Homicide
Murder
Assassination Child murder Consensual homicide Contract killing Felony murder Honour killing Lust murder Lynching Mass murder Murder-suicide Proxy murder Ritual murder Serial killer Spree killer Torture murder
Manslaughter
in English law Negligent homicide Vehicular homicide
Non-criminal homicide
Justifiable homicide Capital punishment
Other types of homicide
Avunculicide Democide Familicide Femicide Filicide Fratricide Gendercide Genocide Infanticide Mariticide Matricide Neonaticide Parricide Patricide Regicide Sororicide Suicide Tyrannicide Uxoricide Vivicide
"Homicide" status disputed
Abortion Deicide Feticide Prolicide
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A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people with a "cooling off" period between each murder and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification. List of countries by homicide rate Homicide ( Latin homicidium, homo human being + caedere to cut kill refers to the act of killing another Murder is the unlawful killing of another human person with Malice aforethought, as defined in Common Law countries AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media. Note for practices of systematically killing very young children see Infanticide. Consensual homicide, also called assisted suicide, refers to a killing in which the victim wants to die Contract killing occurs when a private contractor or a government hires someone to kill a specific person or people for a sum of money An honor killing or honour killing is generally the Murder of a family or clan member most often females when they (and maybe the wider community believe A lust murder is a Homicide in which the offender searches for erotic satisfaction by killing someone Lynching is an Extrajudicial punishment meted out by a mob Lynching an enumerated Felony in some states in the United States, is defined by some This article deals with mass killings that are not considered Genocide. A murder-suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more other persons immediately before or at the same time as killing him or herself A proxy murder is a Murder in which the murderer does so at the behest of another acting as his or her proxy Human sacrifice is the act of Homicide (the Killing of one or several Human beings in the context of a Religious ritual ( ritual killing A spree killer, also known as a rampage killer, is someone who embarks on a Murderous assault on his victims in a short time in multiple locations Torture murder is a loosely defined term to describe the process used by Murderers who kill their victims by slowly torturing them Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being in a manner considered by law as less culpable than Murder. For a discussion of the law in other countries see Manslaughter In the English law of Homicide, manslaughter is a less serious Negligent homicide is a charge brought against people who by inaction allow others under their care or presence intentionally to die Vehicular Homicide ( or sometimes known as Vehicular Manslaughter) in most states in the United States is a crime The United States' concept of justifiable homicide in Criminal law stands on the dividing line between an Excuse, justification and an Exculpation Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Avunculicide is the act of killing an Uncle. The term is derived from the Latin words avunculus meaning "maternal uncle" and caedere Definition According to Rummel Genocide has three different meanings A familicide is a type of Murder or Murder-suicide in which at least one spouse and one or more children are killed Gendercide is a Neologism that refers to the systematic killing of members of a specific Sex, either Males or Females The term is intended to Filicide is the deliberate act of a parent killing his or her own son or daughter Fratricide (from the Latin word frater, meaning "brother" and cide meaning to kill is the act of a person Killing his or her Gendercide is a Neologism that refers to the systematic killing of members of a specific Sex, either Males or Females The term is intended to Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction in whole or in part of an ethnic racial religious or national group Infanticide is the practice of someone intentionally causing the death of an Infant. Mariticide (from Latin maritus "married" + -cide, from caedere "to cut to kill" literally means the murder of one's married Matricide is the act of Killing one's Mother. As for any type of killing motives can vary a great deal Neonaticide is the killing of a newborn within the first 24 hours of life Parricide ( Latin "parricida" killer of a close relative stemming from ( Latin "parri" alike or equal and "-cida" -cide or killer Patricide is (i the act of killing one's father or (ii a person who kills his or her father The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a Monarch, or the person responsible for it Sororicide (from Latin soror "sister" + -cide, from caedere "to cut to kill" is the act of killing one's own sister Tyrannicide literally means the killing of a Tyrant. Typically the term is taken to mean the killing or Assassination of tyrants for the common good Uxoricide (from Latin uxor meaning "wife" is murder of one's wife An For the American death metal band see Deicide (band Deicide is the killing of a god either the God of a monotheistic religion Feticide or foeticide is an act that causes the death of a fetus Murder is the unlawful killing of another human person with Malice aforethought, as defined in Common Law countries ^[1] One hypothesis is that all serial killers suffer from some form of Antisocial Personality Disorder. Antisocial personality disorder ( APD) is a Mental disorder.It is defined by the American Psychiatric Association 's Diagnostic and Statistical ^[2] They are usually not psychotic, and thus may appear to be quite normal and often even charming, a state of adaptation which Hervey Cleckley calls the "mask of sanity. Psychosis (from the Greek ψυχή "psyche" for mind or soul and -οσις "-osis" for abnormal condition with adjective psychotic Dr Hervey Milton Cleckley ( 1903 - January 28, 1984) was an American Psychiatrist and pioneer in the field of Psychopathy The Mask of Sanity is a book written by Hervey Cleckley MD, first published in 1941 describing the clinical interviews of Cleckley with adult-male incarcerated " There is sometimes a sexual element to the murders. The murders may have been completed/attempted in a similar fashion and the victims may have had something in common, for example occupation, race, or sex. The term race or racial group usually refers to the concept of categorizing Humans into Populations or groups on the basis of various sets

