Serial Killers/ Profiling

1
Serial Killers/ Profiling
2
Who is a serial killer?

• Someone who kills three or more people in
  three or more separate events, over a period of
  more than 30 days, including an "emotional
  cooling-off" period in between.

3
Origins of the term Serial Killer

• Coined in mid-1970s by Robert K. Ressler
• FBI agent in Behavioral Sciences Unit
• Before this, referred to as stranger killer
• Assumed that killer did not know victims
• Ressler concluded that killer did know victims
  sometimes
• Used term serial instead, referring to murders
  occurring in a series
• Term was adopted and used after this

4
Origins continued

• First cases of serial killers probably were not
  recorded
• Some of the oldest recorded are Gilles De Rais
  and Elisabeth Countess Bathory from 15th and 16th
  centuries
• Most murderers from this time period were thought
  to be werewolves or vampires!
• Jack the Ripper widely seen as first
  serial killer because nature of crimes (sexually
  motivated) are similar to those seen
  today
• Because of this, serial killers widely
  accepted as being only about 125 years old

5
7 Phases of a Serial Killer

• Aura Phase killer begins losing grip on reality
• Trolling Phase killer searches for a victim
• Wooing Phase killer lures his victim in
• Capture Phase victim is entrapped

6
7 Phases of a Serial Killer

• 5. . Murder Phase period of emotional high
  for killers
• Totem Phase to prolong pleasure after murder
  phase, will often remove and take a souvenir or
  totem from victim
• Depression Phase occurs after the killing,
  onset triggers phases to begin again

7
Types of Serial Killers

• May be Organized or Disorganized
• Most serial killers (about 75) are organized
• Victim count usually higher
• Usually of above average intelligence
• Disorganized serial killers do not plan as well
• Killings are spur of the moment and usually
  display killers anger
• Generally of lower intelligence
• May suffer from other mental disorders
• Some serial killers display characteristics of
  both
• Described as being a Mixed type

8
The Organized Killer

• Example Ted Bundy
• Plans out the murder
• May be accustomed to carrying it out quickly
• Will bring a rape kit (rope, handcuffs,
  chloroform, etc) if desired
• Personalizes him/herself with the victim
• Talks, leads, captures the victim into the
  planned murder situation
• Rape, torture, etc may take place before murder
  for killers own gratification

9
The Organized Killer

• Kills victim with awareness of evidence at crime
  scene
• May be cleaned, destroyed, etc
• Might move the body or bury it to evade or delay
  discovery
• Killer will not be involved further with victims
  body, but may take clothing, jewelry, etc for
  trophy or gain

10
The Disorganized Killer

• Example David Berkowitz
• Murder usually is spur of the moment
• No planning and only objective is to kill
• Does not bring tools to the kill, except possibly
  murder weapon
• No contact with victim prior to spur of the
  moment murder
• No rape, torture, etc will take place after
  murder

11
The Disorganized Killer

• Kills victim without concern for evidence left at
  crime scene
• Murder is generally very violent
• Will not move body or attempt to hide or bury it
  unconcerned with discovery
• May be involved further with dead victim
• Mutilation, necrophilia, cannibalism, etc
• May take souvenir

12
General Serial Killer Profile

• Typically a white male, age 20-30, residing in
  United States
• Main motives are sex (although act of sex may or
  may not take place), power, manipulation,
  domination, and control
• Sex motive is usually rape for an organized
  killer and sadism for a disorganized killer
• Act in a series of 3 or more murders with a
  cooling-off period between each murder

13
General Serial Killer Profile

• Can go for months or years before being caught
• Victim is usually chosen from same group for each
  serial killer (prostitute, hitchhiker, woman,
  child, etc)
• Victim also generally has same attributes, such
  as gender, age, race, residence, overall
  appearance, etc
• Stick by modus operandi closely, but may change
  it with experience

14
General Serial Killer Profile

• Most murders occur by strangulation, suffocation,
  or stabbing
• Many serial killers developed sex-murder
  fantasies as teens
• Are able to control these and act them out in
  real life as adults
• With each murder, killer may be disappointed with
  murder fantasy
• Act it out again to achieve satisfaction

