Kinds of Serial Killers - Essay Example

? Serial Killers Serial Killers College This research paper will analyse about the serial killers, their modus operandi, their motives, the psychological issues, the reason for acquiring such traits, the details of their victims in detail. The criminal demeanour and other behavioural issues are frequently supposed to be arisen from the home background of serial killers due to poor role models or due to inadequate discipline. Serial killer’s behaviour appears to be an outcome of a highly intricate interaction of sociological, biological and psychological factors. This research essay will make an earnest attempt to find out what poignantly contributed to the onset of this intricate distorted personality and their violent demeanour which is far more many-sided. Introduction In the modern forensic psychology, serial murders appear to have assumed a pivotal place. According to Burgess, Douglas & Ressler (1983), a serial murder is one who has killed at least three or more victims with a cooling -off period in-between each murder. A serial killer does not have any past connection with the victim and murder seems to be random or unconnected. Further, the murder is mainly on the psychological background or for sex abuse and not for any monetary benefits. Serial killers’ victims will be adolescents, children, prostitutes and women. Dr.Harold Shipman, a serial killer, killed only elderly women who were his patients whereas young women are the choice for Ted Bundy. On the other hand, there was a female serial killer namely Alieen Wuornos who was a prostitute by profession who killed her male clients. Green River Killer practice was to kill the runaways and prostitutes. There are different motives attached to for the serial killing where some killers do the same for sexual pleasure ,some do it due to hatred, some do it for revenge , some do it because their intuition asked them to do it. (“Thomas, 2010, p.6”). As per Hazelwood and Douglas (1980), a serial killer is a “disorganised asocial lust murderer’ who as a delinquent who would be indulged in killing in a hysterical, non-methodical style. According to Ressler and Burgess (1985) who examined various crime spots of disorganised killers and observed that their killings were done without any plan of action , a discovery that corresponds to the apparently random itinerary of spree killing. Casewell and Hollin (1994) defined serial killing as “many victims who are killed over the period of hours or days or weeks or months in diversified locations by a vagarious killer who seems to make no effort to escape detection. According to Fox and Levin (1998), multiple killings includes instances in which victims are killed either at over a short period of time (spree) or at once (mass) or over an elongated phase of time (serial) and hence, the time frame of serial killing has been detailed as either long or short duration that somewhere conforms to between serial killing and mass killing. (DeLisi et al, 2008, p40). Beauregard and Proulx (2002) examined the offending courses of 36 Canadian killers who were more often impelled by sexual sadism. According to Hazelwood and Warren (2000), sexually violent criminal killers are either ritualistic or impetuous in nature. They also found that impulsive killers are criminally primitive and mostly reactive in terms of crime scene demeanour and victim selection. Fox & Levin (1998) found that serial killers are those who kill their victim with their bare hands without the help or usage of any weapon or instrument. (DeLisi et al, 2008, p41). “Kinds of Serial Killers” There is no uniformity in defining a serial killer. This is mainly because due to the absence of typologies established to describe between kinds of serial murders. Based on analysis and interviews of more than 400 cases of serial killers, Holmes and De Burger (1988) have offered a complete definition of a serial killer. According to Wilson (2007), Holmes and De Burger, from their research study, they decoded the main four types of serial murders. The following table illustrates the various types of serial killers as per research study carried over by Holmes and De Burgers. “Different Kinds of Serial Killers” Control/ power The murderer experiences pleasure, mainly by perpetrating sexual assaults on their victims and this pleasure emanates from the view that the victim is immobilized to the killer, and he can do whatever he likes on the victim. The killer likes the control as he holds over the poor victims who have no way to prevent him. Hedonistic The killer is driven by the thrill to kill, and he likes the exhilaration and executes murders due to that thrill. Thus, thrill becomes the ultimate motive for the killer. Mission To eliminate some group of people, the killer will have a self-imposed assignment. Thus, the sole aim of the killer is to eliminate some identifiable cluster of people from the society, and he is not