Serial Killers by: Iris Pierce

Subject Selection Media Influence Personal Influence Violent Offenders Always Question Solving Puzzles Books Movies Television News There are two influence as to why i chose to serial killers as my topic: personal and media. Personal Influence During my time here at lcu I took a class with Mr. Shewan called violent offenders. That is originally where i got the idea for this project. When i started to think more about it I realized that the topic serial killer peaked two things that are very much a part of who i am. Asking question and solving puzzles. I have always had this obsessive need to question everything and solve any problem that was presented to me. Media influence As for media influence just look at todays books, movies, tv, and news. In every one if these genres you can find plenty of serial killer options. Whether it is autobiographies or murder mystery, movies about serial killers or tv shows like criminal minds. Serial killers are everywh ere. In fact, while working on this project Charles Mason was in the news because he was up for parole. With these to sets of influences in play i couldn't think of a better topic than serial killers.

Research Process Starting Out Extension Summer Research Starting out At the beginning of the spring semester I was very excited about this project. After the meeting about the project I went straight to the library to get acquainted with the librarians and to get help learning how to use all the resources at my disposal. Extension This semester seemed to fly by and I was falling further and further behind. I felt like I was drowning and there was no way I was going to get through it all. I went to talk to Dr. Musick and we discussed getting an extension. When that was approved I finally felt like I could breath again. Summer Research I had my work cut out for me this summer. I had to get creative with my research because I spent over a month in Louisiana I had to do most of my research online and in public libraries for the little time that I could get away from my other duties. But, little by little I got it done.

Abstracts Male Serial Homicide: The Influence of Cultural and Structural Variables Common conventional focus Focus is deficient Culture and Social structure Multi-factor approach in testing Hypothesis confirmed This article seeks to expound the common conventional focus on males as the serial killer. The authors believe that the conventional focus is deficient. They suggest that culture as well as social structure are important players in the making of serial killers. This study uses a multi-factor approach in testing whether cultural and social factors are indeed important in the making and hardening of a serial killer. The results confirmed the authors belief that elements of culture and social structure are very important in the making of serial killers. 

Becoming the Victim: Beyond sadism in serial sexual murderers Abstracts Becoming the Victim: Beyond sadism in serial sexual murderers Behaviors and characteristics of killers Sexually sadistic offenders Masochism and Sadism Demonstrate using two cases Cases present a special grandiose model of sadism In this article Knoll and Hazelwood present a moving account of killers’ behaviors and characteristics. They indicating that sexual sadist are largely described in relation to their depicted paraphilic arousal and victims torture. The publication indicate that masochism and sadism are equally characteristic. The authors in this case use two cases to demonstrate how offenders assume the identity of victims they torture. These cases therefore present a special grandiose model of sadism where offenders seek to take victims control beyond life and death. 

The organized/disorganized typology of serial killers: Myth or Model? Abstracts The organized/disorganized typology of serial killers: Myth or Model? Explores current methods The middle category Lacks clear framework Not psychologically genuine Authors not opposed to typology ​This publication deeply explores the current organized and disorganized method of classifying serial killers to establish their effectiveness in design and practice. By carefully outlining the contentious definitions of organized and disorganized serial killers, the author pointed at a middle category of serial killers between the two main classifications. Authors in the publication further argued that the organized/ disorganized typology lacks a clearly predetermined framework that can be used in testing and retesting it in different instances to give same results. Authors therefore argue that the organized/ disorganized typology cannot be considered psychologically genuine but commonsensical speculation on observable differences. The authors conclude their work by indicating that they are not opposed to the typology, but call for additional studies to ascertain its reliability in a scientific model.

The Journal of Behavioral Science and Law Journal Review The Journal of Behavioral Science and Law Comprehensive and current information Specified topics Special issue Maintains diversity High quality publications This journal provides comprehensive and current information globally on subjects that interact with behavioral sciences and law. In its presentation, the journal balances theory, mental health, legislative consideration and effective writing to provide a wide perspective on psycho-legal topics. To effectively deliver this, the journal devotes most issues to specified topics and presents them from varied interdisciplinary perspectives. The journal further produces one special issue that targets international perspectives on specific topics. To maintain diversity the journal further devotes another issue to miscellaneous study articles, book reviews, special concern articles, special perspectives, and adversarial forums. To maintain the unending flow of high quality publications, the journal appeals to professional clinicians, policy makers, researchers, and academicians for their work. It is this focus that made this journal very useful in my research.

