Forensics
Lecture 12 Serial Killers
In an effort to bridge the gap between the many views of issues related to serial murder, the Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI) hosted a multi-disciplinary Symposium in San Antonio, Texas, on August 29, 2005
through September 2, 2005. The goal of the Symposium was to bring together a group of respected experts
on serial murder from a variety of fields and specialties, to identify the commonalities of knowledge
regarding serial murder. The majority of this unit will stem from their work, found at:
http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder/serial-murderjuly-2008-pdf
Dear Boss
I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they won’t fix me just yet. I
have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right
track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on
whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the
last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal. How can they catch me now.
I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my
funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer
bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use
it. Red ink is fit enough I hope ha. ha. The next job I do I shall clip the ladys
ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly wouldn’t you. Keep this
letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight. My knife’s so
nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance. Good luck.
Yours truly Jack the Ripper
Serial murder is a relatively rare event, estimated to comprise less than one
percent of all murders committed in any given year.
This broad-based public fascination began in the late 1880s, after a series
of unsolved prostitute murders occurred in the Whitechapel area of
London. These murders were committed by an unknown individual who
named himself “Jack the Ripper” and sent letters to the police claiming to
be the killer
What is a Serial Killer?
There has been at least one attempt to formalize a definition of serial
murder through legislation. In 1998, a federal law was passed by the
United States Congress, titled: Protection of Children from Sexual
Predator Act of 1998 (Title 18, United States Code, Chapter 51, and
Section 1111). This law includes a definition of serial killings:
The term ‘serial killings’ means a series of three or more killings, not less
than one of which was committed within the United States, having common
characteristics such as to suggest the reasonable possibility that the crimes
were committed by the same actor or actors.
Although the federal law provides a definition of serial murder, it is limited
in its application. The purpose of this definition was to set forth criteria
establishing when the FBI could assist local law enforcement agencies with
their investigation of serial murder cases. It was not intended to be a generic
definition for serial murder.
Spree Killer
The general definition of spree murder is two or more murders committed by
an offender or offenders, without a cooling-off period. According to the
definition, the lack of a cooling-off period marks the difference between a
spree murder and a serial murder. Central to the discussion was the
definitional problems relating to the concept of a cooling-off period.
Because it creates arbitrary guidelines, the confusion surrounding this
concept led the majority of attendees to advocate disregarding the use of
spree murder as a separate category. The designation does not provide any
real benefit for use by law enforcement.
The different discussion groups at the Symposium agreed on a number of
similar factors to be included in a definition. These included:
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one or more offenders
two or more murdered victims
incidents should be occurring in separate events, at different times
the time period between murders separates serial murder from mass
murder
Adopted Definition - Serial Murder: The unlawful killing of two or more
victims by the same offender(s), in separate events.
Fourteen Characteristics of a Serial Killer
Could you be raising a criminal? Acts of violence don't come out of
nowhere, and every parent should be aware of the clues along the way. For
the most violent of criminals, there are warning signs that often start in
childhood. Below is a list of the 14 most common traits of serial killers.
1. Over 90 percent of serial killers are male.
2. They tend to be intelligent, with IQ's in the "bright normal" range.
3. They do poorly in school, have trouble holding down jobs, and often work
as unskilled laborers.
4. They tend to come from markedly unstable families.
5. As children, they are abandoned by their fathers and raised by
domineering mothers.
6. Their families often have criminal, psychiatric and alcoholic histories.
7. They hate their fathers and mothers.
8. They are commonly abused as children — psychologically, physically and
sexually. Often the abuse is by a family member.
9. Many serial killers spend time in institutions as children and have records
of early psychiatric problems.
10. They have high rates of suicide attempts.
11. From an early age, many are intensely interested in voyeurism, fetishism,
and sado-masochistic pornography.
12. More than 60 percent of serial killers wet their beds beyond the age of
12.
13. Many serial killers are fascinated with fire starting.
14. They are involved with sadistic activity or tormenting small creatures.
Source: Internal Association of Forensic Science, an article written by FBI
Special Agent Robert K. Ressler "The Serial Killer," Harold Schechter
(Could not find cited article)
Rebuttal to Dr. Phil http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/psychology/s_k_culture/
12.html
Serial Killer Myths – Serial Killers.ppt
There were several additional observations made by the attendees regarding
causality:
Serial Killer Causality – Serial Killers.ppt
Psychopathy - attendees did identify certain traits common to some serial
murderers, including sensation seeking, a lack of remorse or guilt,
impulsivity, the need for control, and predatory behavior. These traits and
behaviors are consistent with the psychopathic personality disorder.
