In Today’s Society about Murders in the News

We read books on mysterious murders or watch documentaries on Netflix about the psychotic killers. Have you ever stopped to wonder what exactly caused these people to turn to this kind of violence? Legally, a serial killer can be defined as “…someone who commits at least three murders over more than a month with an emotional cooling off period in between” (Brogaard). Although, this doesn’t exactly capture what comes to mind when you picture a typical serial killer. Under this definition you might consider a drug dealer who killed 5 people in the past month a serial killer, which doesn’t convey, truly, what a serial killer is.

The common understanding of a serial killer would exhibit someone who is sadistic and psychologically damaged. We think of people like Ted Bundy who would kidnap, rape, as well as, decapitate his victims; Jeffrey Dahmer who would kidnap, rape, dismember and eat his victims.

The drug dealer previously mentioned wouldn’t participate in raping or consuming his victims as true serial killers would. Serial killers have traits that include- lack of empathy, remorse and guilt, the need to control situations, impulsiveness. An important trait that some also exhibit is charm. These murderers are likeable, easy to talk to. The person you would least expect to be a killer could potentially be one. Every killer has a motive. Whether it be revenging the death of a loved one or purely the pleasure of the kill. Some even possess no motive at all. Susan Atkins was a member of the Manson Family, where she participated in 8 killings. Atkins stated in a witness stand confession, “I killed her, I stabbed her and she fell. And I stabbed her again. I don’t know how many times I stabbed her and I don’t know why I stabbed her”(Eugene Register Guard).

Many serial murders have more than one motive attached to them. Although most of the time motives are difficult to discover. When these motives are found they are things like- anger, revenge, the thrill of killing, sexual motivations. Most generally, the motives of serial killers are placed into four categories- visionary, mission-oriented, hedonistic, and power/control. Killers who claim they were possessed or became another person are known as visionary serial killers. David Berkowitz, also known as The Son of Sam, shot and killed eight people between 1976 and 1977. When he confessed to his crimes he stated that he only killed because he wanted to silence the demon. This demon supposedly possessed his neighbor’s dog, Harvey. Mission-oriented individuals have more of a purpose for their killings. They want some kind of revenge or they want to get rid of a certain group of people. They will plan out there murders and unlike visionary killers they are not psychotic.

An example would be, Joseph P. Franklin “…who was convicted in 1980 of four homicides… Franklin justified and rationalized his compulsive and ritualistic killings by saying, ‘Race mixing is a sin against God and nature I feel it is my duty as a servant of God to protect white womanhood from injury or degradation’” (Bonn). Hedonistic killers do it for the thrill or lust. They want to induce pain on their victims and get joy from it or they get some kind of sexual pleasure from the kill. A classic example would be Jeffrey Dahmer; he was a necrophiliac, sexual desire involving dead bodies. Finally, there are power or control killers. There main motive is to gain power and dominate their victims. Ted Bundy found satisfaction in being able to decide what happen to his victims.

A common characteristic of most serial killers is introversion. This antisocial behavior has been proven to be genetic. “[These] gene abnormalities result in structural brain abnormalities which result in emotional / cognitive / behavioral abnormalities which in turn predispose to antisocial behavior” (Raine). Certain genes that an individual have dictate whether they are more aggressive, antisocial, emotional and many more behaviors. There are two genes found to have connection to violent behavior, MAOA and CDH13. In “Genetic background of extreme violent behavior” a study published in Molecular Psychiatry finnish prisoners genes were tested. It was found that more aggressive criminals had much more of the MAOA and CDH13 variants (Deans). In addition to violent behavior, genes can also produce mental disorders. There has been research on how genes can lead to some mental disorders some of which are associated with these offenders, such as, schizophrenia.

Criminal behavior has a significant connection to the upbringing as well. Traumatic experiences during early childhood can negatively impact a person and they actions. If a child had seen his father murder his mother that child will have a higher chance of becoming a murderer than a child who hadn’t. Family is very important in the development of a child. The lack of family or the presence of an inadequate family can produce a future killer. Many serial killers can be traced back and found to have some kind of environmental factor that lead to there abnormal behavior. This followed by abuse throughout their lives can cause them to eventually be pushed to far. Jeffrey Dahmer was born to his mother Joyce Annette and father Lionel Herbert Dahmer. Lionel was practically never home and when he was he had to position his attention to his wife. Lionel had an attempted suicide when Dahmer was in 1st grade. Dahmer explained his family home as having extreme tension. During high school he was an outcast and he drank constantly.

This eventually got him kicked out of college. All these environmental factors played into his development of a killer. These genetic and environmental factors also have connections to each other. An example would be that “…those with a specific variant of the enzyme monoamine-oxidase-A gene are more prone to displaying violent behavior if they have had an abusive upbringing” (Davies qtd. Raine). The genes that are associated with violent and criminal behavior may be present but they could not be put to use. Although, if some kind of environmental factor such as abuse caused them to be activated then this can produce a killer.

Empathy is something you develop throughout your life. Most serial killers unfortunately do not develop this attribute. Empathy is essentially the feeling you get when you feel bad for someone or something. If you lack this then if you were to kill someone you wouldn’t feel bad instead you may feel pleasure or you may feel nothing at all. We can see how empathy can distinguish a murderer from a serial killer. A murderer may just act in the moment and later feel guilty and have empathy for his victims. In contrast, a serial killer does not feel this remorse. Ted Bundy once said, “‘What’s one less person on the face of the earth, anyway’” (“These” qtd. Bundy). This quote shows how much Bundy doesn’t not care that he has killed and that he has a lack of empathy.

Through the development of serial killers the start of mental disorders often follows along and thrives. As stated previously many of the killers have had some form abuse or neglect in there environmental factors. We know this contributes to the beginnings of a serial killer but, it also emerges the commencement of mental disorders.

Some of these criminals have what is known as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). People diagnosed with BPD have unstable moods and behavior. They do not respond well to rejection and respond with rage and displeasure. The causes of BPD aren’t fully known or understood. Environmental factors such as child abuse and neglect are linked to cause BPD, similar to the development of serial killers. Genetic factors such as personality disorders linked with family members also play a role. When I think of serial killers I think of someone who is unstable and definitely easily angered, this being said, I wasn’t surprised to find that lots of serial killers are diagnosed with this disorder.

As I have stated introversion is a common characteristic shared among serial killers. They also share the mental health disorder known as Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). Similar to BPD, APD is developed through environmental factors since you develop your personality throughout your childhood. Genetically, your family history plays a role. If someone in your family has been diagnosed previously you are more likely to get it as well. People with this disorder don’t know the norm of what is right or wrong. They also don’t take into account the feelings of others. This disorder is extremely common throughout serial killers. The symptoms of this disorder include, lying, impulsiveness, lack of empathy, manipulation, arrogant, poor relationships, all of which are equally traits of serial killers.

In the documentary Interview with a Serial Killer the killings of Arthur Shawcross, known as the Genesee River Killer, are explored. The things he says and the tone of his voice show how much empathy he lacks. The man interviewing Shawcross asks him how he knows when his victim is dead and he replies, “How? I don’t know just do… it only takes about 4 minutes, sometimes less than that” (Shawcross). When asked how a girls head was removed her replies, “Easy, just pick it up and move it” (Shawcross). From these statements you can see how little he cared or rather how he didn’t care at all. We also learn that he had a mistress and many interactions with prostitutes; he had poor relationships. Shawcross talks about one of his victims named Dorothy. She had lived with him in his apartment and she started to stealing things from him. Shawcross became angry and impulsively killed Dorothy.

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