...research proposal Introduction What makes people so infuriated they want to kill? Is it part of genetics, chemical imbalance, biological, or their upbringing? “During 2012, there were an estimated 1.2 million violent crimes reported to law enforcement” (Latest crime stats released, 2013, table 1). With most serial killers, their instinct to kill or murder several people starts early in life. Most serial killers started out torturing and maiming animals. We all have experience with anger or rage, but those with a conscious knows the consequences of killing. We would be remorseful. However, those who have monsters or demons within tend to listen to their demons and act upon it. “It was an urge…a strong urge, and the longer I let it go the stronger it got, to where I was taking risks to go out and kill people—Edmund Kemper” (Scott, 2014, para. 1). We may never know or fully understand the mind of a serial killer, but this author is going to try. A brief statement of purpose The purpose for this proposal is to find out what really makes people so upset with other people, sometimes to people they do not even know, to want to kill them others, thus, that person becoming a known serial killer. The rationale for conducting the study This author has always been interested in serial killers since she was small. Her mother only has true crime books and this author became infatuated as well. This author has always wondered why they do what they do and what brings them to doing it. This...
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...was running from the scene, covered in blood, I thought ‘Was I a monster like all of them said or was I just pushed too far? (Hansen.)” Serial killers are one of the most fascination and morbid groups of people to study. A serial killer is someone who kills three or more people with a cooling off period (Hickey). Now the FBI has changed it to two people. In between their crimes the serial killer appears normal and fits in with society quite well. Serial killers are very different from all other murders. A serial killer is smart, cunning, and will conceal everything they can. A mass murder kills or tries to kill a lot of people at one time; like shooting up a school or movie theater. A spree murder kills one or two victims here drives to another town and does it again. There seems to be no logic to mass and spree killers. A serial killer is very special and has certain characteristics. Serial killers aren’t caught more quickly, because it is possible that many would-be serial killers are apprehended before they kill the three or more victims required to qualify them as such in the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Similarly, it is certain that some serial killers are detained under mental health regulations and do not directly answer for their crimes, others soon to kill many more people over the years without being apprehended. Serial killers, despite the media attention, commit only a tiny fraction of all the murders (James). Murder is usually either a crime of personal relationships...
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...cases people who commit crimes were fatalities of other types of crimes before. There are different types of crimes, but I am going to centre on one type of contemporary crime, which is serial murder, and I will also not forget to look at the incidence, nature, causes and lessening and prevention measures also of serial murder. Understanding Serial Murder/ conceptualisation “South African criminal law defines murder as the unlawful and intentional killing of another person”, Bezuidenhout (2011). In other words the killing must be unlawful in order to be defined as murder. The perpetrator may not be found guilty of murder if she/he claims it was self-defence. Bezuidenhout (2011) , also emphasis that the killing also has to be intentional in order to be labelled as murder. For example if sixteen people die in a car accident. The tax driver may be guilty for not driving like he is expected but he the killing may not be defined a murder. There are many different types of murder, but I will focus on Serial murder. “Serial Murder is defined as the killing of multiple victims over the period of time ranging from days or weeks to months” Adler et al (1996). Adler et al, also emphasis that Serial murders have a minimum of three to four victims. All serial murders turn to have many things in common.“Serial murders tend to be highly mobile in order to minimise the likelihood of establishing links between the murder they commit between various geographic”, Addler (1996). It has been argued...
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...again, rape, pain and death are twisted into a passion to kill. Otherwise a “typical” individual, serial killers turn to violence and death in search of power over others, and to explore their fatal addiction to their monstrous thrills. Most of society views serial killers as they are portrayed on television. There’s Dexter, the handsome serial killer who, while leading a normal life, takes it upon himself to rid all of the “bad guys” in the world in order to fulfill his need to kill. Then there’s Freddy Kruger, a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams, causing their deaths in the waking world as well. Just to name a few others, there's also The Jigsaw Killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Leatherface, Michael Meyers and the infamous Chucky. All of these characters are created to exaggerate something that is not only feared in movie theaters, but in real life as well. But what exactly makes a serial killer? While many of these movies and television programs try and make our minds believe that fiction is reality, there are no such things as ‘dream stalkers’ and talking dolls. A real-life serial killer can be distinguished (not by a scary masks) through the many distinctive patterns in their social and mental behavior, unusual childhood, murder periods, and Modus Operandi; all of which are fashioned in different ways to create a cold blooded murderer. Serial Killers are normally classified by their social and organizational...
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...Reading Serial Killers, The Method and Madness of Monsters by Peter Vronsky, was much more interesting than the last book we read. Through the end, it was very compelling and I was very interested throughout it. The last five chapters were much more pleasant because they went into detail and allowed me to understand the concept of serial killers and how they come to be one. What we learned this week with Dr. McCoy coincided with what we were reading about in the book. Lecture this week was great as always. Dr. McCoy really involves you and makes it as easy to understand as possible. Chapter six, “Serial Killers as Children,” was about some factors to influence children to become serial killers. One piece I found interesting was the part about...
