Serial Killer Essays (Examples)

Serial Killers have long fascinated the general public, not only because their crimes are so heinous, but also because they embody the extremes to which psychological disorders can take a person. In the name of psychological insight, the lives of serial killers are dissected down to the most minute detail in the hopes of understanding what factors contribute to making a 'monster'. The Crime Classification Manual defines serial murder as "three or more separate events in three or more separate locations with an emotional cooling off period in between the homicides." (Douglas et al., 1992). What motivates the serial killer is an area of much research. Whether we are any further ahead in our understanding of the psychotic personality is debatable, however. The question of environment vs. genetics is a matter of contention in the study of serial killers, as is the question of power vs. pleasure motive. y looking…

Serial killers are not common, but they are fascinating because of the need to understand the phenomenon.
There is no one definition of a serial killer, but there are some defining characteristics that set them apart from other murderers.

Serial killers present serious issues for law enforcement, due to the tendency for serial killers to blend in easily and appear "normal."

There is no one exact definition of a serial killer, from a legal, historical, psychological, or sociological viewpoint.

"In the past thirty years, multiple definitions of serial murder have been used by law enforcement, clinicians, academia, and researchers," (Blackwelder, 2010).

"There has yet to be a universally accepted definition for serial murder," Nelson (2004)

Definitions have differed over time, and differ according to context and culture (Nelson, 2004).

B. Definitions of serial killer differ on the grounds of:

Minimum number of murders: in some cases is 2, in others…

Currently the DSM-IV refers to both these as antisocial personality disorder with the following criteria:
A. Pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, occurring since age 15 as indicated by at least three of the following: 1. Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behavior. 2. Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure. 3. Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead. 4. Irritability and aggressiveness. 5. Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others. 6. Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain work behavior or honor financial obligations. 7. Lack of remorse, as indicated by indifference to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another

B. Individual is at least 18 years of age

C. The occurrence of the behavior is not exclusively during the course of a schizophrenic…

A lot of the serial killers recognize that killing these people are wrong, this is true because when they are finished with their crime, they find some kind of way to dispose of the body.
Conclusion

In the end, it is a scary fact is that the United Sates is the most leading serial killing country in the entire world. It appears that no other country can even match the U.S. It is obvious that new serial killers or cases seem to be popping up every year which can cause quite a bit of a panic from people. It is also a slightly scary thing that there are more serial killers running around that there are police that would actually admit it. . As Pat Brown makes the point earlier in the essay, serial killers actually believe that they cannot get caught. There is an arrogant side to all of…

Serial killers have struck fear in the hearts of people, yet the public remains fascinated and intrigued by the crimes perpetrated by these individuals. There are several theories and factors that have been attributed to serial killers in an attempt to explain their behaviors. Furthermore, by identifying the behaviors that are exhibited by serial killers, law enforcement professionals are able to gather information about these serial killers that will assist in the apprehension of the criminal.
In the majority of serial homicides, a motivating factor, in addition to domination and manipulation of a victim, is the sexual gratification and desire that is experienced by the serial killer. Serial killers murder individuals because they believe, and feel, that the act will fulfill them and they will continue to murder people as long as they can (Douglas 191). The definition of serial killer may be distinguished from that of a spree killer…

Serial Killer Social Construction Theories
A serial killer can be defined as a person who kills more than four victims in a moderately short period of time usually 72 hours (Larson, 2011). Serial killings usually take place in different locations and have no connection with the preceding assassination. For a serial killer, substantial gain is not the drive for killing his victim. Instead, it is his craving of power and strength over the 'prey' that motivates him to take an innocent life (Giannangelo, 1996).

There are a number of theories that have been propounded in order to understand the origins, foundations and causes of the social construction of a serial killer. The first theory that needs to be discussed is the Social Process Theory. The childhood experiences of a serial murderer contribute significantly in his making into an atrocious 'animal'. The personality of a serial murderer is seriously affected by…

This is in direct contrast to male serial killers, who more often select random, unknown individuals as their victims (Mouzos & West, 2007). In fact, it is estimated that around 70% of female serial killers select family members or someone who is dependent on them as a victim. An example of this is both filicide and infanticide, which are crimes most commonly committed by women (Aki, 2003, cited in Mouzos & West, 2007). In addition to this, cases of health care professionals murdering their patients are women in around half of all cases, both in the U.S. And other countries (Yorker et al., 2006). The majority of these cases have occurred where the female in question was a nurse, murdering either children or elderly victims in their care. The explanation of this pattern is not clear, given that there is little in terms of extrinsic gains achieved. There is also…

This is often seen as the most important aspect to focus on. However, it has also been realized that societal and cultural aspects can also influence the development of the serial killer.
Psychological causes that are related to the psyche of the serial killer include the aforementioned Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). Genetic predisposition and makeup are also given as a formative developmental cause of this crime. However, psychological and genetic aspects are often inadequate to explain the development of the serial killer. hile a convicted killer like Ted Bundy was subject to forms of psychological abuse as a child, yet one of the most notorious serial killers, Jeffery Dahmer, was "..., born to two parents who loved and wanted him. His child hood was a happy one. He loved animals, and did not have a bit of trouble. " However, "hen he reached the sixth grade, there was a downfall,…

