Can we spot serial killers around us? What makes a serial killer?
We serial killers are your sons, we are your husbands, we are everywhere. And there will be more of your children dead tomorrow
Ted Bundy
Unfortunatelly - no. Most of them are the "average Joe's". There are some little clues that could lead us to think people are or can become a serial killer. Most of the information are collected after the killings happened and were not visible or important to others. Sometimes, the family members can suspect something is wrong with their loved ones, but they tend not to see it, or doesn't react (Jeffrey Dahmer's case). To have the ability to predict someone will be violent in the future, we would have to observe them all the time.
Mcdonald triade
To predict someone's violent future as an adult, it is necessary to observe them since early childhood. There are some acts that can lead us to conclusion, that there is something really bad going on. The three in this triade are:
- Arson - setting fire, fascination of fire. It is a sign of aggression, bottled up for a while. This may be the result of bullying, feeling rejected or abused. As a child, they cannot defend themselves, so they become a victim, holding their emotions back. Arson is a release of these emotions.
- Animal cruelty - killing, torturing or autopsy of animals. Kids are often interested in how the world works. In the case of serial killers the fascination goes a little bit too far. By dissecting the dead animals on the road or killing their own animals, they are trying to figure out what's inside of an animal. This fascination can lead to feeling superior, they start to like the feeling after abusing an animal, cause they finally can have some power. If you add to that being rejected, abused by family or bullied in school, that creates a really bad combination.
- Bed-wetting - continuing bed-wetting after the age of five (when it usually stops in the majority of population), lasting more than two or three months. Single events does not count. As a lot of criminologists question this characteristic, it is believed to be very important by others. It is mean to be a reason of shame and humiliation, leading to the other two behaviors in the triade.
Why is it so hard to spot a serial killer?
What characterizes serial killers is a come back to normal life between killings. This state is called "The Mask of Sanity". That's why it is so hard to tell our friendly neighbor, charming husband or loyal co-worker can be a violent killer. They may have jobs (around 20% of serial killers had a solid job), families and a group of friends. It is the main reason we can hear: "He was a normal guy", "I would never in a million years guessed it was him", "I can't believe it, he was so nice" in the interviews with friends or family. It is worth to mention the definition between serial, mass and crazy killers.
- Serial killer - three or more victims with a break between killings. During the time between killings they are acting as a normal part of society.
Ted Bundy
- Mass killer - killing more than two people in one event and place, in most cases they commit suicide.
James Holden - The Aurora killer
- Crazy killer - kill more than two people on what is called "killing spree". All the killings are within a 30 days period. They act as a serial killer, but without getting back to normal behavior between killings. Their killings are in various locations, sometimes in different cities or states.
Charles Starkweather
Who is a typical serial killer?
A typical serial killer is a middle-class white male, around the age of 30. His victims are mostly women, in most cases belonging to his own race. What differs male and female serial killers is that women kills mostly their relatives and loved ones, while men are killing mostly strangers.
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