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...Mind of a Serial Killer Have you ever thought about what it takes to be a serial killer or why people do this? Well, I certainly have. In this paper I will be talking about the motives, the mental functions, and the makings of a serial killer. First, I will talk about the motives of a serial killer. The motives of a serial killer all depend on the situation and the person. “They’re trying to kill me!” This exact phrase is what Shannan Gilbert said as she was running for her life on May 1, 2010. It took police months to find Shannan’s body. They eventually did along with several other bodies. Police never did find out who did the crime (Dennis, Pelisek). Now you might be asking yourself “why would somebody do this”. White, Lester,...
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...Serial killers are not new; there have been many accounts of serial killers in past ages and in many different places around the world, so it's not just a part of one unique nation or time period. For example, one of the earliest recorded cases of serial murder was Locusta of Galt of the Roman Empire, who preferred the method of poison and was highly rewarded. But not enough information was recorded about her as to know how many people she killed and the span of years the killings took place. And there has been some discussion as to whether or not people like Lacousta were "serial killers", since by modern standards, the definition is different. But the intent to kill is there. The most typical example of the modern day Serial killer is "Jack...
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...Amy Hankins LE300 capstone: serial killers as heroes in popular culture Final Project The Evolution of serial killers and societies fascination A serial killer is someone who is known as a friend, father, co-worker, politician, in fact a serial killer can be anybody. For centuries stories about serial killers have graced the covers of newspapers and magazines. Many famous stories have influenced a lot of films that have been produced and continue to be produced. There is an endless amount of questions as to how serial killers become serial killers, which falls under nature vs. nurture. “The causes of psychopaths remain a mystery. We don’t even have a satisfactory answer to the question of whether psychopath is a product of Mother Nature or a feature of upbringing (Brogaard & Marlow, 2012).” Nevertheless, due to the many serial killers that plague this country, they have come from a very unstable background mostly during the childhood years. Within this essay I would like to discuss not only what has been learned throughout the semester but also bring to light the possible reasons as to why serial killers kill and why society has such an enormous fascination with them. According to the dictionary a serial killers is a person who commits two or more murders at different times. Serial killers are extremely intelligent and some have most likely obtained a degree of some sort. This sort of intelligence is evident in Mr. Brooks, Dexter, silence of the lamb and perfume. All...
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...LAT1 - Serial Killers Abstract This paper that was written explores how a person is born innocent, and evolves into a monstrous and calculated serial killer. It will mention several different specific serial killers and their histories to support the facts. Another area that is explored is the difference between mass murderers and serial killers. Many times theses terms are used simultaneously; however the fact is that they are different. Reviewing the classifications, behaviors, motives, childhood neglect, sanity, and how profiling and other methods will assist in catching a serial killer. Understanding and studying serial killers can help in preventing them to start killing, or in catching them before they continue killing. Research shows that the problem of serial killing can be addressed by understanding its causes, identifying common behaviors and motivations of serial killers, and using this information to develop tools for law enforcement to prevent initial or repeated killings If a person commits a murder, it doesn’t constitute to be tagged a serial killing. I will be including material in order to define what serial killer is, and why we are so obsessed with understanding them. To fully discuss and understand serial killers, we must first distinguish the differences between them and mass murderers. The term mass murderer is often used interchangeably; however, the two terms are technically different. Mass murder occurs when a large number of people...
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...Abstract Many serial killers and mass murderers have been interviewed and tested to reveal why they killed and raped large groups of people. There are several factors as to why they perform such acts. My findings in this paper show that there is a logically explanation as to why they do what they do. In no way is killing or violence justified, but people have been through things we couldn’t imagine being put through. Many of these killers were put through harsh abuse physically, mentally, and emotionally which haunted them in their futures. This caused them to resolve their issues through inhumane ways. One who was put through sexual abuse became lust serial killers by wanting to rape the victims or sexually punish them. They want their victims to go through what they went through. Also, this paper shows that there are factors that deal with genes and the chromosomal make up that affects a person’s attitude causing them to be more aggressive than the average person. These killers have neurodevelopmental problems, troubled pasts, and mutations which lead to their motives to kill. “Young girls and mass murderers are tender hearted creatures”. This quote was stated by the author Pierre Lemaitre in his novel “Alex”. This line extracted from one of his crime based novels opens a lot of questions to an open mind with the focus on “tender hearted creatures”. One would assume any person can find a motive to kill. We watch television shows such as CSI or Criminal Minds thinking people...