Serial Killers - Psychopathic Behavior
One of the most common challenges impacting society, is determining when a person is showing psychopathic behavior. In the world of healthcare, these signs can underscore someone who is a serial killer that will strike out at the most vulnerable patients. This is the case with Kristen Gilbert. She was a respected nurse, who was known for her professionalism. However, between 1995 and 1996 over 40 people died on her watch. This raised concerns about her involvement in these incidents. (Farragher, 2000)

After a lengthy investigation, she was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. It uncovered that Kristen was a very cold and calculating person. This led to her targeting veterans who trusted her and were unable to stand up for themselves. To fully understand the way the investigation evolved requires carefully examining the procedures, the role of the community,…

All of these killers had problem childhoods, often including sexual abuse. Almost all of them had some kind of psychological disorder, and many were declared criminally insane.
All the killers had a compulsion to continue killing. None of them stopped with one or two victims, in fact, the more they killed the more they wanted to kill. In addition, most of the male serial killers became increasingly violent and disturbed as they continued to kill. Authors Fox and Levin state, "It is commonplace for serial killers to increase the level of brutality as they get bored with less vicious behavior and as they grow more comfortable with murder. It is also not unusual for them to branch out to more respectable victims as they become convinced that they are smarter than the police and will never be apprehended" (Fox, and Levin 76). Most of the killers admitted to what they…

Dennis ader (the BTK Killer)
Dennis ader BTK: The Killer

Serial killers can be defined as people who murder at least three people in at least three separate occasions over a span of time mainly to satisfy themselves psychologically. While many of them suffer from Antisocial Personality Disorder, they adapt and present a normal front to people around them - a state Hervey Cleckley refers to as 'mask of sanity'. Some of the murders may have some sexual aspect to them. The murders may have been executed in such a way that there was some common characteristic in them. This could be sex, occupation, race, etc. Nonetheless, the victim's and the serial killer's race is seldom the same (Vronsky, 2004).

It is not yet known who exactly coined the term serial killer. Many believe that obert essler, an FBI agent, or obert D. Keppel may have been the one who…

Serial and Mass Murders: Forensic Psychiatry at Its Best
Forensic Psychiatry: Mass Murderers and Serial Killers

The status of Forensic Psychiatry has suffered ignominy regarding its ethical standpoint and pragmatic effectiveness for far too long (Arboleda-Florez, 2006). That it has at all been able to gain significance as a super specialty has been mainly due to the diligent and sustained efforts of a few scattered handfuls of them who chose to brave the convicts and study prison inmates. Today, the contributions of such forensic super specialists in the legal proceedings are proving to have a major influence in lawsuits involving mass murders as well as serial murders.

The journey of Forensic Psychiatric has greatly benefitted in medico-legal adjudications in recent times. From being able to cast an offender solely as a criminal to a mentally abnormal, as well as, that requires a different treatment than being simply banished from social…

Serial Killers
Early Signs of a Serial Killer

hile every serial killer is different, there are certain signs that tend to be common to them. Many of these signs are seen well before adulthood, some even as early as childhood. Some of the major signs include a tendency for aggressive behavior, a tendency to engage in sadist behavior, an obsession with examples of behavior linked to serial killing, and a lack of empathy for others. Each of these four major signs will now be looked at in more detail.

One aspect of behavior that is common to serial killers is a tendency for aggressive behavior.

Aggression is defined as "behavior intended to injure another person" (Seamon & Kenrick 592). This aggression can be physical, for example, in the form of hitting another person. It can also be non-physical, for example, calling someone a hostile name. Aggression often begins as early…

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…

serial killers and feminism. The writer uses a book and a film to explore what the feminist film contributes to the understanding by society of serial killers. There were two sources used to complete this paper.
Very few things strike fear in the hearts of Americans the way that serial killers do. Serial killers place terror in the hearts of many because of their very unpredictability. They strike without warning and there doesn't seem to be a logical reason for the pattern that they choose initially. Once the pattern begins to emerge there is often a reason or pattern for the choices the killer makes in victims, but initially it seems like nothing more than a crap shoot and people are afraid of their strikes. For many years people have studied the patterns and lives of serial killers in the effort to establish how they are created. Other studies are…

Female Serial Killers
Investigate criminal profiling used by the F.B.I. Of female serial killers and provide law enforcement with information on identifying them.

While it is a fact that a male serial killer would commit murders based on sex, in other words, sex related crimes, a female serial killer is a much more complicated and complex character, whose motivations in committing the crime of murder is manifold and range over a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the female serial killer often goes unnoticed and goes on committing her crimes, undetected, over a great number of years. She is quiet, methodical, and is able to plan and execute with precision, so successful at remaining hidden that, in all the years of American history, there has only been a single female serial killer who was identified as a serial killer. In general, a female serial killer rarely, if ever, commits…

Female Serial Killers
The notion of female serial killers often appears as the minority of cases in the history of serial murder and serial killers. It's as if there is a part of society that refuses to believe that women are just as capable of mass murder as some of the more horrific murderers of our time. Still, while we may not, off the top of our head, be able to list as many female serial killers as we can male ones, it is but a myth that female serial killers are far and few between.

