Serial Killers

The thought of killing someone might be nice to some people in a moment of anger but actually doing it would be a whole different story. Killing someone is a horrifying thought and goes against all our norms. So why do we hear about all these killings in the news? Why are there so many more serial killers than there has ever been before? Studies have been done to find out why serial killers kill but no definite answers have been found. A serial killer can be defined as an individual who has murdered three or more people in a period of about a month with a little “down time” in between murders. The murders are not done to people they know, they’re usually a stranger and completely random. Serial killers are less than 1% of all the murders committed in any given year. Even though it’s less than 1%, the numbers are still shockingly high.

Serial killers are extremely complex. There’s no single thing that makes someone a serial killer. For the most part, serial killers are usually intelligent, charismatic, had a troubled childhood, history of violence, pyromaniac, unable to hold long-term relationships, emotionally distant, white, male and twenty-five to thirty-five years old. (Victims of Violence) Common traits in a serial killer are that they are seeking sensation, they have a lack of remorse or guilt and they have a need for control. Most serial killers also suffer from personality disorders such as psychopathy and anti-social personality. The most common thing in all serial killers is their childhoods and lifestyles. They were usually neglected and abused as a child. (Serial Murder) Traditionally, the parents and parenting skills are to blame for their children becoming serial killers but, after decades of research, scientists have failed to provide any real insight as to what drives serial killers. Although there is no single thing that leads to someone becoming a serial killer, multiple factors contribute to their development but it’s ultimately their decision to kill. Serial killers are some of the most complicated people in the world to figure out.

There’s no one thing that makes a serial killer kill. They kill for their own reasons. Some kill for anger, some thrill, others financial gain and others for the attention it gets them. “Jack the Ripper”, portrayed as a man in a trench coat and a top hat in the late 1800s, killed prostitutes but because his identity remains unknown the world will never know why. Ted Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, targeted places that created “high technology” such as universities and airlines. That was the only way he thought he could fight technology, so he did it.(FBI 100) A more interesting example of a serial killer is the story of Phillip Markoff, the Craigslist Killer. He went against most norms of a regular serial killer. He had a normal upbringing, money, brilliant, studied at Boston University, about to be a doctor, engaged. He was all around a great guy, the last person you would expect to kill someone, let alone become a serial killer. He ended up having a gambling problem and was broke. It is assumed that he killed for money although we will never know for sure because he killed himself before investigators could find out any more information about him.(Seven Days Of Rage) The Zodiac Killer targeted young couples in isolated areas using guns and knives. The Zodiac Killer may still be at large because he was never caught therefore it is not known why he killed. The only theory that can be put together is that he never experienced love so he was jealous of the couples not wanting them to be happy, he killed them. The tragedy with serial killers is that they hold the upper-hand in the situation. They don’t have to talk if they don’t want to and they could kill themselves like Markoff did. This leads the families even more distraught because they never get their question answered as to why someone would do such a horrible thing to one of their loved ones.

The only way in which sociologists are able to classify why serial killers kill is in theory. The most popular theory is the Anomie theory. This theory says that the killer lacks the bond that links them to society. From their family history and childhood development they have felt regected from society. This makes them feel worthless and powerless.(Victims of Violence) Killing someone, being in control of their life, having someone’s life in their hands, it makes them feel like a god. It makes them feel like they are actually worth something with the power of someone’s life in their hands. The fascination of serial killers that people have makes them feel like a part of society, people are finally paying attention to them and that makes them feel like a part of something.

Society is also playing a huge factor is the increase of serial killing. From the changes in society, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of serial killers in the last sixty years. Serial killers are not born that way, they are made into them. Society is making serial killing easier. The urbanization and technology have played a major factor in making it easier. The urbanization has made it so most people go into the city for work. There is so many job opportunities everyone goes there and there are more people, making it easier to grab someone. With technology developed cameras, cell phones, internet, Facebook, etc. This makes it easier to find someone and even stalk them. The developments in urbanization and technologies are not going to slow down, as the years progress they will only progress too. Inventions will be created to keep in contact with people that we can’t even think of. How this will affect the number of serial killers, no one knows.

The media also plays a huge role on our society today. Media is so popular and is what shapes our world; it's almost like the media is behind all the killings. It's available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. People are so fascinated and interested in serial killers that news crews will go right to them. (Serial Killers Shaped By Society) An interesting story brings in the money and a story about a serial killer is certainly interesting. With the people being so interested in them it makes them feel accepted into society, they crave that attention. So they continue killing. If they're killing, the media will be all over them, covering ever angle of the story, This will keep the killer feeling like a part of society. And the cycle is endless until they are caught. The media is giving the serial killers the attention they want. They make movies and TV shows about the killers and killings that fascinate the public instead of scaring them which is exactly what the killers thrive on.

The media has more of an impact with their views on serial killers than we realize. After the release of films like Silence of the Lambs in the 1990s, serial murders started blossoming. In Mississippi, after watching the movie Natural Born Killers, a teenage couple decided to imitate the actions they saw in the movie. The result was them shooting and paralyzing a Louisiana store clerk and killing a cotton gin manager in Mississippi. In court, the defense attorney’s argued that it was the media’s fault for putting out such a movie. Although one could argue that there must have been something wrong with the couple in the first place, there have been over one-hundred known “copycat homicides” linked to this movie since 1994. (Ben & Sarah) Natural Born Killers was not the only movie that people have copied murders from; they have copied many other movies too. The movies may be just trying to show what happened or more likely what they thought happened, but little do they know that they are actually encouraging killings. If the movie Natural Born Killers or other movies like that never came out it is doubtful that the ones who copied them would have killed at all.

A family friend who wishes to be unnamed worked in the Plymouth House of Correction in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He couldn't give out too much detail due to the high security of his job but he was able to tell me some of the things that go on inside the prison. He dealth with high level serial killers including Gary Sampson, who killed three men within a week after they had each picked him up when he was hitchhiking. (Gary Sampson) When the killer first comes to jail they get evaluated in order to determine what level of security they belong in, either low, medium or maximum. The higher profile cases would be put into the maximum security section of prison in order to ensure that they would have no contact with any other prisoners for their own safety. Some inmates would want to kill that particular prisoner just to get their name into the media. The killer doesn't show remorse for killing in most cases. Although this was the only information relative to my topic he could give me, it was interesting to learn about it from someone I personally kknow. I've seen things similar to this on television shows such as MSNBC's show Lock Up, but it seemed doubtful that was exactly how it was because it was on a television show. Now I know how close to real it actually is.

Serial killers are some of the most interesting people in the world but also some of the worst. The thought of someone taking another life is devastating and the thought of someone doing it multiple times because they enjoy it is just disturbing. It’s interesting to see the theories why serial killers do what they do but a misfortune that the world will never really know why. There are so many things that contribute to the killer killing but what exactly makes them kill is completely unknown. The advances in society and the media play the major role in influencing the serial killers in killing. As time goes on, society and the media will keep advancing in ways we can’t even imagine. It’s a scary thought wondering how and how many more serial killers will be influenced by those changes and what will happen.