driven by any other motive. Visionary The inner voices arising from the head of the killer induces him to kill. This will also include visions, and this demonstrates as a catalytic to his demeanour pushing the killer to kill. The killer is in a strong belief that the inner voice from the head of the killer is coming from the god or demons. (“Wilson, 2007, p.38”). “Criminal Background of Serial Killers” Hazelwood and Warren (2000) found that the part of criminal background or history as the root cause of extreme and repeated violence. They found that serial killers would have assorted and normally have antisocial history whose arrest backgrounds revealed ‘ a multiplicity of crimes with no particular motive to the crimes like driving under the influence , auto theft , battery and assault ,armed robbery , having in possession illicit drugs , rape, disorderly and drunken behaviour. (DeLisi et al, 2008, p42). Meloy et al (2004) found that about 60% of the serial killers had a widespread substance abuse background. Basely (2004) investigated the previous crime history of 7 serial killers by employing data available from FBI. He found that some of these criminals who unleashed their crimes in scot-free manner and for instance, one killer killed 6 males across 6 states in a span of 8 month period. Beasley also examined their criminal records and found that four of them had a very extensive conviction and arrest records where the three of them had either no or little earlier crime history. He found that those who had previous crime records were psychopaths whereas those who had no earlier crime records were not psychopaths. (DeLisi et al, 2008, p43). Prentky et al (1989) examined the role played by fantasy among criminals who later become serial sexual killers and observed that serial killers were preoccupied and even infatuated with illusions of sexual sadism. These illusions corresponded with other paraphilias like voyeurism, indecent exposure and compulsive masturbation. These findings would help to have an extra control variable to assess the criminal history of criminals who apparently without reason or rhyme, who get on a homicidal crime spree. (DeLisi et al, 2008, p47). “Silhouette of a Serial Killer” As per Egger (1990), the profile of an average serial killer will be as follows; male, in his early twenties or thirties, an either low or middle economic status in the society, having a background of abuse or parental neglect during the childhood, may be either psychopathic or sociopathic, a chameleon to his background and always seems to be normal human being to others. As per Hazelwood & Burgers (1987), majority of the serial killers are most probably sexual sadists stimulated chiefly by sexual pleasure enjoyed through sufferings of the victim. As per Pistorius (1990), a serial killer will attempt to integrate their abnormal sexual desires into their victim’s body. One such illustration of the serial killer with sexual-sadism is Fred West, who along with his wife Rosemary, between 1967 and 1987, tormented, raped and killed at least a dozen young girls and women. (Boduszek & Hyland, 2012, p.864). According to Egger (2002) , victims of serial killers will include the following the homeless, vagrants , migrant workers, prostitutes ,missing children , homosexuals , elderly women ,single women , hospital patients and college students. (Glannangelo, 2012, p.6). For serial killers, killing becomes an addiction and a habit. For them, killing somebody is like going jogging outdoors. These killers will have some kind of violent inner compulsion and immediately after the incident of crime, they will have a normal feeling, and they experience not only some sense of relief but also after a cooling-off period, they would like to repeat the operation. Killing for serial killers is like the craving for a drug for a drug addict where the inner compulsion rises up again and compels them to go in search of another victim. (Wilson & Seaman, 2011, p.2). “Biological Reasons for Serial Killers” According to Brennan, Hall, Bor, Najman & Williams (2003), as per adoption study, parents with a tendency to antisocial demeanour may convey these genes to their progeny, and these progeny would then have a heightened peril in acquiring analogues antisocial behaviourism irrespective of social features. According to Bartol & Bartol (2008), psychopaths who are born with biological tendencies may acquire the disorder independently and not due to any genetic features. Eysenckien (1996) found that psychopaths will have a nervous system that meddles with rapid associations and conditioning between punishment and transgression. Due to this birth defect, the psychopaths may not have awareness about the punishment and hence, they feel no guilt when they commit a murder. (Boduszek & Hyland, 2012, p.864). As per Frick & Morris (2004), psychopaths are impetuous, lacking of compassion, dispassionate, thrill-seeking, adolescent and