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Student
Period 5
April 16, 2012
Inside the Mind of a Murderer: Why the Brain Could Be the One to Blame
Picture this: You hear on the news about a man recently discovered to have murdered 33
victims, conveniently hiding their decomposing bodies under the crawlspace of his house. Police
are digging through the mud, only to find bone and rotting flesh. The murderer has tortured these
bodies and even engaged in necrophilia, clearly lacking respect for the dead and the families
mourning for their loss. Before committing his long list of homicides, this man began his life of
crime with pedophilia. He lured young boys into his house, pressuring them for sex which all too
often ended in rape (Morrison 69-75). This is the story of John Wayne Gacy, a noted serial killer.
At this point, you might be thinking, let that man rot in jail for eternity for all the hideous and
despicable things he did. Although many agree, take a second to think about what this man has
endured in order to cause him to do such things.
John Wayne Gacy was a sickly child, often ridiculed or beaten by his father who only
saw him as worthless and stupid. He suffered from epilepsy, and was later deemed to be a
psychopath, unable to feel empathy for others (Morrison 71-75). Does this new evidence change
your mind? Although it seems clear at first, liability for a crime can become vague when other
factors are introduced. Is it right to punish a murderer if their brain is dysfunctional?
Undoubtedly, Gacy was a tortured soul, but is this an excuse for murder? With this new evidence
emerging, it creates issues when deciding punishment for criminals with unusual brains. Violent
murder believed to be caused by brain defect redefines society’s views of morality, raising
questions about criminal accountability.
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Damage to the brain can hinder its cognitive abilities, as well as shaping personality and
impulsivity. Thus, damage makes it more challenging to assess the origin of murder: the brain
damage or the person. When analyzing damage on a person’s brain, one must take into account
the severe effects it can have on all aspects of human behavior. In some cases, damage to certain
areas of the brain can result in personality changes. One example of the phenomena is the case of
Phineas Gage. This man experienced frontal lobe dysfunction when an explosion caused a
tamping rod to infiltrate his skull. He underwent a considerable personality change, becoming
more impulsive and impatient, and having little regard for his friends (Restak 6). Although Gage
did not go on to commit any violent crimes or murder anyone, this case can be compared to
similar cases including homicide. The frontal lobes are a particularly fragile and significant area
of the human brain. Restak notes that the frontal lobes “are larger and more developed in humans
than any other creature, enabling people to anticipate the consequences of their actions and
conform their behavior to laws and regulation” (Restak 6). If the lobes were to be damaged, a
person’s ability to follow morals and adhere to the law can be hindered. If the brain is damaged,
it is hard to say if anyone is accountable for new tendencies resulting from the damage.
Other cases of brain damage noted to cause repercussions include Chris Benoit and
Bobby Joe Long. Chris Benoit was a famous pro-wrestler that murdered his family and
committed suicide in June of 2007. He suffered numerous brain injuries and concussions during
his wrestling career, inducing his violent outburst (“Why We Kill”). With the obvious evidence
of damage and concussion, it would seem logical to say that it was not Benoit’s conscientious
intent to kill himself and his family. It is believed that the behavior of Benoit was due to Chronic
Traumatic Encephalopathy, a progressive degenerative disease caused by brain trauma like
concussions and blows to the head ("Why We Kill”). Bobby Joe Long is another example of a
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brain damaged killer. Long was known as the "‘classified-ad rapist’ because he would respond to
classified ads placed by women offering to sell household items, later raping and killing them.
Long was sentenced to death after he committed at least nine murders in Tampa. (Rosin).
Although horrific, it seems that Long’s brain was faulty and suffered from previous damage. He
was subjected to PET scans where radioactive markers illuminated brain activity showing that a
motorcycle accident had severely wounded part of his amygdala. After emerging from the coma
that this same accident had caused Long committed his first rape (Rosin). There is a chance that
if no motorcycle accident had occurred Long could have lived a normal life without committing
any rapes or murders. Similarly, if Benoit was not a wrestler, he probably would not have killed
himself as well a family that he loved dearly. So, is it their fault, or is it the result of their brain
injuries? Both Long and Benoit contained evidence of potentially harmful brain injury, affecting
their way of thinking and their moral judgment.
