would
behead dogs and place the head on a stick and walk around with it. Not every
serial killer tortures animals. In fact, many of them have a love for nature’s
companions. For example, Dennis Nelson couldn’t handle being arrested because
he feared that it would traumatize his dog, Bleep. The second sign of a
sociopath is setting fires. Berkowitz kept record of all 1,411 that he started.
When asked about it, he states, “Oh what ecstasy setting fires brings to my
body! What power I feel at the thought of fire! Oh what pleasure, what heavenly
pleasure!” The last major sign is bed wetting past the age of thirteen.
Although there is not much explanation for why this occurs, some statistics
listed by Scott say that about 60 percent of killers wet the bed after the age
of thirteen. Although sometimes these signs do not mean anything, they could
also mean that the child is a possible sociopath in the making. A lot of times,
the childhood, or the types of symptoms shown off when the killer is young can
determine what type of killer the sociopath will be.
Every serial
killer has different traits, yet similar actions. They generally kill one
specific type of individual with the same motive. Edmund Kemper states, “It was
an urge… A strong urge, and the longer I let it go the stronger it got, to
where I was taking risks to go out and kill people – risks that normally,
according to my little rules of operation, I wouldn’t take because they could
lead to arrest (Scott 2).” Almost every psychopathic serial killer demonstrates
traits as they begin to kill. According to Scott, they are as follows; at
first, there is usually about three or four victims with a cooling off period in
between. The killer generally has never had any associations with his victims
before the crime. The murders generally reflect on the need to dominate the
victim, meaning that the killer feels he needs to control something in his life
that the victim may remind him of, such as, an abusive mother, or a prostitute
representing a loose mother. These murders are rarely for profit, the victim is
almost always of symbolic value to the killer. Lastly, the killer will usually
choose people that are vulnerable and easy to kill. Serial killers have a
general similarity in appearance as well. According to Scott, they are usually
described as a white male, between twenty and thirty, and are from a low to
middle class background. As previously stated, many of them were abused as
children. Another aspect to be taken into consideration is that a lot of
killers were adopted. The most significant trait that a killer will demonstrate
is an odd disguise. Serial killers usually have a special type of outfit they
wear while they are searching for a victim. For example, John Wayne Gacy,
popular political figure and husband to his first lady Rosalynn Carter, raped
and killed thirty-three young males between the years of 1972 and 1978. He
buried them under his own home. He would do this while dressed as “Pogo the
Clown” (Worst Killers 2). The killer’s disguises often mislead authorities,
making them difficult to catch. Many serial killers dress as cops, to easily
lure their victims in. They not only disguise their looks, but they also hide
the type of person they are too, in essence making them nearly impossible to
not only find, but also rehabilitate.
Serial killers can
also be called masters of disguise. They mask their identity, and their
personality. Sociopathic people do not experience emotions, stress, or anxiety
the way average people do. They lack the ability to feel compassion, therefore
making daily life for them very different. Steven Egger says, “As we become
strangers, we begin to see others as objects and less as human beings.” This
statement means that serial killers are unable to make the connection with
other beings that average people make. Sociopaths are known to mimic the
behaviors of the people around them. For example, a person who has antisocial
personality disorder will see his classmates smiling and interacting, in
essence, he his teaching himself how to act ‘normal’. This aspect of the
disorder makes it nearly impossible to rehabilitate these people because they
are so complex, and almost unmanageable to treat. Scott writes, “Two
psychiatrists interview Kemper and agreed that he was now safe. All the while
he had the head of one of his victims sitting in the trunk of his car, parked
outside the doctor’s office.” Sociopathic individuals thrive on impulse and
pleasure. Since it is so difficult for them to experience the pleasure feeling,
they go to extremes. This is not correctable by any type of treatment.