History is riddled with stories of female temptresses and murderers, like the legendary Hungarian Countess Elizabeth athory, who murdered women for fun, then bathed in their blood to retain her beauty. There is also the story of the lack Widows of Liverpool; a group of women in 1884 who were deemed by the Home…

Ted Bundy -- Serial Killer
Ted Bundy: Serial Killer

Theodore obert Bundy aka Ted Bundy, was born Theodore obert Cowell to Louise Cowell on November 24, 1946 in Burlington, Vermont at the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers. After spending eight weeks in the home Louise went to her parents house to raise her son in Philadelphia. Ted Bundy, serial killer grew up believing that his mother was his sister and his grandparents were his parents until in 1951 when Louise and Ted moved to Tacoma, Washington where Louise married Johnnie Bundy, a military cook. Ted Bundy was handsome wel liked and a good students. Following school Ted attended the University of Puget Sound and although he achieved academically he felt inferior to his classmates who were mostly a group of wealthy individuals. Ted Bundy's first love was a girl with long brunette hair and this young lady jilted him…

Doss met third husband Arlie Lanning through the lonely hearts column. Lanning died of apparent heart failure, but the house, which Lanning had left to his sister, burned down, leaving the insurance proceeds for Doss. Before Doss left town, Lanning's mother died in her seat. Doss had gone to her sister Dovie's house, and, shortly after Doss' arrival, Dovie died in her sleep. Doss married fourth husband ichard Morton, poisoned her mother, and then killed Morton. Doss married Samuel Doss, and killed him four months after their marriage. Doss had taken out two life insurance policies on her husband. The doctor ordered an autopsy because of the life insurance policies, and the cause of death was determined to be poison.
When Nannie was arrested, she maintained an eerily cheerful demeanor for the public. She giggled and laughed, not showing remorse for her actions, or even seeming to clearly comprehend what…

Allely, C., Minnis, H., Thompson, L., Wilson, P., Gillberg, C. (2014).
Neurodevelopmental and psychosocial risk factors in serial killers and mass murderers. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 19(3): 288-301.

The researchers in this study conduct a meta-analysis of relevant literature including academic studies and legal sources in order to assess the "complex interaction of biological, psychological, and sociological factors" that contribute to the making of a serial killer (p. 288). What the study finds is that a "significant proportion of mass or serial killers have had neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder or head injury" (p. 288). This finding indicates that nature plays a distinct role in the motivation of serial killers.

However, it is important to note that correlation does not equate to causation and the study merely depicts a correlation between autism spectrum disorder and serial killing: it does not assert that the former is the cause of…

There is a lot that we do not know about serial killers. There is a lot that we will never know, that no study, psychological evaluation or case study would ever be able to tell people. Criminal and behavior profiling is a start, but there will always be limitations and gaps in any research involving someone's mind, especially a mind as seemingly complex in nature as that of a serial killer. A lack of guilt, a lack of feeling and sensitivity and the ability to derive joy from the pain and suffering of another is the type of thing that psychologists will probably never be able to fully understand.

The next, and most critical step in the field of serial killer profiling may be a behavioral analysis. There are many different types of serial killers out there and only a further evaluation into the brains of different types of killers…

Some of the 'tools of trade' a killer could incorporate to torture his victims as he seeks to facilitate his perversion include but they are not limited to "leather slave collars, handcuffs, cigarette lighters, whips, and adhesive or duct tape" (Keppel and Birnes, 2008).
Information about Torture: Its elevance in Understanding a Killer's Signature

Peter Sutcliffe, yet another brutal and sadistic serial killer, can be seen as a classic example of those who went far than it was necessary to kill their victims. In some cases, killers tend to engage in a variety of other actions beyond the actual crime. These actions could include but they are not limited to unnecessary stabbing and some kind of bondage or binding. Peter Sutcliffe for instance was popular for repeatedly stabbing and slashing his victims.

Signature killers in the words of Flowers (2006) "tend to leave behind a 'calling card' or psychological signature…

Orbitofrontal Cortex and the Serial Killer
According to Portales, "what lies behind the eyes" of the serial killer "is the key to his psychopathy." The orbitofrontal cortex is the neural region directly behind the eyes and is the last to develop. Portales quotes authoritative research that, due to childhood traumatic experiences, in some individuals the ortbitofrontal cortex -- the tool judgment and decision making -- may never completely develop: "individuals who have had damage to [this] area can observe social situations, but fail to respond to these situations in an appropriate manner." Damage can be caused through various factors including head trauma, physical abuse, emotional neglect, and antisocial parenting, many, if not all of these, introduced early in the child's development. What happens as a result is stagnated prefrontal development where emotion overrules reasoning and individuals give in to their craving.

In the case of the sexual predator, for instance,…

Craig Price
The story of Craig Price is tragic, violent and troubling. For these very reasons it is important to investigate this man's life and childhood in order to better understand the effects of juvenile delinquency and how they possibly related to his behavior. The purpose of this paper is to describe and postulate how Craig Price's violent behavior relates to theories of juvenile delinquency and how he developed into a killer and a significant terror and burden to society. I will examine this case by providing background information and then applying three separate general theories of juvenile delinquency including, rational choice theory, social understanding theory and labeling theory. Included in each analysis will be the important factors in each theory that correspond or do not correspond to Price's case.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In September of 1989 three dead bodies were found in arwick RI. In an investigation into the serial…

Green River Serial Killer
The investigation into the case of the Green River killer stretched from 1982 to 2001, before Gary Ridgway was finally arrested for murdering 48 women. Ridgway's case is distinguished by the length and expense of the homicide investigation. This paper examines the investigation into the case of the Green River killer.