The term serial killer is said to have been coined by Michigan State University alumnus and FBI agent Robert Ressler in the 1970s. Michigan State University ( MSU) is a co-educational public Research university in East Lansing, Michigan USA. Robert Ressler is a former FBI agent and Author. He coined the term Serial killer and played a significant role in the psychological profiling ^[3] Serial killer entered the popular vernacular in large part due to the widely publicized crimes of Ted Bundy and David Berkowitz in the middle years of that decade. Theodore Robert Bundy (November 24 1946 &ndash January 24 1989 known as Ted Bundy, was an American Serial killer.

Contents 1 Psychology and development 2 Serial murder before 1900 3 Types of serial killers 4 Motives 4.1 Visionary 4.2 Missionary 4.3 Hedonistic 4.4 Gain motivated 4.5 Power and control 5 Serial killers in popular culture 6 Victims 7 See also 8 References 9 Bibliography 10 External links

Psychology and development

Serial killers are specifically motivated by a variety of psychological urges, primarily power and sexual compulsion. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Power is a measure of a person's ability to control the environment around them including the behavior of other people Sexual addiction is a controversial term to describe sexual behaviour that is characterized at least by two key features recurrent failure to control the behavior and continuation of the They often have feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness, sometimes owing to humiliation, bullying, and abuse in childhood and the pressures of poverty and low socioeconomic status in adulthood. Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others through verbal Harassment, physical Assault, or other more subtle methods of Coercion Child abuse is the physical, psychological or sexual maltreatment of children Poverty (also called penury) is deprivation of common necessities that determine the quality of life including food clothing shelter and safe Drinking water, and Socioeconomics or socio-economics is the study of the relationship between economic activity and Social life. In many cases, serial killers commit crimes to compensate for these factors and to provide a sense of potency and often revenge by giving them a feeling of power, both at the time of the actual killing and afterwards. The knowledge that their actions terrify entire communities and often baffle police adds to this sense of power. This motivational aspect separates them from contract killers and other multiple murderers who are motivated by profit. Contract killing occurs when a private contractor or a government hires someone to kill a specific person or people for a sum of money For example, in Scotland during the 1820s, William Burke and William Hare murdered people in what became known as the "Case of the Body Snatchers. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The Burke and Hare murders (also known as the West Port murders) "

One theory about the pathology of serial killers, propounded by Helen Morrison, states that they are not a result of sexual abuse, inadequacy, or socioeconomic status, but are rather the result of retarded emotional development. Pathology (from Greek grc πάθος pathos, "fate harm" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study and Helen Morrison, is a Forensic Psychiatrist In her theory, the low level of emotional development causes serial killers to have fractured or disparate personalities - that is they are missing components that are usually present. Low emotional development also explains some common traits among serial killers such as enjoying holding soft materials against their mouths (being the primary sensory organ of infants) which was observed in Richard Otto Macek, John Wayne Gacy and others.

Morrison's theory also suggests that a serial killer has not developed basic levels of emotional control and that, as a result, has "feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness, sometimes owing to humiliation and abuse" which draw them to killing; rather, the act of killing is actually a kind of experimentation, which is uninhibited due to the subject's low or non-existent level of sympathy/empathy with the victims.

The element of fantasy in a serial killer's development is extremely important. See Fantasy for an account of the literary genre involving the development of common or popular fantasies They often begin fantasizing about murder during or even before adolescence. Their fantasy lives are very rich and they daydream compulsively about domination, submission, and murder, usually with very specific elements to the fantasy that will eventually be apparent in their real crimes. Compulsion can refer to among other things Compulsion (album, a 1965 jazz album by American pianist Andrew Hill Compulsion Others enjoy reading stories or seeing photographs in magazines featuring rape, torture, and murder. Rape, also referred to as Sexual assault, is an Assault by a person involving Sexual intercourse with or Sexual penetration of another person Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally

Some serial killers display one or more of what are known as the "Macdonald triad" of warning signs in childhood. The Macdonald triad (also known as the triad of sociopathy) is a set of three behavioral characteristics which are associated with sociopathic behavior These are:

• Fire starting, or arson invariably for the thrill of destroying things, for gaining attention, or for making the perpetrator feel more powerful.
• Cruelty to animals (related to "zoosadism"). Zoosadism is a term coined by Ernest Borneman referring to Pleasure (sometimes sexual pleasure) derived from Cruelty to animals. Many children may be cruel to animals, such as pulling the legs off spiders, but future serial killers often kill larger animals, like dogs and cats, and frequently for their solitary enjoyment rather than to impress peers. Spiders are Predatory Invertebrate Animals that have two body segments, eight legs no chewing mouth parts and no wings The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic
• Bed wetting beyond the age when children normally grow out of such behavior. Bedwetting is involuntary Urination while asleep after the age at which bladder control would normally be anticipated

When caught and tried in a court of law in the United States, some serial killers will plead not guilty by reason of insanity. In Criminal trials the insanity defenses are possible defenses by Excuse, an Affirmative defense by which Defendants argue that In most U. S. jurisdictions, the legal definition of insanity is still generally based upon the classic common law "right or wrong" test delineated by an English court in the 1843 M'Naghten case. Traditionally insanity or madness is the behaviour whereby a person flouts societal norms and may become a danger to himself and others Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive Daniel M'Naghten (pronounced and sometimes spelled McNaughton) (1813 – 1865 was a Scottish woodturner ^[4]

The M'Naghten Rules, as it is generally known in the legal profession, hinges upon whether the defendant knows the difference between right and wrong at the time of the offense. The M'Naghten Rules (pronounced and sometimes spelled McNaughton) were the first serious attempt to Codify and rationalise the attitude of the criminal law towards With some serial killers, extensive premeditation, combined with lack of any obvious delusions or hallucinations that would hinder the defendant's ability to elude detection after committing multiple murders, make this defense extremely difficult and almost uniformly unsuccessful in achieving a not guilty verdict. A hallucination, in the broadest sense is a Perception in the absence of a stimulus. However, it does allow the defense to introduce evidence about the killer's background that would normally be deemed inadmissible (for example, a history of having been abused as a child), in hopes that some sympathy from the jury will spare the client a death sentence. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment.

Serial murder before 1900

Further information: List of serial killers before 1900

Although the phenomenon of serial murder is popularly regarded as a modern one, it can be traced back in history with a limited degree of accuracy. The following is a list of known Serial killers before 1900, in roughly chronological order

Liu Pengli of China, cousin of the Han Emperor Jing, was made king of Jidong in the sixth year of the middle period of Jing's reign (144 BC). China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. According to the Chinese historian Sima Qian, he would "go out on marauding expeditions with 20 or 30 slaves or young men who were in hiding from the law, murdering people and seizing their belongings for sheer sport. The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following A person who resides in and holds citizenship of the People's Republic of China (including Hong Early life and education Sima Qian was born and grew up in Longmen, near present-day Hancheng Shaanxi. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another " Although many of his subjects knew about these murders, "so that [they] were afraid to go out of their houses at night," it was not until the 29th year of his reign that the son of one of his victims finally sent a report to the Emperor. Eventually, "it was found that he had murdered at least 100 or more persons. " The officials of the court requested that Liu Pengli be executed; however, the emperor could not bear to have his own cousin killed, and Liu Pengli was made a commoner and banished. ^[5]

In the 15th century, one of the wealthiest men in France, Gilles de Rais, is said to have abducted, raped and killed at least 100 young boys whom he brought to his castle as pages. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Gilles de Rais (also spelled Retz) (September 10 1404 – October 26 1440 was a French noble soldier and one-time brother-in-arms of Joan of Arc Rape, also referred to as Sexual assault, is an Assault by a person involving Sexual intercourse with or Sexual penetration of another person The Hungarian aristocrat Elizabeth Báthory was arrested in 1610 and subsequently charged with torturing and butchering as many as 600 young girls. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally Like Liu Pengli, De Rais and Báthory were rich and powerful; therefore, although their crimes were known in their areas, they were not brought to justice for a long time. Chronicles of the times dealt largely with the affairs of the powerful; moreover, there was a lack of established police forces, at least in Europe, during those centuries. Therefore, there may have been many other classical or medieval serial killers who were either not identified or not publicized as well.

