A Serial Killer’s Perspective in Victim Selection

Serial Killers and Victim Selection

A serial killer is a term used to describe a person who undertakes a series of crimes exceeding three in number with the killing exhibiting a common characteristic (Knight & Zelda, 2006). The depicted common characteristic suggests the possibility that the murder crimes were undertaken by one person (Knight & Zelda, 2006). In the study of serial killers, criminologists have drawn links between the offenders and their victims. It is, however, notable that, between team serial killers and the individual murders, there exist some similarities and differences.

Team serial killers are made up of two or more killers undertaking their operations as a team to select their victim, to subdue them and kill them. Both team and individual serials killers are said to derive pleasure and a sense of control over their victims as the victim displays a sense of fear and helplessness in the eyes of the offender (Bartels & Ceri P., 2009). The control over the victim ignites the offender's thrill and provides a sense of satisfaction in undertaking the crime. While some antisocial characteristics may be evident in the offender's way of life, it is not easy to predict the likelihood of committing murder. The serial killer will in most cases appear to display normal characteristics in a community, and it is less likely for their antisocial behaviors to stand out in the open.

In the case of serial killers who work alone, victims are selected based on the similarity of their characteristics to an aspect the offender relates to and hurts them. The victim to an individual serial killer will appear to bring to the offender's mind an unpleasant past experience or have a resemblance to a person who caused hurting to them earlier in life (Winter & David, 2007). For the serial killer who works alone, previous hurting experience will direct them to pick their victims in relation to their gender, race, or physical characteristics (Bartels & Ceri P., 2009). The process of victim section is however not meticulously planned. The work alone offenders tend to pick out an individual who at the instance of sight seem to conform to the characteristics they have in mind. The victims may be selected because of the color of their eyes, the physic on their body, their occupation or the race they represent (Winter & David, 2007). The specifics of the characteristics depend highly on the aspect that tends to stand out in the offenders memory to trigger a reenactment of the aspect causing pain (Knight & Zelda, 2006).

Team serial killers have no specifics in selecting victims since they have no trigger aspects to influence their victim choice. Both adult female and the male may fall victim with the team offenders depicting a tendency of avoiding to kill children. For team offenders, strangers are most common victims with planning on the attack being carried out to assess the victim's location, their accessibility, vulnerability and an ideal time of abduction (Bartels & Ceri P., 2009). Further assessments to the victim are undertaken to determine their potential victim's sex, age, and race. The team serial killers have a higher tendency to pick out twice as often female teens compared to male teens.