SERIAL KILLERS

WHAT IS A SERIAL KILLER

• A person who murders 3 or more people with a with a "cooling off" period between each one
• Most involve sexual contact or weird fetishes
• Motives include anger, thrill, money, or attention seeking

PSYCOPATHY V. ANTI-SOCIAL PERSONALITY

• Antisocial: a personality disorder characterized by a total disregard for laws and social norms
• It is more common in men
• People with APSD act impulsively, lie, and have little concern for themselves

PSYCOPATHY V. ANTI-SOCIAL PERSONALITY CONT.

• Pyschopathy: a sever form of ASPD
• Pyschopaths have the symptoms of ASPD in addition to absolutely no remorse and are highly paranoid

DIAGNOSING PYSCHOPATHY

• The tool for diagnosing psychopathy is much like a check list
• Once tested, a scored is received, the average score is 4
• A person who is a psychopath will have a score of 30-40 with 40 being the highest
• However, most psychopaths are not violent or destined to murder

Types of Serial Killers

• Visionary – “sees things”; psychopathic, directed by “another being”
• Missionary – need to eradicate a certain group, not psychotic.
• Hedonistic – seeks thrill and derives pleasure from killing.
• Power/Control – sexual gratification from dominance of victim=power of life and death.

Common Characteristics

• White Male
• Age 25-35
• Intelligence – ranges from low to very high
• From all walks of life: May be the married man next door with kids or socially inept/unable to maintain relationship/loner
• Kill for sex, power, manipulation domination, and control

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS CONT.

• Usually kill within ethnic group (depending on murder)
• Age of victims varies greatly
• Usually no prior contact or hatred for victim
• Victims may be symbolic in some way

Psychopaths and Sociopaths

• Self-centered (egocentric and narcissistic)
• Manipulative
• Emotionally shallow
• Devoid of empathy/remorse

Fantasies

• All humans fantasize about their dreams and futures – usually very detailed
• Serial killers have detailed fantasies -Specific victims -Repetitive -Reveals modus operandi (MO= method of operation)/ signature
• Helps Forensic psychiatrists develop profiles of the killers

TROPHIES AND SOUVENIRS

• Take objects with no monetary value
• Holds value to perpetrator
• Use it to relive crime later
• Ex: jewelry, clothing, drivers license, even body parts

Childhood

• Many come from physical, psychological, and sexual abuse
• Fantasy includes sexual and violent characteristics
• Insulate self by creating protective world rich in fantasy
• Themes commingle until they are inseparable
• Offenders seek victims that fulfill their fantasy
• Ex: Ted Bundy – women with dark hair parted in middle

Misconceptions

• Serial killers are the same as mass murderers
• Serial killers kill several people over a series of days, weeks, months, or even years. They have an active period and then a cooling off period
• Mass murderers kill a number of people within a few hours. They murder in an outburst with no cooling off period

Misconceptions (cont.)

• Serial killers are complete losers who cannot function normally in society.
• It’s more common for serial killers to live normal lives – this is part of the reason why they are successful in their killings Ex: Ted Bundy – considered very charming