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...Serial Killing 1 Running Head: Serial Killing How to raise a Serial Killer Brenden Brewer Serial Killing 2 What makes a serial killer want to kill? What pushes them over the edge or drives them to keep killing? Many researchers including psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and FBI Agents, all have theories of what makes them tick. They come across these accusations by talking to actual serial killers themselves. They have come up with these theories by talking with Albert DeSalvo (The Boston Strangler), Albert Fish, Andrei Chikatilo, Bobby Joe Long, Carl Panzram, Charles Manson, Christopher Wilder, David Berkowitz (Son of Sam), Dennis Nilsen (the British Jeffrey Dahmer), Eddie Gein, Edmund Kemper(The Coed Butcher), Fritz Haarmann (The Butcher of Hannover), Henry Lee Lucas, Herbert Mullin (Santa Cruz Killer), Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, John Haigh (Acid Bath Murderer), Joseph Kallinger (the Enigmatic Cobbler), Kenneth Bianchi (Hillside Strangler), Leonard Lake, Patrick Mackay, Peter Kurten (The Vampire of Dusseldorf), Richard Ramirez (The Night Stalker), Richard Speck, and Ted Bundy, William Heirens (the Lipstick Killer). All of them were successful serial killers and caught by authorities. First off, what makes someone a serial killer? The FBI has guidelines on how to classify a serial killer from a murderer. To be classified as a serial killer, you have to have a minimum of three to four victims with a grace period or “cooling off” period in...
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...There are three main types of serial killers: medical killer, organized killer, and disorganized killer. The medical killer is rare and unlikely to happen, "there have been some people who have become involved in the medical industry as a way to carry out their nefarious deeds” (Types of Serial Killers). They are highly intelligent, and there are doctors that have done it for years before they got caught. The organized killer are usually stalkers as well, and they try to plan out the murder very carefully and not to leave any evidence behind. The disorganized killer usually don’t plan out their murders, and they usually have a very low IQ. The victims are usually in the wrong place wrong time, and they don’t attempt to clean up and not leave...
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...Serial Killer Psychology By Anna Davis Criminal psychology refers to the study of the mental and behavioral characteristics of people who break laws established by local, state, national or international governments. Some criminal, or forensic, psychologists focus their research on serial killers -- men and women who murder a large number of people over an extended period of time — typically months or years. What constitutes a serial killer is open to interpretation. In the United States, Congress has defined a serial killer as someone who murders a minimum of three or more people. By definition, a cooling-off period separates the murders, making them appear random or unconnected. The victims — often prostitutes, runaways or other vulnerable populations — rarely know their killer and may serve as a symbol that triggers the attack. In other words, a serial killer's motive tends to be psychological, not material. Understanding what goes on — or gets turned off — in a serial killer's mind is the ultimate goal of scientists who specialize in this area of psychology. You might think the field is relatively new, but it dates back to at least the 19th century, when psychologists tried to develop a profile of the mysterious and elusive Jack the Ripper. Antisocial Personality Disorder vs. Psychopathy Mental health professionals use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), developed by the American Psychiatric Association, to understand the illnesses...
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...VOLUME EDITOR S. WALLER is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Montana State University Bozeman. Her areas of research are philosophy of neurology, philosophy of cognitive ethology (especially dolphins, wolves, and coyotes), and philosophy of mind, specifically the parts of the mind we disavow. SERIES EDITOR FRITZ ALLHOFF is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at Western Michigan University, as well as a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian National University’s Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics. In addition to editing the Philosophy for Everyone series, Allhoff is the volume editor or co-editor for several titles, including Wine & Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007), Whiskey & Philosophy (with Marcus P. Adams, Wiley, 2009), and Food & Philosophy (with Dave Monroe,Wiley-Blackwell, 2007). P H I L O S O P H Y F O R E V E RYO N E Series editor: Fritz Allhoff Not so much a subject matter, philosophy is a way of thinking.Thinking not just about the Big Questions, but about little ones too.This series invites everyone to ponder things they care about, big or small, significant, serious … or just curious. Running & Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind Edited by Michael W. Austin Wine & Philosophy: A Symposium on Thinking and Drinking Edited by Fritz Allhoff Food & Philosophy: Eat,Think and Be Merry Edited by Fritz Allhoff and Dave Monroe Beer & Philosophy: The Unexamined Beer Isn’t Worth Drinking Edited by Steven D. Hales Whiskey & Philosophy:...
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...Serial Killers: America's New Epidemic. Serial killers have been around since the dawn of history, their numbers multiplying exponentially within the past five decades. In recent years, words such as "baffling" and "mysterious" have become routine to describe the growing phenomenon. It is imperative to develop a workable solution and general understanding of these predators in human form as a new wave of serial murders reach crisis rates in this millennium. More than fifteen-hundred serial killers are on record at this time. Though serial murder is not "new", the numbers have gone up in recent years. From 1900 to 1959 the U.S. reported about two serial murder cases a year. By 1969, six cases per year were logged. During the 1970s that number tripled. "An average of three per month have been reported since 1985."(Newton 120). It is still not determined why serial killers kill, however, understanding the causes and recognizing the traits of a serial murderer will help the public better prevent and protect themselves from falling victim to a serial killer. North America has produced eighty percent of serial killers. Europe runs a distant second with a mere sixteen percent, and Third World nations spawn four percent of the world's known serial killers, but recent numbers from South Africa and Latin America are beginning to alter those statistics. "Though the U.S. has only about 5 percent of the world population, it has produced 76 percent of known serial killers since 1900" (Apsche...
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