Counseling is not an option because this type of individual cannot create a
trusting relationship with another person. Shock therapy has never worked in a
serial killer situation, and the complexity of their mind is not yet understood
enough for medication to be prescribed and label the issue as cured. In
addition to the difficulty authorities and doctors have with these types of
individuals, the press does not help. When a killer sees that he is becoming
well-known, he thrives on the power. Dr. Meloy writes, “If the murder attracts
media attention and catalyzes both public fear and fascination, in will
reinforce the psychopaths concept of self as larger than life. In a real sense,
the popular media may mythologize predators to the degree that they do become a
legend in their own mind.” When a killer sees that he is becoming ‘famous’, he
feels more power within himself. This heightens the pleasure sense and may make
him kill more. Many people as the question of what makes them start killing so
many people all of s sudden.
Serial killers
often have something happen to them that puts them over the emotion edge and
creates a monster. There are many triggers associated with this condition.
According to Scott, drugs are usually involved in these cases, alcohol
especially. The triggers that cause the epidemic often determine what type of
victims the killer choses. Often times, when there is a conflict with a female,
such as an estranged mother, intimate partner, or a prostitute, the killer will
murder victims will kill people who remind him of that person. Other conflicts
can be, parental conflict, financial stress, marital problems, conflict with
males, birth of a child, physical injury, legal problems, and stress from a
death (Scott 22). A lot of times, the triggers create a lack of self-control.
So the killer must murder to retain that control. Scott states, “Christopher
Wider, who traveled across the country, raping, torturing, and murdering eight
women, claims his murderous rampage began after his marriage proposal was
denied.” After these multiple killings, the murderer goes through six phases.
According to Joel Norris, they are as follows; The Aura Phase, meaning the
killer is losing his grip on reality, The Trolling Phase, meaning the killer is
searching for a victim. The Wooing Phase is when the killing is luring his
victim in for the kill. The Capture Phase is entrapping the victim, The Murder
or Totem Phase, this phase is the emotional high for the killers, and lastly,
The Depression Phase, this occurs after the killing is complete.
As you can see, the nature of a
serial killer is very complex and often misunderstood by experts. We will never
really understand what is happening in the mind of a sociopathic serial killer.
For this reason, our society is not willing to participate in a serial killer
reform, or rehabilitation because the risk is simply way too high. Serial
murderer Carl Panzram states, “I have no desire to reform myself. My only
desire is to reform people who try to reform me. And I believe the only way to
reform people is to kill em. My Motto is, Rob em all, Rape em all, and Kill em
all (Scott 24).” Some people relate serial killers to black wholes’. There is
no explanation for its occurrence. The killers themselves often describe it is
having a piece missing, or something within is dead. Serial murderers cannot be
rehabilitated due to their lack of self-control, lack of emotion, and the
complexity of their mental state.
Scott, Shirley L. "What Makes Serial
Killers Tick?" — Monsters or Victims? — Crime
Library on TruTV.com. Web. 25 Apr.
2012. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/tick/victims_1.html
This is the site that I received most of my
information from. I used many quotes, and stories from this article. I used this to explain
studies, and to get a closer look at the serial killers themselves.
"10 Worst Serial Killers." Of All Time. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.
<http://homesecurity.net/serial-killers/>.
This site helped me while
creating my blog. I used these examples to show people that serial killers often
kill many more people that what we think they do.
Phil, Dr. "Dr. Phil.com - Advice - Fourteen
Characteristics of a Serial Killer." Dr. Phil.com. Web. 25 Apr.
2012. <http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/188>.
This site helped me get a better understand of what goes on
in the mind of a serial killer.
Mann, Denise. "MedicineNet.com." MedicineNet. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50579>.
This site explained several statistics in which I took into
consideration while writing my paper.
Leung, Julietta. "THE PERSONALITY PROFILE OF A SERIAL
KILLER." Web.
This was a very easy to read guide to what a serial killer
acts like. It helped me explain myself better when writing my paper.
Hickey, Eric W. "Serial Killers: Defining Serial
Murder." Serial Killers. Web. 25 Apr.
2012. <http://www.serialhomicide.com/serial-killers.htm>.
This is the first site that I found. I found this very
helpful because it was easy to read, and had a lot of useful information.