Early years

The so-called Green River killings got their name in 1982, when the first victims were found. From July through to December of that year, 16 young women disappear from the areas around Seattle and Tacoma, ashington. Six bodies are later found in the Green River in Kent, ashington, dead of strangulation. During this time, Gary Ridgway lived in just three miles from the Green River ("Gary Leon Ridgway timeline").

The Green River killings continue through 1983, including eight women who were later found near a cemetery in Auburn. Most of the missing women…

To begin with, the violence Sutcliffe meted out to his unfortunate victims was largely sexualized. Apart from being exclusively women, most of Sutcliffe's victims were prostitutes. Further, it can also be noted that in most cases, Sutcliffe first and foremost sought to render his victims incapable of defending themselves. This in most cases he accomplished by striking them with a hammer. Most of Sutcliffe's attacks also seem to have been planned well in advance. This is more so the case given the similarity of all his victims as well as use of similar weapons in his attack. ussell's murders on the other hand had several characteristics which did not match any of the other HITS database murders (Keppel and Birnes 2008). These characteristic had to do with victims' body posing, preferred method of body disposal and foreign objects insertion (sexual) into a victim's body (Keppel and Birnes 2008).
What the…

behavior of a serial killer? Many people attribute genetics to some of the actions of a serial killer, but is environment more of a determining factor? People who usually kill have had very traumatic childhoods. And although in some cases genes may have led to a faster decline in a person's psyche than a regular person, it begs to ask if people are made into monsters vs. simply being born one. A case that comes to mind is the woman who worked as a prostitute and killed her clients as a means of retribution for the damage inflicted upon her in her life by men. Her trauma and destitution fueled her desire to even the playing field and force herself to become something she and a couple others feel will end the pain of their existence.
Second Response:

It is quite clear that what parents do during the existence of…

Serial Killers and the Media: How the Media Affects the Investigation and Public Perception of Serial Killers
Serial killers are one of the most widely covered criminal types in the media, even though the majority of criminals do not fit this profile. Often the psychology and methods of serial killers are sensationalized in the media. Serial killers have also figured prominently as popular characters in film and cinema. This raises some problematic questions about the coverage of serial killers, however. First, is too much attention given to them, versus other, less cinematic crimes? Secondly, does the media attention fuel the desire within some potential perpetrators to commit crimes?

Of course, the idea that coverage of violent crimes can lead to the perpetuation of violence is not a new one: As noted by Conti (2015) “….what the scientific literature has found—almost universally—is that there is a very small but statistically significant…

Criminology researchers usually draw on multiple sociological theories for understanding crime and offenders. Certain elements of serial-killing research continue to be a subject of speculation and exploration, on account of the numerous preconceptions and myths surrounding the crime. The significance of establishing a theoretic basis to explain sociological factors proves crucial to distinguishing between fact and fiction (Hickey, 2013).
Social Structure Theory

This class of theories concentrates on the socioeconomic status of a person and suggests that the poor perpetrate more offenses owing to their struggle to achieve social or monetary success. They are, particularly owing to their subcultural, racial, or ethnic status, restricted in several ways from lawfully attaining the great “American Dream\". Thus, they resort to deviant techniques to succeed. Structural theories provide convincing justifications for numerous offenses, with the exception of serial killing. Normally, serial killers lack financial or social motivation, and aren’t members of any specific…

Thus, the justice system must clearly distinguish between mental illness and insanity. Psychiatrists and other professionals can aid judge and jury in making the distinction. Reserving the insanity plea for clear instances of psychotic breaks and other reasonable diagnoses would help prosecutors effectively try their cases.
Even if not deemed legally insane, a serial killer is certainly morally and ethnically insane. For all reasonable, non-judicial purposes, a serial killer is as insane as a human being can be. If someone who kills indiscriminately, systematically, and often with pleasure is not insane then who is? The lack of compassion for other human beings and the lack of emotion that characterizes the sociopath is one of the most chilling phenomenon of criminology. In the courtroom, a serial killer will not meet the definition of insanity even if labeled psychopathic. Therefore the definition of insanity depends on the context.

Analysis of Psycho Alfred Hitchcock directed a movie called Psycho in 1960. The movie is a horror laced with lots of psychological suspense. The movie storyline is developed from Psycho, a novel written by Robert Block and published in 1959. The novel, on its part, drew inspiration from Ed Gein murders. Psycho has been widely regarded as the first-ever slasher film. Although it got mixed reviews at the onset, it is now considered one of the greatest films produced by Hitchcock, and indeed one of the greatest films of all time.
Indeed, Antony Perkins, the Ed Gein (Norman Bates), was rated the second-best movie villain of all time by the American Film Institute (Gorshin, 2014). According to common parlance, Norman Bates suffers from Disassociate Identity Disorder ( DID), which was earlier known as multiple personality disorder. This view is interesting in all its weight and breadth. It is also a…

