Literature Review

            Serial killer: one who murders on more than one occasion, generally having similar victims while using the same techniques to kill them. “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. Some statistics listed by Shirley Lynn Scott says that around sixty percent these psychopathic people have lost a parent. Also, the child is often deprived of affection, with a history of inconsistent discipline. As you can see, there are several differations in each serial murder incident, but what makes this happen?

                According to Shirley Lynn Scott, “In the 19^th Century, psychopathology was considered to be ‘moral insanity’. Today it is commonly known as antisocial personality disorder, or sociopathology.”  Ted Bundy (convicted serial killer) states, “I’m the most cold-blooded sonofabitch you’ll ever meet. I just liked to kill, I wanted to kill.” Many people ask why this occurs and what makes a person want to kill another human-being. There are many triggers that cause this type of mental state to occur. Scott mentions many broad situations which may be the cause of some psychopathic individuals. Some of the many examples demonstrated are; child abuse (emotional, physical, or sexual), adoption, and juvenile detention centers. Aside from these situations that occur to disturb one’s mind, Scott also states that genetics plays a part in this demented disorder of the mind. This disorder does not appear without a trace. There are several signs that may lead one to notice a psychopath in the making. According to Scott, the killer will usually be in the age range between 20 and 30 years old. Also, as children, these people will have been known for setting fires, torturing animals, and bed wetting past the age of thirteen.

                As the sociopathic individual progresses and begins killing, they also have a trademark of signs. The killer generally has three to four victims at first, with a break in between. The killer usually has no relation what so ever to the victim. Also, the murderer kills for sadistic domination, not usually for profit, as the victim is usually symbolic to the killer. While most serial killers share these traits, they also have a similar description in appearances. The killer is usually a Caucasian man placed in lower to middle class. Most of them were emotionally or physically abused as children by one or both parents. They also usually come from families who try to paint the perfect family picture, while at home, everything is horrible. Serial killers use this to disguise themselves as normal civilized people.

                Many killers use costumes to elude, or cover up their own reality. Scott states, “Many, including John Gacy, the Hillside Stranglers, and Ted Bundy, have disguised themselves as law enforcement officials to gain access to their victims.” Another example would be John Wayne Gacy. He dressed up as a clown to rape and kill 33 young men. This may be why it is so difficult for authorities to find these killers right away. Serial Murderers mirror the behavior of the people they see around them every day. As Shirley Lynn Scott goes discusses different killers, she states this about Ed Kemper, “Two psychiatrists interviewed him and agreed that he was now ‘safe’. All the while, Kemper had the head of one of his victims sitting in the trunk of his car, parked outside the doctor’s office.”  As demonstrated by this research, these types of people are very intelligent. In fact, they generally have a higher IQ than the average person.  Although people are murdered every day, it is not a common occurrence that there is a serial killer in your neighborhood, which causes the uproar of this topic. Are serial killers sane? Or are they corrupt in such a way that we cannot blame them for their actions? That is why the question of rehabilitation arises. According to Shirley Lynn Scott, “Can psychopaths be successfully treated? According to the psychiatrists, no. Shock treatment doesn’t work; drugs have not proven successful in treatment; and psychotherapy, which involves trust and a relationship with the therapist, is out of the question, because psychopaths are incapable of opening up to others. They don’t want to change.”

                On the contrary, some experts believe that it is very possible that a serial killer can be rehabilitated with much time and effort. Psychiatrist, Dr. Johnson is a firm believer in the murderer rehabilitation process. He states, “…with the recognition, and treatment, of this reason for their behavior, those violent offenders can one day return to society.” He explains that the rage they portray comes from their childhood and is correctable with proper treatment. Johnson refers to this as a ‘Kindergarten Cage’ (Johnson 2), meaning that the killer is stuck in the stage of childhood where something disturbing happened. Without extensive treatment, the individual may never move on.

                Despite all of the research done about the mental state of a serial killer, in can be made certain that there is no hope for a successful rehabilitation. This is due to the lack of emotions, lack of anxiety, and the over-all deep complexity of the killer’s mental disorder. These specific individuals have an incurable illness of the mind that is not yet understood by those willing to treat it.