15
Serial Killer M.O.

• Modus operandi (aka M.O.) mode of operation
• Describes criminals characteristic patterns and
  style of work
• Also used in offender profiling

16
Motives of the Serial Killer

• Visionaries act in response to voices that
  instruct them to kill, generally schizophrenic
• Missionaries feel it is their duty to rid
  society of unwanted elements
• Hedonists kill because murder gives them
  pleasure
• Lust killers kill for sexual gratification,
  sexual acts are usually sadistic in nature

17
Motives of the Serial Killer

• Thrill killers kill for the thrill or
  experience
• Gain killers kill for personal gain,
  premeditated act to obtain financial or
  materialistic goods
• Some may not be originally motivated by this, but
  may seize opportunity and steal from victims
• Power seekers kill to have control over life
  and death of others

18
Mobility of the Serial Killer

• The Stable Killer
• Examples John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer
• Lives and works in one location for an extended
  period
• Hunts and kills within the local area
• Disposes of bodies in the same or similar areas
  with site selected for concealment
• May return to crime scene or burial site
• Seldom travels, but when forced will travel for
  work, family, or recreation

19
Mobility of the Serial Killer

• The Transient Killer
• Examples Ted Bundy, Henry Lee Lucas
• Seldom stays in one spot for more than a few
  weeks
• Kills are spread out over a large area
• Disposes of bodies in random locations and site
  is selected for convenience
• Seldom returns to region of the crime
• Travels continuously for pleasure, to confuse law
  enforcement, or for new hunting grounds

20
Why do people become serial killers?

• Explanation from the brain
• Brain defects and injuries have been an important
  link to violent behavior
• Damage to the frontal lobe, specifically the
  prefrontal cortex
• Prefrontal cortex responsible for setting goals,
  planning, social judgment, attention, inhibition,
  personality, and emotions

21
Why do people become serial killers?

• Childhood abuse
• Unnatural or unusual relationships with mother
• Controlling and abusive fathers
• Witnessing violence
• Juvenile detention
• Peer rejection
• Adoption

22
Why do people become serial killers?

• The MacDonald Triad most likely to lead to
  psychopathic tendencies
• Animal cruelty
• Disturbing red flag
• Animals seen as practice for killing humans
• Pyromania
• Often sexually stimulating activity for killers
• Destroying property feeds need to destroy other
  humans
• See both as mere objects
• Bed Wetting
• Up to 60 of serial killers wet the bed past
  adolescence

23
Profiling of Serial Killers

• Before the internet, personnel who needed
  information about violent crimes could not
  connect with the investigators who had the
  knowledge
• Communication between law enforcement departments
  is now much better and more violent crime cases
  are being closed with the arrest of an offender

24
Profiling of Serial Killers

• In the 1970s, the Behavioral Sciences Unit (BSU)
  of the FBI began studying profiling and
  behavioral characteristics
• Profiling involves
• Understanding the offender
• Looking at the crime scene and using the
  available evidence to determine what the possible
  killer is like and what he/she has done
• Aspects of criminals personality are determined
  from choices made before, during, and after crime
• Use this information, combined with physical
  evidence, to develop working description of
  offender

25
Profiling of Serial Killers

• For better profiling, FBI established two
  departments
• Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP)
• Used to evaluate unsolved crimes and to watch for
  similarities in crimes by inputting information
  into a database
• National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
  (NCAVC)
• Pools resources, such as behavior studies,
  profiling, research, etc
• Uses specially trained agents to assist in
  investigations around the US

26
Profiling of Serial Killers

• Retired FBI agent Robert Ressler is largely
  responsible for gathering the information we now
  use for profiling
• Part of the BSU in the 1970s
• Undertook the Criminal Personality Research
  Project (CPRP)
• Interviewed a number of serial killers (including
  Berkowitz and Charles Manson) to obtain
  information regarding behavior for profiling
  purposes

27
Profiling of Serial Killers

• Ressler then took on profiling, completed large
  behavioral studies, and gave lectures around the
  country
• He also helped establish the VICAP and NCVAC
• FBI now plays a crucial role in understanding and
  capturing serial killers
• Without their knowledge and assistance, many
  serial killers would possibly still be on the
  streets