unconditionable. Freedman & Hemenway (2000) found that there is a close nexus between both non-violent and violent demeanour and a brain injury. The above authors also found that out of 16 capital punishment prisoners, 12 had brain injuries and in the majority of the cases, due to manifold insults made on them by family members and caretakers. (Boduszek, Daniel and Hyland, Philip 2012). According to Rebellon (2002), larcenous delinquency is caused due to unproductive, ineffectual or incoherent parenting. Patterson (1982) found that erratic discipline administered by parents in the young age of the killer is also honestly linked to the development of sociopathic personality. (Boduszek, Daniel and Hyland, Philip 2012). Chaplin (1985) explained impulsivity as acting on desire without knowing its outcome. Impulsive means irrationality and an incapability to gain from experience. According to Dadds & Salmon (2003), lack of guilt or inattentiveness is a quality linked with psychopathy. (Boduszek, Daniel and Hyland, Philip 2012). Some serial killers belonging to the category of murderer and sadist rapist as they are analogues to their anger-excitation rapists’ colleagues as both categories are sexually tempted by the psychological and physical pain of their victims. According to Hazelwood & Burgess (1987) , anger rapist are regarded as being tempted chiefly out of fury whereas sadists’ serial killers are tempted chiefly by sexual desires gained through the suffering of the victim. This type of serial killers employs extreme violence like torture, bondage, rape with hard-core materials, sexual disfigurement and in extreme cases, even murder. Further, hard core serial killers will engage in acts of dilapidation like burning with cigarette, cutting hair and having sexual intercourse with the dead body immediately after murder. Groth & Birnbaum (1979) found that sadist serial killers’ attacks are methodologically planned and adequate preventive care is taken against discovery. Arrigo & Purcell (2001) found that sadist serial killers are probable to involve in multiple paraphilias. (Boduszek, Daniel and Hyland, Philip 2012). Many serial killers mislead their future victims and entice them to the provinces where the victims cannot oppose. Immediately, after the apprehension of such serial killers, they mislead the jailers and mental health experts as if they are innocent by having good conduct during incarceration. If correction authorities think that this serial killer has learned lessons during imprisonment, and he can be reintroduced into the society and such decision would be really proven to be great errors, which can make more lives at risk. (Morana, Stone & Abdalla-Filho, 2006, p.s78). In case of a serial killing crime being tried in the court, then, it is essential for the jury to make a trip to the crime scene to gain more knowledge into the background of the crime. A serial killer would be committing a chain of murders employing the same modus operandi over a defined timescale. Serial killers are usually creatures of inclination and can make a visit to the crime spot more than once. A jury by visiting the crime scene can understand in attaining valuable insights with expert testimony into the motives and characteristics of a serial killer. (Claridge 2013). “The British Serial Killers” In 1960, Michael Copeland was the first ever serial killer who killed three gay men while serving in British Army. However, there are about other 19 serial killers from U.K from 1960 onwards who killed more than 326 victims in U.K. The victims of serial killers from U.K were belonging to some groups like infants, babies, gay men, adolescents who ran away from home and prostitutes. Colin from Ireland who was a serial killer described that he liked to eliminate gay men as they were susceptible and their susceptibility would drive him to accomplish his aim. Further, the British serial killers targeted mostly the elderly people as more than 225 elderly people were killed by the serial killers in UK from 1960 onwards. Further, there is no Black or Asian serial killer in UK as the majority of the serial killers was British. (Wilson, 2007, p.42). Details of the British Serial Killers from 1965 to 2006 “Name of the Serial Killer “ Year tried Occupation Victims details “Number of victims “ Michael Copeland 1965 Soldier Young person’s/ 2 gay men 3 Brady/ Hindley 1966 Clerk “Kids / adolescents” 3 Patrick Mackay 1975 Gardener “Priest/ elderly women” 3 Donald Neilson 1976 Builder 3 men/ young women 4 “Hall / Kitto “ 1978 Unemployed butler Acquaintances 5 Peter Dinsdale 1981 Unemployed Random 26 Peter Sutcliffe 1981 Lorry Driver Women 13 Dennis Nilsen 1983 Civil servant Gay men 15 John Duffy 1988 Unemployed Women/ Young person 3 Kenneth Erskine 1988 Unemployed Elderly 7 Beverly Allitt 1993 Nurse Kids 4 Colin Ireland 1993 Unemployed Gay 5 Robert Black 1994 Van driver Kids 3 “Frederick / Rosemary west” 1995 Builder/ house-wife “Adolescents/ family members” 10 Peter Moore 1996 Cinema Owner Gay men 4 Harold Shipman 2000 Doctor Elderly 215 Mark Martin 2006 Unemployed Women 3 (Wilson, 2007, p.43). From the above table, we can understand that between 1981 and 1983 and in 2000, there were maximum numbers of serial killings in U.K. Elliot Leyton (1986) was of the view that psychological description is not adequate to demonstrate the concept of serial killing. He was of the view that it is essential to find out the root causes of serial killing in the societal background that a serial killer resides. Leyton uses the notion of ‘homicidal protest ‘thereby comprehending that the irritated members of the lower -middle classes and the upper working will be likely to murder victims’ of middle class. According to Grover and Soothill (1999), the British experience did not corroborate the latter feature of the Leyton findings. According to them, the middle classes of UK did not fall as victims of modern British serial killers, but they are hailing from vulnerable and powerless clusters like young adults and kids, gay men, prostitutes and pensioners. A special attention is to be given to the fact that there is the absence of a killer from relatively mighty positions. (Wilson, 2007, p.48). “Findings and Recommendations” A serial killer would be committing a chain of murders employing the same modus operandi over a defined timescale. Murder is mainly on the psychological background or for sex abuse and not for any monetary benefits. Fox & Levin (1998) found that serial killers are those who kill their victim with their bare hands without the help or usage of any weapon or instrument. Hazelwood and Warren (2000) found that the part of criminal background or history as the root cause of extreme and repeated violence. Beasley found that those who had previous crime records were psychopaths whereas those who had no earlier crime records were not psychopaths. . Killing for serial killers is like the craving for a drug for a drug addict where the inner compulsion rises up again and compels them to go in search of another victim. The British serial killers targeted mostly the elderly people as more than 225 elderly people were killed by the serial killers in UK from 1960 onwards. Brennan, Hall, Bor, Najman & Williams (2003) found that parents with a tendency to antisocial demeanour may convey these genes to their progeny, and these progeny would then have a heightened peril in acquiring analogues antisocial behaviourism irrespective of social features. Patterson (1982) found that erratic discipline administered by parents in the young age of the killer is also honestly linked to the development of sociopathic personality. Chaplin (1985) explained impulsivity as acting on desire without knowing its outcome. According to Dadds & Salmon (2003), lack of guilt or inattentiveness is a quality linked with psychopathy. Serial killers’ criminal demeanour and other behavioural issues are often presumed to be directly linked to home, poor parental care, poor role models or inadequate discipline. Thus, serial killers’ demeanour is directly linked to the distorted personality and subsequent violent demeanour and is far more comprehensive. Thus, serial killers have acquired their traits due to complicate interaction of psychological, biological and sociological elements. Some research studies have found that serial killers can present an array of sexual travesties, which includes cannibalism and necrophilia. (Morana, Stone & Abdalla-Filho, 2006, p.s78). Once, if an individual was proven to be a serial killer and has been recognised as incorrigible foes of the society, it is advised that there is a need to exclude such serial killers permanently from the society, and life imprisonment should alone be a solution to this issue. (Morana, Stone & Abdalla-Filho, 2006, p.s78). References Boduszek, Daniel and Hyland, Philip (2012) ‘Fred West: Bio-Psycho-Social Investigation of Psychopathic Sexual Serial Killer.’ International Journal of Criminology and Sociological Theory, 5(1), 864-870. Claridge, J. (2013, January 11). How Forensic Evidence is presented to a Jury? Retrieved April 12, 2013, fromhttp://www.exploreforensics.co.uk/forensic-evidence-presented-to-jury.html DeLisi M, Hochstetler A, Scherer AM, Purhmann A & Berg, MT. (2008). ‘The Starkweather Syndrome.’ Criminal Justice Studies, 21(1), p.37-47. Glannangelo, SJ. (2012). Real Life Monsters: A Psychological Examination of the Serial Murderer. New York: ABCCLIO. Morana HCP, Stone, MH & Abdalla-Filho, E. (2006). ‘Personality Disorders, Psychopathy, and Serial Killers. ‘Rev Bras Psiquiatr, 28 (II), s74 -9 Thomas, T R. (2010). Serial Killers .London: Saddleback Educational Publication. Wilson, C & Seaman, D. (2011). The Serial Killers: A Study in the Psychology of Violence. New York: Random House. Wilson, D (2007). Serial Killers: Hunting Britons and Their Victims, 1960 -2006. Winchester: Waterside Press. Read More