As well as brain damage, aggressive outbursts in criminals have been traced to tumors
and cysts. These brain issues modify impulse control, causing much difficulty in determining
fault in crime. Herbert Weinstein, a 65 year old ad executive strangled his wife and tried to stage
it as a suicide by throwing her body out of a window. Weinstein's lawyer suggested that his
client not be held responsible due to a mental defect, an abnormal cyst in his arachnoid
membrane (Rosin). Another case included a man named Charles Whitman. He killed his wife
and his mother in 1966, as well as shooting and killing 13 more people before being shot down
by police. An autopsy on his brain was performed, uncovering a tumor putting pressure on
the amygdala; additionally, this circumstance has been known to cause higher levels of
aggression and violence in people (Rosin). Both men seemed to be influenced by their tumors or
cysts, but would they have still committed these acts if no tumor or cyst existed? Should society
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forgive their behavior based on this assumption? Weinstein and Whitman both contracted cysts
or tumors in the brain, distorting their mindset and leading them to kill their own wives.
Abuse is another common factor found in a killer’s life. Childhood abuse can shape the
brain physically, resulting in mental disorders and anomalies. Generally, killers that have no
evidence of brain damage or abnormality will most likely have a history of child abuse. In one
study, “Over 40 percent of the murderers reported being physically beaten and abused in their
childhoods. More than 70 percent said they had witnessed or been part of sexually stressful
events” (Gerdes et al.101). All the experiences a person faces in their life shape the brain
physically, especially the severe and the traumatic ones. It has been discovered that the corpus
callosum and the cerebellar vermis have been affected as a result of abuse. During research done
by McLean Hospital, brain scans from patients and healthy children were compared. The
outcome confirmed that boys had a smaller corpus callosum as a result of neglect and in girls, the
reduction seemed to be caused by sexual abuse (Cromie). Because the corpus callosum connects
the two halves of the brain together, as Teicher explains, it could “‘lead to less integration of the
two halves of the brain, and that this can result in dramatic shifts in mood and personality’”
(Cromie). A person who is less stable emotionally will be more likely to commit acts without
considering the consequences, like murder. It appears wrong to blame victims for reactions based
on elements, such as abuse, that are out of their control. Childhood abuse influences
developmental changes in the brain and can lead to modified behavior, thus leaving society to
assess culpability for abused criminals.
In the circumstance of abuse, whether it is physical or mental, these people were
cultivated by abuse to be heartless killers. Albert Desalvo, who strangled 11 Boston women to
death, endured a horrible childhood. His father beat him with a pipe, broke his mother’s fingers
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as he watched and even sold his children to a farm in Maine (Harris). This emotional trauma is
not common or healthy for young children and it clearly had an impact on his mind. Richard
Speck tortured, raped, and murdered 8 student nurses in Chicago. His father died at a young age,
leaving him to deal with his strict mother and an abusive, alcoholic step-father (Bundy et al.).
Dealing with the death of a loved one, little support from his parents, and abuse from a father
figure altered Speck’s brain destructively. Additionally, one’s need for attention can turn a
person into a monster. John Hinckley Jr. was desperate for attention because he never received it
as a child. His siblings all had something special about them; they were smart, popular, talented,
etc. He had nothing special to show so he attempted to assassinate Reagan, proudly making the
cover of Newsweek (Psychology Part 2). It is impossible not to have sympathy for these men,
but is it enough to excuse murder? Early childhood experiences have a huge impact on the minds
of humans, sometimes being the reason for those to commit murder.
Mental illnesses springing from childhood abuse or biological predisposition can
cause aggression and instability, making it harder for the law to judge accountability. A
dissociative disorder known as Multiple Personality Disorder or MPD can ensue when obsessive
fantasies become delusional personalities. Child victims of abuse and neglect have to find ways
of coping and often develop this disorder. Dissociation is a psychological process where a person
avoids certain tragic memories and feelings that are too painful to tolerate. This process can
range from blocking out events to MPD, where personalities are generated into separate
identities (Gerdes et al. 108-109). It is believed that one adopts this disorder due to childhood
abuse, “assigning the abuse to ‘someone else,’ that is, to a personality who is not conscious all
the time” (Psychology - an Introduction 532). Accordingly, through the establishment of these
personalities, one can hide from their inner pain, but one can also manifest a violent personality
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due to the bottled up emotions and traumatic memories. A prime example is John Wayne Gacy,
who was physically beaten by his father as a child. In police interviews, he claimed met a man
named Jack Hanley at a restaurant in 1971. From there, Gacy “incorporate[ed] fantasy imagery
into a personality identity” and let Jack Hanley become “a compartmentalized and controlling
factor” in his life. It was the evil part of him, Jack Hanley that killed all those people, Gacy
claimed (Morrison 110; Gerdes et al. 109). Should a person clearly this delusional and mentally
unstable be punished for his crimes? Although a coping mechanism, this sort of disorder is
detrimental to both victim and society, and it questions the amount of blame people like Gacy
should receive.