Research Paper

Types of Serial Killers Organized Disorganized Medical Murderers

Types of Serial Killers Organized Above average intelligence Plan their crimes Personal and Social skills Leave a clean crime scene Organized serial killers are people of above average intelligence and effectively seek to understand their targets as well as the ensuing environment for their murder. Every detail of the plan is clearly prepared and the murderer often observe the victims for several days before executing the best moves to lure them to the point of murder.  Organized serial killers hold strong personal as well as social skills which help them get closer to targets and even lure them to their murder points.  Some organized serial killers even have knowledge on forensic investigations such that they effectively cover up any evidence that might result to getting caught up.

Types of Serial Killers Disorganized Disorganized serial killers, unlike the organized killers are of any age and can be both male and female and generally have lower than average IQs  Therefore, there is little premeditation of the target and victims are generally people at the wrong place at the wrong time. Disorganized serial killers leave dead bodies in their areas of murder without necessarily removing evidence that could lead to their arrest. Many disorganized serial murderers suffer from some sort of mental illness. Below average intelligence Impulsive Leaving physical evidence Often suffer from mental illness

Types of Serial Killers Medical Murderers Work in the medical field Targets Dr. Harold Shipman Intentions Unlike the organized and disorganized serial killers, medical serial killers are people working in the medical field and have access to patients who they kill at will with no struggle. Medical serial killers mostly target the elderly, terminally ill patients, and those who might have offended them at one time or another. Dr. Harold Shipman killed over 459 elderly women by injecting morphine to their system. He was arrested after killing a mayor following his plan to take over his wealth. Though the intention to reduce pain and suffering especially to the elderly and terminally ill could be partially considered a factor in contemplating such acts, medical serial killers lack inherent self control that doctors and those in medical field are expected to hold.

Serial Killer Motives Visionary Mission Oriented Hedonistic Power/Control

Serial Killer Motives Visionary Breakdown in reality Compelled to Murder Unable to stop Disorganized Serial killers driven of visionary motives mainly suffer breakdown in psychotic link with reality. They believe to be other people and are compelled to murder by unidentified entities such as god or devil. These illusionary orders make people consequently unable to stop killing. The very fact that these visions are out of people’s control results to those involved being disorganized serial killers. 

Serial Killer Motives Mission Oriented Murder to achieve goals Organized After achieving their missions Contributing to change Mission serial killers are not psychotic and justify their murders in achieving certain goals in their lives or society.  These killers are generally of above average intellect and therefore organized serial killers. By achieving their mission, they consider themselves to be riding on top of the world or getting a person or habit away from the societal norm. Many mission driven serial killers see themselves as contributing to changes in the society through their killings.

Serial Killer Motives Hedonistic Fun and Enjoyment Takes pleasure in killing No emotional connection Lust Hedonistic motives result to serial killers killing for fun and enjoyment. These killers are psychotic and take pleasure when killing, seeing their victims suffer great pain while dying in their control. These killers do not have any emotional feelings for their victims and mainly consider their actions to be the best even after arrest. Some hedonistic motivated serial killers are driven by lust. However, after satisfying their lust, they kill their victim to prevent being caught or to get sexual satisfaction using the corpse over time. The lust depicted in hedonistic motivated killing replicates itself and the killer moves out to commit more murders.

Serial Killer Motives Power/Control People in society Abuse during childhood Sense of power Assertion of power Victims People in the society want to feel the sense of progress and being in control over time especially as they grow up. Haggerty reports that when people are abused during their child age, they feel helpless and the same problem could develop to psychotic levels where they seek to get the power by killing others. In such cases, the motive is meant to provide personal sense of power for an individual either with the living individual who has been subdued or the dead. Many power/control serial killers usually seek to assert power by abusing their victims sexually and dominating them. It is this motive that draws many of power control motivated serial killers to prostitutes who they easily subdue due to nature of their work. 

