Perspective Chapter: Serial Killers – The Severest of Criminal Behaviors

Abstract

A serial killer is a person who kills three or more victims for a specific reason and at regular intervals (for a few days, weeks, months, or years). Serial murders are committed in all parts of the world. In the literature, serial killers are generally defined as having a faint character, being mostly white and heterosexual, suffering psychotic disorders, being sexually abused most of them as children, belonging to low socioeconomic status families, having a bad childhood with domestic violence or oppressive mother’s violence. The modus operandi of a serial killer can only be murder or sexual abuse, torture, domination, and humiliation. The leading cause of the increase in serial murders all over the world is the collapse of the traditional family structure. Following this, women became a target with the desire to own their own lives, immigration, the isolation of individuals brought about by urbanization, can be counted. Although the idea that approximately one out of every six serial killers is a woman contradicts the elegant nature of women, it is a fact. The belief that there would be no threat from women initially misled the researchers. However, both genders have a structure that can perform the same action. In this chapter, information about serial killers is given and their criminal behavior and patterns are revealed.

1. Introduction

Arising from the commission of another serious crime or deliberate homicide counts as murder in legal systems around the world. The murderer is defined as who is a person committing a murder or responsible for killing someone.

Although definitions of murder and murderer are clear, when trying to explain concepts of serial murder and serial murderer different definitions emerged among the authors of the subject. Numerous publications on this subject demonstrate a universal consensus on efforts to determine the definition, classification, epidemiology, clinical, and psychopathology [1].

By using psychiatric, psychological, sociological, and biological approaches, the classification of serial murders, prevalence, causes, characteristics, and behaviors of the murderers were tried to be understood. Especially after the change in earth’s geopolitics structure, especially common in North America, all over the world, serial murders started to increase. Due to the increasing number of serial murders, the Behavioral Science Unit was set up in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). FBI trying to create a kind of serial killer profile and study on “behaviors of criminals and causes of those behaviors” works in this field since 1970 in order to detect serial killers before committing murder. The term serial killer is used in the 1980s by FBI criminologist Robert Ressler for the first time.

2. Definitions of serial murder and serial murderer

Although the definitions of murder and murderer are clear, different definitions emerge between authors and researchers when explaining the definitions of serial murder and serial killer. As a general definition, serial murder means two or more murders in different places and time intervals. These time interval changes from hours to years [2].

The definition by FBI is three or more cases at different time and locations from each other falls under the classification of serial murder. Generally, common in the definition is two or more murders occurring at different time and locations is serial murder. People who kill more than one person for a specific reason and at regular intervals are called serial murderers.

For more than a century, murders and murderers killed many people have been mentioned in a variety of books. However, the closest definition to today’s definition is made by Cormier in 1972 as multiple kills [3]. After that, the definition by Ressler in [4] and the definition by Burgess in [4] came. Holmes and De Burger mention victims and attackers are strangers from each other or are little acquaintances and for attackers some relative signs motivate to kill [5]. Keeney and Heide [6] in 1995, Hickey [7] in 1997, made definitions that are like each other. According to those writers, there are at least three different times and locations.

The National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) divides serial murders into two classes. The first is complex, the second is classical. Despite in complex serial murders, there are geographic differences; the quiet period is usually very little. The main causes of those murders are monetary and excitement impulses. Besides geographic differences and the quiet period, sexual-sadistic impulses that trigger killing in classical serial murders and traces of them are found at the crime scene.

Classification made by Ressler et al. is based on the examination of evidence at the crime scene. They classified serial murders as organized and disorganized according to the status of the crime scene and the evidence that is found there. In organized serial murders, when the crime scene has been investigated, we can see the incident was planned masterly, to habitual repetitions and cleverly performed, in disorganization, we witness traces of spontaneous happened and turmoil in the crime scene [4]. This classification method is widely followed by police forces all over the world today. The fact that the FBI is the most effective institution in crime scene investigation and homicide investigations training all over the world and the methods it uses in this direction may be the reason for its prevalence [8].

Mass murders that result in the killing of people more than once, occurring fire or bombing, mafia murders by professional killers in different times and locations, murders committed by politically dedicated people in recent years, murders with religious motives, also, alcohol, drug usage or murders involving two or more victims and different crime scenes as a result of family conflicts such as jealousy are outside of the serial murder definition [9].

3. Categories

Holmes and De Burger used characteristic features of attracter with attraction impulse According to these features, serial murderers should be divided into five categories. These are:

3.1 Visionary

In this category, crime committed by the aggressor is related to psychotic symptoms that can be seen himself/herself there are distinctive features related to the race, gender, age and occupation of the victim. Attractors are people, seeing hallucinations, having delusions, and having wrong beliefs.