Another mental illness that is common to killers, resulting from inadequate parenting, is
Anti-Social Personality Disorder. People with this disorder “lie, steal, cheat, and show little or no
sense of responsibility, although they often seem intelligent and charming” (Psychology - an
Introduction 539). Not all people with this disorder are criminals, but vast majorities do have
criminal records. In a study by Hare in 1983, it was found that 50 percent of a prison population
had anti-social personality disorder (Psychology - an Introduction 540). Therefore, people with
this personality disorder clearly have a more difficult time avoiding criminal acts. Moreover, the
cause to this disorder has various explanations, one idea is emotional deprivation as a child,
because “the child who no one cares about, say psychologists, cares for no one (Psychology - an
Introduction 540). Arthur Shawcross was diagnosed with ASPD, displaying “solitary aggressive
conduct” as a child which “alienated him from his peers”. Eventually, Shawcross was convicted
of “burglary, arson, manslaughter, and finally, the serial homicides of 11 women” (Gerdes et al.
94-95). Because of this diagnosis, the tendencies of Shawcross’s personality were not his fault,
but rather a defect. Because he was neglected and turned into a cold, violent man, can society
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really judge him for killing those women? When a one’s personality is a defect, similar to
Shawcross, it is hard to blame them for their unusual behaviors due to childhood neglect.
In extreme cases where attachment between parent and child is devoid, the child will turn
to a fantasy world to fulfill their desires. Harris says that without appropriate attachment,
“children may never learn to trust the people around them . . . they turn inward, creating a
fantasy world that becomes their source of gratification. When they're challenged, they react
violently and never feel sympathy or remorse for the harm they cause” (Harris). Many wellknown serial killers have adopted this sort of fantasy role playing in their killings, such as Jeffrey
Dahmer. Dahmer is well known for being a cannibal, murdering 17 men and boys between 1978
and 1991 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His murders included rape, torture, dismemberment,
cannibalism, and necrophilia (“Criminal Profile: Dahmer”). This behavior can be explained by
his elusive and anti-social tendencies growing up as a child. Police reports of Dahmer’s life
“indicate he grew up a withdrawn lad, and had little interest in hobbies or socializing” (“Criminal
Profile: Dahmer”). He “preferr[ed] instead to ride his bicycle around his neighborhood looking
for dead animals”, and “When he'd find one, he would take it home and cut it up” (“Criminal
Profile: Dahmer”). Dietz studied Dahmer and found that he ate the bicep tissue of men because
he wanted to incorporate that part into himself, so he could be muscular and desirable. He was
looking for a passive, compliant, undemanding sexual partner that would never leave him, which
he would never find (Psychology Part 1). Through the dissection of human bodies and numerous
murders, he was trying to outlive a fantasy. The disturbing fantasies of Dahmer show how
unconnected he was with reality; hence, it seems that a person this out of touch with society
should be deemed less responsibility for their actions. People like Dahmer will choose a fantasy
world where they will do whatever they please, making the moral awareness of their decisions
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questionable.
Dennis Lynn Rader and Gary Ridgway are other examples of fantasy taking over a
person’s mind and influencing murderous impulses. Similar to Dahmer, Rader showed signs of
ASPD at a young age, claiming that he "tortured animals, and developed a fetish for women's
underwear . . . he began fantasizing about torture and bondage in elementary school” (“Criminal
Profile: Rader”). Surprisingly, unlike from Dahmer, Rader was able to maintain relationships and
hide his weird fixation from the rest of the world. He killed 10 victims and was called the "BTK"
killer, meaning "bind torture and kill" (“Criminal Profile: Rader”). During Ridgway’s childhood,
“he was sexually attracted to his mother and also fantasized about killing her” (Opfer). Finally,
Ridgway tried to strangle his second wife to death and in 1983, he committed 24 murders in that
year alone (Opfer). Because these two were living in a fantasy world, they clearly cannot be
deemed sane and accountable for their killings. When people lack an adequate bond with their
parents, fantasy can take over, causing many problems in the lives of people like Rader and
Ridgway.