10 of Americas most notorious serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer Ted Bundy Charles Manson Dennis Rader (BTK) David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) Gary Ridgway (Green River Killer) John Wayne Gacy Boston Strangler Zodiac Killer Richard Ramirez (Night Stalker)

Serial Killer Jeffrey Dahmer Jeffrey Dahmer was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys - most of whom were of African or Asian descent - between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders involved rape, torture, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism. On November 28, 1994, Dahmer was beaten to death by fellow Columbia Correctional Institution inmate Christopher Scarver with a bar from a weight machine while on work detail in the prison gym.

Serial Killer Ted Bundy Ted Bundy, was an American serial killer active between 1974 and 1978. He twice escaped from county jails before his final apprehension in February 1978. After more than a decade of vigorous denials, he eventually confessed to over 30 murders, although the actual total of victims remains unknown. Estimates range from 29 to over 100, the general estimate being 35. Typically, Bundy would bludgeon his victims, then strangle them to death. He also engaged in rape and necrophilia. Bundy was executed for his last murder by the state of Florida in 1989.

Serial Killer Charles Manson Charles Manson is a convicted serial killer who has become an icon of evil. In the late 1960s Manson founded a hiipie cult group known as "the Family" whom he manipulated into brutally killing others on his behalf.

Serial Killer Dennis Rader (BTK) Dennis Rader murdered 10 people in and around Wichita, Kansas, between 1974 and 1991. He was known as the BTK killer, which stands for "bind, torture and kill" and describes his modus operandi. He sent boastful letters describing the details of the killings to police and to local news outlets during the period of time in which the murders took place. After a long hiatus in the 1990s, he resumed sending letters in 2004, leading to his 2005 arrest and subsequent conviction.

David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) Serial Killer David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) David Berkowitz, also known as Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer, is a serial killer and arsonist whose crimes terrorized New York City from July 1976 until his arrest in August 1977. Shortly after his arrest in August 1977, Berkowitz confessed to killing six people and wounding seven others in the course of eight shootings in New York between 1976 and 1977; he has been imprisoned for these crimes since 1977. Berkowitz subsequently claimed that he was commanded to kill by a demon who possessed his neighbor's dog.

Gary Ridgway (Green River Killer) Serial Killer Gary Ridgway (Green River Killer) Gary Ridgway, known as the Green River Killer, murdered numerous women in Washington during the 1980s and 1990s. He strangled them with rope, fishing line and anything else he could find. He also engaged in forms of torture, rape, and necrophilia. On November 30, 2001, as he was leaving a Renton, Washington factory where he worked, he was arrested for the murders of four women whose cases were linked to him through DNA evidence. In November of 2003 he pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder, although he says he actually killed 90 women or more, almost all prostitutes. The murders occurred in the early 1980s. As part of a plea bargain, he was spared the death penalty and received a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.

Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy John Wayne Gacy was convicted and later executed for the rape and murder of 33 boys and young men between 1972 and his arrest in 1978, 27 of whom he buried in a crawl space under the floor of his house, while others were found in nearby rivers. He became notorious as the "Killer Clown" because of the many block parties he threw for his friends and neighbors, entertaining children in a clown suit and makeup, under the name of "Pogo the Clown".

Serial Killer Boston Strangler This serial killer has been associated with the murders of the 13 Boston women in the 1960s. These murders were attributed to this man Albert DeSalvo after his confession to the murders in open court. However, parties investigating the stranglings have since suggested the murders were not committed by one person.

Serial Killer Zodiac Killer Zodiac killer was a serial killer in California region who killed and tortured his victims and successfully managed to evade the authorities. The Zodiac killer coined his name in a series of taunting letters he sent to the press. His letters included four cryptograms (or ciphers), three of which have yet to be solved.

Richard Ramirez (Night Stalker) Serial Killer Richard Ramirez (Night Stalker) Ricardo Ramírez is a Satanist and convicted American serial killer who attacked males and females of various ages. He awaiting execution on California's death row at San Quentin State Prison. Prior to his capture, Ramírez was dubbed as the "Night Stalker" by the news media as he terrorized citizens of Los Angeles, California.

Questions?