Dennis ader, BTK Killer
There are few things in society today that horrify or fascinate us as much as serial killers. Murderers like Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer fill us with fear while also inspiring us to study them and use them as subjects of fiction. Indeed, fictional serial killer Dexter Morgan has millions of fans across the world. When examining the lives an actions of these killers, it is always interesting and shocking to see how easily they blended into their social contexts before their actions were know. A common reaction to the exposure and capture of such a serial killer is often one of disbelief, accompanied by cries to the effect that "he was such a quiet, nice person." This was also the case with Dennis Lynn ader, a serial killer who committed his first murder in 1974, but was only caught, convicted, and incarcerated in 2005.

ader…

Green iver Killer
In 1982, the remains of a number of young women started to show up in the area surrounding Seattle. These women were all relatively young and shared a lifestyle, prostitution and street life, that made them easy targets for a killer. Before the slayings officially ended in 1998, a total of 42 women would be thought to be potential victims of the Green iver Killer with the potential for many more being added to the list. Some believe that as many as 90 women may have been murdered by Gary idgeway. idgeway eluded police for almost two decades, even though he was a suspect in several of the disappearances, and was finally caught as a result of DNA evidence garnered from some of his earliest victims. This paper looks at the early life of Gary idgeway as it applies to the case, the murders themselves, how forensic…

The perpetrator may even have a documented prior criminal history involving physical or sexual assaults of victims with some of the same characteristics as the current series of victims. More likely than not, the perpetrator is a product of a home in which children witnessed physical abuse of their mother and/or experienced physical abuse themselves.

The fact that all but one victim shows evidence that the force used in the murder far exceeded that necessary to achieve death by strangulation suggests that the perpetrator possesses a significant amount of anger, even rage, at someone represented by his victims. The fact that all but one of the victims suffered a broken neck suggests that the perpetrator is more likely under the age of 50 than older, and more likely either a large or physically robust individual or both. uggested Investigatory Focus:

Based on preliminary analysis of the behavioral evidence, it is…

Media's Role in the BTK Killer Case
There have been several serial murder cases which feature killers who play with the attention of the public through their manipulation of the media for various reasons. However, with the actual publication of messages supposedly from mass murderers, the ethical role of the media is put to the test. Many believe that publishing these messages increases the chances of catching the murderer in question; but in the case of the BTK Killer in ichita Kansas, the publication of such messages by a local newspaper The Eagle provided little information to law enforcement officials and an arrest was made decades after the onslaught of the murders. Examples such as these show how publishing such communications may in fact be too much information for the public to handle and at the same time just continues to encourage the killer to commit more and more violent…

That victim survived. A month later, Bundy broke into Lynda Ann Healy's room, beat her unconscious, dressed her, kidnapped her, and then took her to a location where he killed her and sexually assaulted her. Several other young women fell victim to Bundy while he was in Washington. Sometimes he faked an injury, specifically a broken arm or a broken leg, to get the women close enough to him to kidnap. When Bundy moved to Utah for law school in 1974, the disappearances in Washington stopped and a string of kidnappings, rapes and murders began in Idaho, Utah, and Colorado. While he used a variety of means to kill the women, most of them were bludgeoned to death.
In August 1975, Bundy was arrested when a police officer noticed several disturbing items during a routine traffic stop. They could not get sufficient evidence to charge him, but began building a…

On one hand he was portrayed by the Cornwell was the killer of the prostitutes while on the other Sickert was a staunch defender of the sanctity of marriage and reportedly even fired one of his most important dealers for dumping his wife of 25 years for a younger woman. Sickert's wife even gave evidence that the last thee killings by the ipper were committed in London in a time when Walter had gone to France while Cornwell did not agree. Alibis have important place in criminal investigation cases. Similarly, eye witnesses also have their importance. The eye witnesses in case of Jack the ipper gave a different description of the killer as compared to the appearance of Sickert while Cornwell dismissed such accounts with the point-of-view that he must have created a different appearance using different materials like dark grease paint, hair dye etc.
In most criminal investigations the…

He was arrested the next day, Steinhauer continues.
Meanwhile, when police were investigating Franklin's residence and his garage in back of his house, they discovered "about 1,000 photographs and hundreds of hours of video footage of women," Blankstein reported. Some of the images were just "innocent snapshots" but others showed women in "various states of undress and in sexual poses," Blankstein wrote. Because detectives feared that some of the women in those photos may have been killed too, they reviewed and researched records of unsolved murders. hen they were not able to link many of the photos (except two) to killings, the LAPD decided to release the photos to the Los Angeles Times.

In January, 2011, the Los Angeles Times printed the photos (only using the faces) of 160 women on the front page of the newspaper. The LAPD posted the photos on their ebsite. In a few days 200…

American Psycho
In his seminal work American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis uses the character of the yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman in order to criticize American consumer culture while simultaneously challenging the reader to confront his or her own responses to that culture, responses that Ellis seems to suggest are only removed from the sociopathic actions of Bateman in a manner of degree, rather than kind. To see how Ellis uses the character of Patrick Bateman to explore the dual role of the serial killer as liberated individual and microcosmic representation of society, one may compare Bateman to the real life serial killer John ayne Gacy, who managed to keep his multiple murders a secret for the better part of the 1970s. Examining Bateman's characterization alongside the history of Gacy's murders and seemingly normal civilian life will help to demonstrate how the fascination with the two-faced killer ultimately stems from…

theory discussed attempt explain a real criminal crimes. Gary Ridgeway America's notorious serial killers. Your assignment analyze Ridgeway's criminal life Hans Eysenck's theory Personality.
hen considering Gary Leon Ridgway's (The Green River Killer) criminal case in the context of Hans J. Eysenck's theory on personality and crime, one is likely to observe a series of parallels between the murderer's personality and behavior and a series of events that occurred throughout his life up to the moment when he became a serial killer. Eyseneck considered that genetics plays an important role in shaping one's personality and this thus points toward the belief that Ridgway was probably influenced by biological factors when he put across criminal thinking. According to Eyseneck, individuals like Ridgway have a neurophysiologic structure that influences them to express certain attitudes when they come across particular circumstances.