Lower activity or mutations in certain areas of the brain can incite a lack of empathy;
therefore, psychopaths are less rational and less conscientious of their decisions. This flaw has
been linked to murders, especially serial murder. Kiehl explains that psychopathy is similar to
those who have very low IQs. In both cases, “they are not fully responsible for their actions”, but
“The courts treat people with low IQs differently”, abstaining them from the death penalty
(“Inside a Psychopath’s Brain”). Unquestionably, those with lower IQ’s should not be penalized
for their errors in judgment, but it becomes complicated in matters of psychopathy. In Kiehl's
research, MRI's of killers were taken while being shown pictures; one was a picture of students
standing around a burner, the next was a car on fire, and the last was a person about to shoot a
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child. People who are psychopaths say the last picture is a moral offense, but their limbic system
does not light up like a normal person (“Inside a Psychopath’s Brain”). Similarly, Joel Rifkin
was a psychopath suffering from low activity in the prefrontal cortex. Devoid of a normal
conscience and rational thought process, Rifkin murdered 17 women (“Why We Kill”).
Furthermore, because they understand, but do not feel empathy, is it okay to punish them for
their own thoughtless actions? Tommy Lynn Sells is an example of a psychopathic killer. He
first became addicted to killing at age 14 because it gave him a rush, later murdering 17 people.
Words such as "love" were foreign to him, having no feelings of empathy or disgust for other
people (“Why We Kill”). Sells and Rifkin cannot connect with people on an emotional level, so
it seems foolish to judge their actions on a moral level. Psychopathy causes men like Sells and
Rifkin to be deficient in empathy, but it is unsure if it provides a good enough reason for murder.
Including psychopathy, all the different types of abnormalities observed in the brains of
violent criminals have led to the use of Neurolaw, where brain scans are provided as evidence for
legal insanity. This has sprouted controversy concerning its validity and appropriateness in the
court room. As Greene discusses, “it radically changes the way we think about the law” because
“you can have someone who is totally rational but whose strings are being pulled by something
beyond his control” (Rosin). Brain abnormalities can be the "something" beyond their control.
Neurolaw has emerged to protect those who commit crimes that suffer from a brain defect.
Recently, "neuroscientific evidence has persuaded jurors to sentence defendants to life
imprisonment rather than to death; courts have also admitted brain-imaging evidence during
criminal trials to support claims that defendants like John W. Hinckley Jr., who tried to
assassinate President Reagan, are insane" (Rosin). As well as Hinckley, there have been other
cases where neuroscientific evidence was used to protect a murderer. Dr. Raine testified in the
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case of Donta Page, who was charged with murder. He used brains scans in court showing low
activity in areas that control and regulate behavior and proved multiple factors contributed to his
sadistic conduct. These factors included poor brain functioning in addition to a troubled
childhood with abuse and poverty. Consequently, Page was spared the death penalty because of
the brain scans (“Why We Kill”). As neuroscience research continues, it seems that any criminal
could be found to have a brain abnormality to excuse inappropriate behavior. This sort of
complication makes the law hesitant to use brain scans as evidence, but morally, is it still the
right thing to do? The law system is complex, especially when it comes to deciding the rightful
punishment for those mentally defective.
Killings related to brain dysfunction distort society’s definition of morality, leading us to
consider the extent of a criminal’s responsibility. When it comes down to it, society likes to think
that people are good or bad, and those who are bad deserve to be punished. Nevertheless, new
evidence which suggests that a “morally bad” person could be the result of a damaged or
malfunctioning brain creates confusion. Should the brain or the person be blamed in these types
of situations? Some question, “So what if there's biological causation? . . . Since all behavior is
caused, this would mean all behavior has to be excused" (Rosin). Others, however, question the
ethics of punishing a mentally unstable person regardless of the cause. Still, the question lingers.
Do we decide our own behaviors and actions, or do our brains? The brain may be to blame, but
as far as morality and responsibility, society will have to make that judgment. This moral issue
has puzzled science and law for decades, but no matter what evidence may suggest, society will
continue to judge the morality of criminals based on their actions, not their dysfunctional brains.
Brain abnormalities may be an issue, but the larger issue at hand is society’s lack of openmindedness to accept the mentally ill and their struggles.
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