3.2 Missionary

People in this group, dedicate themselves to this task, believing that they must be rescued from those whom they believe are degrading society (such as drug dealers and prostitutes). Psychotic states are usually absent in these individuals.

3.2.1 Hedonistic

This group is divided into two subgroups. These are:

3.2.2 Lust murderers

They kill to get sexual pleasure. For those sexual sadistic killer phrases are also used.

3.2.3 Thrill-oriented killers

People in this group kill too because they seek the excitement in novels.

It is possible to find evidence of sadistic methods, sexual behavior before and after killing, mutilation, and cut the victim, in both subgroups.

3.3 Comfort-oriented killers

They focus on tools that they use to commit murder than the process of killing the victim. Stimulating causes may be psychological or monetary satisfaction.

3.4 Power and control

In this aggressor group, the stimulant is the impulse of showing power to the victim. Although they show sexual activity, its degree is not clear as those who kill for primary sex entertainment.

There are also those who, like Turvey, make profiling studies about the attacker based on the characteristics of the victim and the evidence found at the crime scene. Turvey asserts that victimology is the most important part of profiling accused [10]. Despite, this type of approach is important for police investigators, there are authors who argue that there are drawbacks of getting away from objectivity and not giving importance to other profiling techniques as Holmes and Holmes [11, 12].

4. Prevalence of serial murder

Difficulties in defining serial murders and serial murderers, multitude of unsolved murders cause to encounter difficulties in determining the numbers of serial murder cases and serial murderers in the USA as well as in other countries of the world. In the USA, the number of serial killers is about 35 identified for certain by the FBI. Nevertheless, this number is found according to approximately 360–500 determined serial murder victims. However, unsolved murders in the USA is about 3500–5000 per year, in this instance number of a serial killer can be much more. A total of 75% of serial murders committed all over the world are committed in the USA.

5. The way the crime was committed and the behavior of the serial killer

5.1 Aura or fantasy period

This process begins when killers, who appear absolutely normal on the outside, enter the private world of perverted fantasies. The weakening of killer’s grasp of reality leads to a marked increase in dreams of destruction and killing.

5.2 Search period

Serial killer starts to search victim like a fisherman throwing his/her fishing rod and pulling it slowly. Usually, vicinity of schools, areas with prostitutes, wanders the dark and narrow streets where lovers go [11].

5.3 Courtship period

In some cases, the murderer simply catches and kills anyone out of the way, in a dead-end street or a house he/she broke into. With this, too often, the murderer will get sickly satisfaction from luring in his/her victim by giving them a false sense of security, from deceiving them into giving up their safety [13, 14, 15, 16, 17].

5.4 Capture period

Next step is part of the murderer’s sadistic game to see the terror-filled reactions of the victims after they are suddenly confronted with the horror of their situation.

5.5 Murder

As with some serial killers, killing is almost like sex, the moment of killing can be substituted for orgasm. Serial killers who have an antisocial personality disorder and act sexual impulses, after killing his/her victims are quite common to experience orgasm. Serial killers prolong the fun by using methods such as beating with a heavy object, whipping, and killing by slow torture among their murder preferences [13, 15, 16, 17]. During, before, and after these murders homosexual behaviors are not rare [18, 19].

5.6 Totem period

Murder is intense but temporary pleasure for serial killers like orgasm. In the recession period until the next murder, in order to prolong the pleasure and help to live again in his/her fantasies, they take a memory of the victim or a totemic object. It can be anything from a wallet to an organ.

5.7 Depression period

At the end of murder, serial killer often disappointed. It is equivalent to the situation called as postcoital tristesse (post-coital stagnation) in French. This situation can be so severe that it leads the murderer to attempt suicide. However, behavior in this situation of most of them is a growing desire for fresh blood and a renewed desire to kill again.

6. Etiology of serial murder

In the etiology of serial murder, we faced with different approaches. These are shortly socio-cultural, psychiatric, developmental and psychological, biological, evolutionary, and animal behavior approaches.