hile someone might be inclined to think otherwise consequent to consulting the…

She notified police and the parking ticket (because Berkowitz had parked too close to a fire hydrant) was traced to Berkowitz. But the police were just thinking that Berkowitz might be a witness; however, when the Yonkers police searched that Galaxie belonging to Berkowitz, they found a rifle and a .44 caliber Bulldog pistol -- along with detailed maps of the crime scenes that Berkowitz had created with his lust for killing women.
"hat took you so long?" Berkowitz is reported to have asked as the officers arrested him. In time during questioning, Berkowitz either played like he was mentally unbalanced -- which he of course was -- or was just rambling because he claimed that the dog he had killed was possessed by some kind of demon, and that the dog was demanding that Berkowitz go and do the killing. Other claims by Berkowitz included that he was a…

Dahmer Forensic Analysis
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer

Crime Scene and Discovery

Never before has egregious police incompetence hindered the apprehension of a serial killer as in the case of Jeffrey Dahmer. When police were called to investigate an alleged domestic disturbance between Konerak Sinthasomophone and Jeffrey Dahmer on May 27, 1991. Although two women came to the aide of Sinthasomophone and urged police to look further into the alleged dispute, the police ignored their pleas and Dahmer was able to convince them that Sinthasomophone was his 19-year-old lover; if police had bothered to check Sinthasomophone's identification they would have seen that he was in fact only 14 years old (ardsley, n.d.). Having convinced the police that Sinthasomophone and he were in the midst of a lovers' quarrel, Sinthasomophone was released into Dahmer's custody and by the end of the night, Sinthasomophone would become Dahmer's 13th victim (ardsley, n.d.). Dahmer would proceed…

Dennis ader (BTK Killer)
Dennis ader who is commonly as the BTK killer was born in Kansas in 1945 and was the first born of four siblings born to William and Dorothea ader. He is renowned as an American serial killer who carried out the murder of 10 individuals in Sedgwick County between 1974 and 1991 around Wichita, Kansas. Dennis ader's nickname as BTK killer or BTK strangler is derived from the method he used in killing his victims. In essence, ader used bind, torture and kill to execute his serial murders, which resulted in his nickname as BTK killer. Dennis ader derived great joy and pleasure from killing to an extent that he wanted his nickname on the list of the worst serial killers across the globe. Similar to most depraved serial killers, the BTK killer or BTK strangler covered his demon behind an ordinary human's facade.

Dennis ader's…

Environmental determinism relies on the importance of the physical environment around the individual in relation to that individual's behavior. Applying the ideas of environmental determinism to serial murder means that one would believe the physical environment of a murderer would be the most influential factor which determines them to kill. However; this more generalized theory does not fully account for why a murderer would commit mass or multiple murders. ather, like many other generalized theories attempting to explain seemingly senseless violence, it just poses a theory for why individuals would be driven to kill in the first place.
The trauma-control model, formulated by Hickey, gives a more in depth look at why individuals would turn from murderers to serial murderers. According to this model, individuals can harbor intense feelings of depression and rejection. As these feelings are amplified throughout life, that individual's tendency to engage in abnormal behaviors would increase.…

Douglas states that one of the most complicated in which the geography of a series of murders seemed to play a part, was that of the Zodiac killer (Profiling and Geography). Furthermore, in a study of 300 serial killers, it was found that 2.3% had turned themselves in, one way or another. However, this does not include those who might have made mistakes as a subconscious way to reveal themselves, but only those who initiated police awareness of them. There are many interpretations of their intent, and even as to their actual guilt, but it's nevertheless an error to say they never do it (the Myth).
From the evidence in this paper, it is clear that if a child is left alone, or forced to live in isolation, their minds become the object of their company, which begins the daydreams and the fantasy world (Ressler, Douglas and Burgess, 1990). Isolation…

Dr. Gary Kaniuk
Consultation Triage & Testimony in Forensic Psychology

Yvette Riley

Female Serial Killers -- An ntroduction

The heinous act of murder has been outlawed by various authorities, states, jurisdictions, and by many religions for thousands of years. One of the best known of the Ten Commandments ("Thou Shalt Not Kill") is explicitly clear on killing. But when the perpetrator kills more than one person, and continues the killing at intervals, it is called serial killing and that is the subject of this research.

given that only one out of every six serial killers is female, there has been a lack of understanding and also a lack of empirical research that leads to a better understanding of these hideous crime sprees by females. That dearth of knowledge should be supplemented with more research.