Attendees felt it was very important for law enforcement and other
professionals in the criminal justice system to understand psychopathy and
its relationship to serial murder until 1980, the term used for a personality
disorder characterized by an abnormal lack of empathy combined with
strongly amoral conduct but masked by an ability to appear outwardly
normal
Psychopathy.doc
Interpersonal traits: glibness, superficial charm, a grandiose sense of selfworth, pathological lying, and the manipulation of others.
Affective traits: lack of remorse and/or guilt, shallow affect, a lack of
empathy, and failure to accept responsibility.
Lifestyle behaviors: stimulation-seeking behavior, impulsivity,
irresponsibility, parasitic orientation, and a lack of realistic life goals.
Anti-social behaviors: poor behavioral controls, early childhood behavior
problems, juvenile delinquency, revocation of conditional release, and
criminal versatility.
Antisocial personality disorder - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/antisocialpersonality-disorder/DS00829
Antisocial personality disorder is a type of chronic mental illness in which a
person's ways of thinking, perceiving situations and relating to others are
abnormal — and destructive.
Antisocial personality disorder is sometimes known as sociopathic
personality disorder. A sociopath is a particularly severe form of antisocial
personality disorder.
Antisocial personality disorder symptoms may include:
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Disregard for right and wrong
Persistent lying or deceit
Using charm or wit to manipulate others
Recurring difficulties with the law
Repeatedly violating the rights of others
Child abuse or neglect
Intimidation of others
Aggressive or violent behavior
Lack of remorse about harming others
Impulsive behavior
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Agitation
Poor or abusive relationships
Irresponsible work behavior
The intensity of antisocial symptoms tends to peak during the 20s and then
may decrease over time. It's not clear whether this is a result of aging or an
increased awareness of the consequences of antisocial behavior. But while
people with this disorder might be less likely to commit crimes against
others later in life, they may still have trouble functioning in relationships,
work or school. (much more at the website)
An integrated case study of Serial Homicide Perpetrators – Serial Homicide
Behavior.ppt
IQ rebuttal http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Serial%20Killer%20Information%20Center/
Serial%20Killer%20IQ.htm
► We were able to obtain IQ information on 107 serial killers
► When taken as a whole, serial killers appear to be of normal IQ
● Median = 100, Mean = 101
● Low was 57 (Simon Pirela)
● High was 165 (Theodore Kaczynski)
- A second IQ testing put him at 155
► As expected, IQ varied by the type of serial killer
● Raped victim
Yes: Mean IQ = 98.8
No: Mean IQ = 105.0
● Method of killing
Hands (strangle, stab): Mean IQ = 100.3
Shoot: Mean IQ = 101.5
Bomb: Mean IQ = 138
● Organized versus disorganized
Organized: Mean IQ = 123.2
Disorganized: Mean IQ = 93.5
Mixed: Mean IQ = 107.6
► IQ data are complex as extreme scores are more likely to be publicized
and there is certainly motivation to score low (especially below 70)
(Side note – serial killer timelines
http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial_killer_timelines.htm)
Characterisitics of Serial Killers - Serial Killer Profiles.ppt
http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/Student%20Notes%20%20Serial%20Killers.pdf
The serial killer brain? http://www.ted.com/talks/jim_fallon_exploring_the_mind_of_a_killer.html
Common Motives for Serial Killers: Serial Killers.ppt
Forensic Considerations
Comparison of trace evidence from all of the victims in a serial
murder case may identify evidence common to all of the victims. This can
establish a “common environment” to all victims, which can then be used to
match a suspect.
Serial Killers.ppt
Example Cases – Wayne Williams, Richard Mark Evonits
(serial_murder.pdf, pgs 42,43)
Media Considerations: Serial Killers.ppt
Profiling – ProfileAnalysis1.ppt, Profiling.ppt
http://www.all-about-forensic-psychology.com/offender-profiling.html
http://www.all-about-forensic-psychology.com/psychological-profiling.html
http://foia.fbi.gov/serialkiller/serialkiller_part01.pdf
People:
Dr. Richard von Krafft-Ebing - conducted some of the first documented
research on violent, sexual offenders and the crimes they committed.
Best known for his 1886 textbook Psychopathia Sexualis, Dr. KraftEbing described numerous case studies of sexual homicide, serial
murder, and other areas of sexual proclivity.
Robert K. Ressler - (born 15 February 1937 in Chicago) is a former FBI
agent and author. He coined the English term "serial killer" and
played a significant role in the psychological profiling of violent
offenders in the 1970s.
Videos about serial killers http://www.youtube.com/user/Jesusmalaark1#p/u/12/RhjusAlCgWk
more about serial killers http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/tick/victims_1.ht
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