6.1 Socio-cultural approach

Could it be the environment or social environment that makes a person a serial killer? According to Durkheim, getting lonely a person because of mechanistic societal structure, encounter contradictions with the rules of society increase the amount of crime in society. People may have thoughts of suicide or murder with this approach, which is called as Structural/Functional Approach [20]. Especially this approach explains the causes of the emergence of female serial killers [21]. According to genealogical theory, children growing up in illegal environments, committing crimes, and being abused in childhood can lead them to serial murders. The fact that 60% of serial killers were convicted in childhood explains the approach of this theory [22]. The reasons put forward according to the differentiation connotation are that the crime can be learned from and carried out on television, in the press, or from other prisoners in prison. According to Masters, crime rates are low in traditional societies and communities with strong ties between the people [22]. Serial murders are started to spread out among African American citizens belonging to subculture and with different socio-economic structures in the USA. It is understood by investigating the social worlds of mass or serial killers from case studies of Reinhardt [22], they never have had reliable communication experience. Women are very rare in serial killers and those are usually comfort-type serial killers. According to this theory, the main cause of women is fewer serial killers than men is since brutal behavior is a behavior learned from the family, society, and the media, it results from the fact that in all societies, men learn to take and strive for power, while women teach and learn to docile and obedient behavior. Ratner [22] explains the causes of serial murders as a rupture in the linkages of the ideology of supremacy that maintains the status quo [22]. The efforts of the media to present new news and create a sensation have led to changes in serial murder motives. The film has created a sort of hero image in society, with films such as “Silence of the Lambs”, “Henry: Portrait of a murderer” through the marketing efforts of the book industries. The very intelligent, mocking police behavior of the heroes of this movie is perceived by some people as a symbol, a feeling of exaltation. These types of false heroes become exemplary idols for serial killers. Serial killers may emerge as a result of psychological deficiencies such as symbols, rituals, devil worship, feeling like the son of a demon, hearing voices about evil, being motivated to commit murder and this motivation persists [22, 23, 24].

6.2 Psychiatric approaches

Science of psychiatry pointed out illnesses when explaining serial murders. However, it is so hard to accept them as sick except for the real psychotic symptoms of visionary serial killers and those showing sexual sadistic behavior. It may be more appropriate to accept those who except for these two groups as lapse from normal behavior. Multiple personality disorders: although personality dissolutions sometimes show schizophrenic symptoms and two or more personalities appear in the person, it is one of the most discussed issues in psychiatry and is accepted by many as a disorder, not a psychiatric disease, but emerges during serial murders [23, 25, 26, 27]. Symptoms related to neurotic and psychotic diseases are seen more in murderers than in other criminals. Depression, psychological disorders, fluctuations in mood are associated with serial murders [27]. It is known that people having anti-social personality disorder show excessive aggressive behavior and commit serial murders with causes such as excitement and sexual exaltation, to show their efficiency. Ressler et al. demonstrated by their studies that 81% of committing serial murders are interested in pornography. These writers, listed necrophilia, sadism, exhibitionism, transvestism, voyeurism, zoophilia (animal-loving), pedophilia (child-loving), coprofile (use of feces during sex) among serial killers’ perversions. It is known that sexual identity disorder, symptoms such as homosexuality and sexual dysfunction increases the tendency of committing serial murder. This type of serial killer has difficulty in having normal sexual intercourse during critical periods of their evolution have erection difficulties against living persons or has been sexually abused and/or raped in their childhood are remarkable [26, 27, 28]. It has been suggested by many authors that alcohol, medicine, and drug abuse are seen in almost half of serial killers, their families have alcoholism and drug abuse as well.

6.3 Developmental and psychological approaches to serial murders

Models of psychiatry is explained by diseases, models of psychology is explained based on behaviors. Psychological theories to explain serial murder are difficult to separate from sociological and psychiatric theories and are rarely preferred. While trying to explain these theories, usually human and animal behavior models are used. The main ones of these theories are psychodynamic theories dealing with mental activities, aggression hypothesis, developmental approaches, personality analysis approaches, habit approach, behavioral processes, cognitive approaches explain the distortions related to the psychological development and comprehension of the person similar to those discussed in sociocultural approaches such as child maltreatment [29, 30, 31, 32, 33].

6.4 Biological approaches to serial murder

Although serial killers are not different from other people in physical appearance, biological structure, and these data should be increased with the studies in this field, which are molecular, genetic, and neurobiological [34].

6.5 Evolutionary and animal behavior approach

From Darwin to now, studies are conducted about evolution. Experiments on animals, especially on rats, explanations have been made about human behavior by trying to grow up animals physiologically different and by examining the differences in the behavior of animals a few generations later. However, these similarities how useful it will be is debatable.

6.6 Neurological contributions

In electroencephalography (EEG) of some aggressive inmates, different patterns and foci were seen compared to the others. One of the abnormalities of EEG is excessive theta activity; this abnormality is consistent with the arousal theory of psychopathy suggesting that psychopaths seek overstimulation through antisocial behavior to compensate for their structurally low brain levels.