Female Serial Killers -- Data & Histories in the Literature

The Federal Bureau of nvestigation (FB)…

Facts about the Cheshire Murders
The Cheshire murders were the Connecticut home invasion that occurred on July 23, 2007. Jennifer Hawke-Petit, wife of Dr. William Petit and her two daughters were brutally killed. Her daughter was raped and killed while Dr. William managed to escape, although, he was injured during the home invasion. (Daily Mail). Typically, the case was the most widely publicized case in the history of Connecticut because of the nature of the killings. The two daughters of the couple were Hayes aged 17 and Michael 11, were tied to the bed, suffocated and the house was set on fire. The Haye's confession proved that the two criminals had planned to rob the house in the dark. However, the police were able to arrest the penetrator named Steven J. Hayes and Joshua A. Komisarjevsky.

Sentence Defendants Receive

During the trial, the jury deliberated on the evidence against them.…

Movie Analysis: Psycho (1960 film)
The movie's most relevant cast for this discussion includes Norman, Norman's mother (Mrs. Bates), and Marion. After the death of his dad, Norman becomes entirely dependent on the love, attention, and support of his mother. It is for this reason that when she (Norman's mother) takes in a lover, Norman feels as if he is no longer a priority in his mother's life -- he feels as if he has been replaced. Apparently, he can't stand sharing her and as a result of his intense jealousy, he ends up killing not only his mother's lover but also his mother, through poisoning. However, he elects to preserve the corpse instead of having it buried -- in what could be seen as an attempt to perpetuate the illusion that his mother is not dead but is, instead, still alive. As a consequence, he begins to not only…

However, this made Andrei use physical torture as means of controlling her which later lead to him killing her by hitting her head constantly. His aim was not to have a casual sex with the victim but to kill her and satisfy his physical needs, which he discovered during his previous thrilling encounter.
He also showed abnormal behaviors after sexual assault when he chewed and swallowed away one of the victim's nipples. The dead body of Larissa was found the next day with no clue of the murderer. His second victim was a thirteen-year-old girl named Liyuba Biryuk, which was followed on from a bus stop. The killing took place in June 1982 by introducing several stabs to the body including the eyes. The body was found two weeks later with no sign or clue. Two more youths were victimized in July, two in September and one in December (Jenkins,…

John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
Crime Scene and Discovery

When the police were called to search John Wayne Gacy's home in Des Plaines, Illinois on December 13, 1978, they were not aware that their investigation into the disappearance of fifteen-year-old Robert Piest would lead them to uncover some of the most grisly murders committed in the United States (Evans, 2007). Piest was last seen leaving a pharmacy where Gacy, then working as a contractor, had recently completed a remodeling job (Office of the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney, 2012). Three hours after his disappearance, his mother, Elizabeth Piest, notified the Des Plaines Police Department and Lt. Joseph Kozenczak was tasked with leading the investigation (Sullivan & Maiken, 1983, p. 7; ell & ardsley, n.d.). During his initial investigation, Lt. Kozenczak learned that Gacy had recently offered Piest a job and proceeded to go to Gacy's home, located at 8213 Summerdale Ave, to…

Sheriff Jim Jones has a propensity to denigrate minorities. He has a team of investigating officers that all belong to the Caucasian race. It implies that Sheriff Jones has recruited his team on a racial basis rather than on professional grounds. The impact of Sheriff Jones leadership is negative, and he was a highly relationship-oriented leader. Cooperation with the FBI team regarding the recent murder has also jeopardized due to Sheriff's non-cooperation with members of the FBI team. Community relations, the objectives of investigation, and the departmental reputation are put at stake due to the immoral behavior of Sheriff Jones.
What effect would this have on his leadership role with his officers? Explain.

The dominant perspective in the contemporary world is that team diversity is an appropriate team management approach to avoid discrimination. This also leads to add variety and organizational effectiveness (Thomas and Ely, 1996) to the company. Diversity…

Crimes are classified as felonies or misdemeanors. Felony refers to serious crimes such as rape, murder, violent robbery, while misdemeanor refers to lesser crimes such as theft, fraud, or unlawful carrying of weapons.
2. eview the crimes of John Wayne Gacy. Classify his crimes and explain the classification. Examine each component of the classification modeling the examples used in the text. Use what you can find in published articles, interviews, and scholarly information on the web. Make sure to reference your sources.

John Wayne Casey was the notorious serial killer who was guilty of murdering at least thirty three young males between 1972 and 1978 in Chicago. His victims were males aged from twelve to their mid-twenties. His court trials began in 1980 after physical evidences pointed to his guilt and he had admitted to killing over thirty persons and burying them under his house. The prosecutors insisted that Gacy…

Although interpersonal and group level communications reside at a lower level than organizational communication, they are major forms of communication in organizations and are prominently addressed in the organizational communication literature. Recently, as organizations became more communication-based, greater attention was directed at improving the interpersonal communication skills of all organizational members. Historically, informal communication was primarily seen as a potential block to effective organizational performance. This is no longer the case is modern times, as on-going, dynamic, and informal communication has become more important to ensuring the effective conduct of work
It is also widely accepted that top managers should communicate directly with immediate supervisors and that immediate supervisors should communicate with their direct reports. In regard to issues of importance, top managers should then follow-up by communicating with employees directly. The Communication Accommodation Theory supports this rationale. In terms of supervisor-employee communication, one researcher argues the difficulty of trusting…