6.7 Biochemical approaches

As in all kinds of mental illnesses, the first neurotransmitter studied to obtain biochemical findings about serial killers was serotonin. In cerebrospinal fluids of aggressive and anti-social people, the level of 5-hydrocyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) which is a metabolic product of serotonin is abnormally low. There are biological aspects that are not genetic but affect the development of personality. For example, more aggressive behavior can be related to higher testosterone levels and less serotonin levels. With this, increased serotonin levels can cause more social behaviors [34].

6.8 Role of genetic

While in monozygotic twin’s crime rate of both siblings is 35.8%, in dizygotic twins this rate is found as 12.2%. Witkin et al. in subjects, which have XYY chromosomes, found 41.7% crime rate but the number of cases they can study (n = 12) is so low as regards subjects having XY chromosomes that show criminal behavior with a rate of 9.3% (n = 4111). Various studies confirmed the presence of genetically determined personality features. Studies making with identical twins show very similar behaviors in terms of personal, social, and professional choices, even in individuals brought up in different vicinity [35]. There is no significant difference between race and serial murders based on ethnicity.

The purpose of sociocultural, psychiatric, psychological, and biological approaches, which are tried to explain shortly above, is to explain what affects human behavior, how it is able to deviate, and how it developed. There are aspects trying to explain the behavior of serial killers in all the theoretical, experimental, and observational studies dealing with human behavior from one aspect. However, it is impossible to explain a complex structure like serial murder with individual models. Therefore, it would be more accurate to examine deviation from the normal behavior of people committing serial murder in the light of all these theories.

7. A few examples of the most famous serial killers in the world

Killers are caught since they make mistakes at some points. The words of serial killer Ted Bundy are extremely interesting. “Killing is like changing car wheel, you should learn details. First, you act highly carefully but when you change wheel for thirtieth time, you do not pay attention to where you put the wrench or whether you tighten the nut enough.” These words explain how they are caught.

The most taking attention serial killer in the USA is Ted Bundy. He was held responsible for the killing of more than thirty people. A notable feature in the selection of victims is that there are young and beautiful women similar to the woman Bundy had been with before and wanted to marry. He kills his victims after being raped and he left some unique traces in the crime scene. Detectives, who went to investigate a murder reminiscent of Ted Bundy’s style, did not find any traces to incriminate Bundy at the crime scene. After the detailed investigation, polices who thought the bite mark on the hip of the corpse might belong to Bundy moved to get Bundy’s tooth molded. Although it is told he is going to a normal dental examination, Bundy noticed the situation and he tried to break his teeth, but he did not succeed it. Compared bite marks and tooth mold are the same as with each other. This fact shows why dental records should be recorded carefully and how much Forensic Odontology is important.

John Wayne Gacy (Clown Killer) likes to entertain children wearing clown dresses. He likes to clamp his victims, anal rape, to buy them sandwiches, to read verses from the Bible, and to suffocate their victims. In 1978, he was caught in Chicago by the police. Thirty corpses were found buried in the basement of his house where his wife constantly complained of a strong odor. Until he was executed by a needle in prison in 1994, he wore multi-color dresses, and drawn clown pictures. According to the news of Chicago Tribune Newspaper in 1998, detectives found human remains in his mother’s house.

Jeffrey Dahmer was enjoying torture to little animals and kill them when he was a child. He killed 17 people. He had sex with the people he killed and used condoms. He says he does not like having sex with living people because they left him in a few minutes. He eats his victim by breaking into pieces and he was burning with acid some pieces. It is pointed out that 55 gallons of acid were found in his bedroom when he was caught. In addition, cut heads in a small room of his house, seven skulls, and skeletons were found by the police.

Another bloody serial killer is Colombian Pedro Alonso Lopez called And Monster. It is guessed that he killed more than 300 people. He was kicked out of the house by his mother who is a prostitute, and was raped, at the age of 18 he killed a gang member three attackers gossiping about himself. He killed 100 young girls in Peru in 1978. On the unrest of the townspeople, he left Peru and continue murders in Colombia and Ecuador. He said that he prefers Ecuadorian girls since they are kind, reliable, and more innocent. According to police recordings, all of the missing girls belonged to the call-girl community. He was caught in 1980 and convicted of murdering 57 children but the point that experts agree 300 is the low quantity for Lopez. They focus on the possibility of he is the killer of at least 50 people.

When the demographic information, motives, methods, mental health and victims of 64 female serial killers who committed murder in the USA from 1821 to 2008 were investigated, it was seen that they had a caring role like a health worker and were generally white, educated, married and mothers [36].

The motives behind serial murders committed by women are mostly for financial gain or excessive attention. An exception can be Aileen Wournos who targeted male victims for revenge and control. Aileen Carol Wuornos, the subject of many movies, was born on February 29, 1956. It is known that she was abused physically and sexually and raped in her childhood. Although it is claimed that she killed seven people, two of corpses could not find she has been convicted to death for killing five people. She is accepted as the most famous female serial killer in the USA. Female serial killers are more likely to use poison as a lethal tool and kill people they know, including family members, spouses (“black widow” cases), or dependents (“angel of death” cases). It includes “angel of death” cases often involving nurses who murder by suffocation or drug overdose sick or elderly people mostly in hospitals or nursing homes. This group contains probably the highest number of female serial killers. A historical example is “Jolly” Jane Toppan who is a nurse and killed at least 31 hospital patients in Massachusetts from 1895 to 1901.

8. Discussion

There exist different definitions of serial murder and serial murderer by authors working in this field. It can be understood that there is an agreement on definitions, classification, epidemiology, clinical, and psychopathology of serial murder and serial murderer. Classification, prevalence, cause of serial murders, and characteristic behavior of killers are defined by using psychiatric, psychological, sociological, and biological approaches. The general definition of serial murder is two or more murders in different places and time intervals. The time interval has a variety from hours to years. FBI defines serial murder as “three or more case different from each other as time and place falls under the classification of serial murder”. The common point in the definitions is that there are two or more murders, and these murders take place in different places and times. In this case, serial killer can be defined as people killing one or more people with a specific reason and in a certain time interval.

There are some instances, which are outside of the definition of serial murder. These situations are mass murders done by fire or bombing, mafia murders including more than one person and committed by professional killers, murders committed for political reasons, murders committed by the reason of religious in late years, massacres in schools or similar places, also under the influence of alcohol and drugs or because of jealousy and other family problems are out of the definition of serial murder.

Increment of serial murders started after the change in the geopolitical structure of the world. Serial murders which are seen mostly in North America are phenomena that are faced all over the world. Having many different definitions of serial murder and serial murderer makes making a clear definition difficult. The difficulty in making definition, large number of unsolved murders, not only created difficulties in determining serial murder cases and the number of serial killers in the USA but also in other countries over the world. The number of serial killers determined clearly by the FBI until the 2010s in the USA is about 35. When determining this number approximately 360–500 certain serial murder victims were considered. However, if it is taken into consideration that there are about 3500–5000 unsolved murders in the USA, the number of serial killers should be more than determined. A total of 75% of known to have committed serial murder are happening in the USA.

In addition, notwithstanding being a serial killer is seen in the white race, the increment of black serial killers stands out. FBI defines the profile of a serial killer as age is between 20 and 40, usually a faint type, mostly white and heterosexual, the main cause activating killing motives is sexual problems, most of them are raped when their childhood or have a bad childhood. Another feature of serial killers is to sign to the murder. This sign not only demonstrate the characteristic behavior of serial killer but also constitutes the common point of the murders [37]. Main causes of those murders are monetary, excitement, and sexual-sadistic impulses tragging killing. Also, evidence of these impulses is found in the crime scene. Holmes and De Burger by using characteristic behaviors of aggressors classified serial killers. This classification consists of five groups as Visionary, Missionary, Hedonistic, (subgroups of Hedonistic are Lust murderers and Thrill-oriented killers), comfort-oriented killers, and power and control. According to the method of crime committed and the behavior of serial killer, in serial murder phases exist such as the aura period, fantasy period, search period, courtship period, capture period, murder, totem period, and depression period.

9. Conclusion

There are different approaches to the etiology of serial murder. These approaches are sociocultural, psychiatric, developmental, psychological, biological, evolutionary, and animal behavior approaches. All of these approaches aim to explain what affects human behavior, what causes deviation in this, and how it developed. Serial murder is such a complex thing that cannot explain with individual models. Thus, deviation in human behavior who is committing serial murder should be examined with all of these theories.

First serial killer appearing in the late 19th century in London is Jack the Ripper. The most know serial killers in the USA are Ted Bundy who is held responsible for more than 30 people, John Wayne Gacy (Clown Killer) who killed 33 people, Jeffrey Dahmer killing 17 people. For female serial killers, there is a historical example, “Jolly” Jane Toppan who is a nurse and killed at least 31 patients in Massachusetts from 1895 to 1901, and Aileen Carol Wuornos who is a subject of many movies.

Causes of the increment in serial murder are the collapse of traditional family structure, getting lonely people due to urbanization, the increment of movies and games with the same type of violent themes all over the world, the prevalence of pornography, praising violence even in cartoons, the portrayal of serial killers as heroes in the media and cinema. The reason for the prevalence of these developments first in the USA and all over the world is the spread of American popular culture all over the world.