Effect on Leadership Role with His Officers
Sheriff Jones’ priorities influence his leadership behavior and the conduct of the other officers. His leadership style would resemble a transactional model as discussed in the management module. This leadership approach is premised on the idea that a quid pro quo occurs between a leader and his followers (Scott & Byrd, 2012). In such a case, the leader specifies the conditions under which the subordinates must work, and the subordinates perform what is expected of them. Moreover, his leadership role could be affected by his junior officers since his actions will directly influence their beliefs, attitudes, and values. It is believed that subordinates could significantly affect the Sheriff’s leadership of his people .and the judiciousness with which he uses his coercive authority. Such an influence could generate greater congruence between the officers’ attitudes and the Sheriff’s expectations hence increase the consistency between the…

House Made of Dawn by N.Scott Momaday - An Extension of Central Thematic Preoccupations in Sherman Alexis' 'Indian Killer'
This is a two and half page paper on two novels. 'House Made of Dawn' by N. Scott Momaday though encompasses various genre of autobiography, history, fiction, memoirs, and ethnography, this paper will strive to present an analysis of the awakening factor highlighted in the strong wordings of the author, as also depicted in the novel 'Indian Killer' by Sherman Alexis.

The awakening of the Indian literature of the Americans, more commonly known as the Red Indians, achieved its breakthrough in the writings of Momaday, in particular his first novel 'House Made of Dawn' written in 1969. House Made of Dawn also had the distinction of getting the famous Pulitzer Prize. The novel presents a detailed insight into the Native American life, through the eyes of an Indian caught between the…

Lowenstein)

These children also might see their own feelings of a wish to do physical harm toward another reflected in the feelings of others, the psychological term known as projection, and may be afraid or paranoid of others intentions.

Sometimes the criminal act of murder is an extension of previous anti-social acts of less serious forms of delinquency and criminality and children merely graduate to more extended and more violent and extreme forms of behaviour in the form of murder.

Lowenstein)

Anti-social behavior is rare but is often a trigger for the child, he or she does not have a clear sense of self or a clear sense of the pain he or she inflicts with his or her actions toward another. They are partly or completely disassociated from the emotionally charged elements of violence. They do not have fear, and as Lownstein states they do not often experience guilt.…

Gerard John Schaefer
Theories based upon biology, psychology, sociology, and socio-psychological observations and analyses have been formulated with the hopes are identifying factors that may influence and individual's behavior. In the case of prolific serial murderer Gerard John Schaefer, a psychological analysis of his behavior may be the best approach to better understanding factors that influenced his actions.

Gerard John Schaefer was tried and convicted for the murders of Susan Place and Georgia Jessup who were last seen on September 27, 1972. The remains of Place and Jessup were found in April 1973 and gave investigators cause to issue a search warrant to look for evidence tying Schaefer to their disappearance. The murders of Place and Jessup occurred while Schaefer was free on bond after being charged with false imprisonment and two charges of aggravated assault after he kidnapped, bound, and tortured/tormented Pamela Sue Wells and Nancy Ellen Trotter (Newton,…

Albert Fish (1870-1936) was one of the most fiendish serial killers of all times. He was a self-confessed cannibal, masochist and a sadist. After a long "reign" as a serial killer, Fish was finally caught, tried, convicted and executed in the electric chair on January 16, 1936.
Family Characteristics of the Killer: Albert Fish was born in a seemingly respectable family in ashington D.C. In 1870. Investigations in his family background later revealed that a number of his relatives had suffered from mental problems. According to Dr. Fredric ertham, one of Fish's half brothers as well as a paternal uncle died in a state hospital, another younger brother was "feeble-minded" and his mother was said to hear and see things. A paternal aunt of the killer was considered to be "completely crazy" and one of his sisters is said to have suffered from some sort of "mental affliction." (Quoted by…

In 1982 the first case of one death at her boarding house reached Sacramento police. Puente was questioned but never suspected. uth Monroe was 61 and Puente said she died of drug overdose. In 1985, she was sentenced to five years in prison on three counts of theft. However Puente turned this into a highly productive period for herself, developing pen-pal relationship with a 77-year-old Everson Gillmouth. The man was so "besotted" by her that he married her despite her criminal record (Crime Library). Gillmouth was later found dead in a box that had apparently been thrown into riverbank by Puente herself.

One after the other, people went missing from her boarding house. "Carpenter, a retired bartender, was last seen in February 1987 when she was discharged from a hospital into Puente's care. Miller, 64, was last seen at the boarding house Oct. 23, 1987. Fink, 55, disappeared about the…

The absence of religious lifestyle in the family is an emphasis to the centrality of religion in the life of adolescents and is brought out as the possible wedge that may be there between evil and good. Here, Arnold Fiend could be seen as the embodiment of the devil in his boots that looked odd giving an evil angle and a hidden identity giving him a satanic look. The continued presence of rock and roll music in the entire story also embodies the rebellion against the societal norms. This is from the fact that such music in the 1960s was used as a sign of liberty and freedom from societal dictates and rules. This was the rebellion that most adolescents like Connie got into hence predisposing themselves to dangers that cost them their lives.

eference

Little M., (2013). Popular Culture After World War II. etrieved April 18, 2012 from http://www.powayusd.com/teachers/lolps/American%20History/Standards/11_8/11.8.8%20Popular%20Culture%20After%20WW%20II.pdf