Thug Behram, a gang leader of the Indian Thuggee cult of assassins, has frequently been said to be the world's most prolific serial killer. "Behram" redirects here For the sixth Sultan of Delhi see Muiz ud din Bahram. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Thuggee (or tuggee, ठग्गी) (from Hindi thag ‘thief’ from Sanskrit sthaga ‘scoundrel’ from sthagati This article does not discuss "cult" in the original sense of "veneration" or "religious practice" for that usage see Cult (religious practice AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media. According to numerous sources, he was believed to have murdered 931 victims by strangulation by means of a ceremonial cloth (or rumal, which in Hindi means handkerchief), used by his cult between 1790 and 1830, thus holding the record for the most murders directly committed by a single person in history. Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is This article does not discuss "cult" in the original sense of "veneration" or "religious practice" for that usage see Cult (religious practice Some individual executioners of the Nazi Einsatzgruppen and their collaborators in Eastern Europe approached similar tallies of victims. In total, the Thugs as a whole were responsible for approximately 2 million deaths, according to Guinness World Records. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U The notoriety of the Thugs eventually led to the word thug entering the English language as a term for ruffians, miscreants, and people who behave in an aggressive manner towards others. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Recent scholarship has cast doubt on the Thuggee cult and suggested that the British in India were confused by the vernacular use of the term by Indians and may also have used fear of such a cult to justify their colonial rule (see Kevin Rushby's Children of Kali: Through India in Search of Bandits, the Thug Cult, and the British Raj). The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism

The unidentified killer Jack the Ripper killed prostitutes (the exact number of victims is not known) in London in 1888. Jack the Ripper is an alias given to an unidentified Serial killer active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area and adjacent districts of London London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Those crimes gained enormous press attention because London was the centre of the world's greatest power at the time, so having such dramatic murders of financially destitute women in the midst of such wealth focused the news media's attention on the plight of the urban poor and gained coverage worldwide. He has also been called the most famous serial killer of all time.

In his 1886 book Psychopathia Sexualis, Richard von Krafft-Ebing notes a case of serial murder in the 1870s, that of a French man named Eusebius Pieydagnelle who had a sexual obsession with blood and confessed to murdering six people. Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing ( August 14 1840 &ndash December 22 1902) was an Austro-German sexologist and Psychiatrist Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing ( August 14 1840 &ndash December 22 1902) was an Austro-German sexologist and Psychiatrist This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Joseph Vacher was executed in France in 1898 after confessing to killing and mutilating 11 women and children, while American serial killer H. H. Holmes was hanged in Philadelphia in 1896 after confessing to 27 murders. Joseph Vacher (November 16 1869 – December 31 1898 Bourg-en-Bresse, Ain) was a French Serial killer, sometimes known as "The This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Herman Webster Mudgett ( May 16, 1860 &ndash May 7, 1896) better known under the alias of Dr Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə

Some historical criminologists have suggested that there may have been serial murders throughout history, but specific cases were not adequately recorded. Schools of thought In the mid-18th century criminology arose as social philosophers gave thought to crime and concepts of law Some sources suggest that legends such as werewolves and vampires were inspired by medieval serial killers. See also Lycanthropy (disambiguation Werewolves, also known as lycanthropes, are mythological or folkloric humans with the ability to Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living

Types of serial killers

A significant number of serial killers will show certain aspects of both organized and disorganized types, although usually the characteristics of one type will dominate. Some killers descend from being organized into disorganized behavior as their killings continue. They will carry out careful and methodical murders at the start, but become careless and impulsive as their compulsion takes over their lives. Regardless, the FBI generally categorizes serial killers into the two different types.

Organized/Nonsocial Offenders are usually of high intelligence, have an above average IQ (110> range), and plan their crimes quite methodically, usually abducting victims, killing them in one place and disposing of them in another. An Intelligence Quotient or IQ is a score derived from one of several different Standardized tests attempting to measure Intelligence. They will often lure the victims with ploys appealing to their sense of sympathy. For example, Ted Bundy would put his arm in a fake plaster cast and ask women to help him carry something to his car, where he would beat them unconscious with a metal bar (e. g. a crowbar), and carry them away. Others specifically target prostitutes, who are likely to voluntarily go with a serial killer posing as a customer. They maintain a high degree of control over the crime scene, and usually have a solid knowledge of forensic science that enables them to cover their tracks, such as by burying the body or weighing it down and sinking it in a river. They follow their crimes in the media carefully and often take pride in their actions, as if it were a grand project. The organized killer is usually socially adequate, has friends and lovers, and sometimes even a spouse and children. They are the type who, when captured, are most likely to be described by acquaintances as kind and unlikely to hurt anyone. Some serial killers go to lengths to make their crimes difficult to discover, such as falsifying suicide notes, setting up others to take the blame for their crimes, and faking gang warfare or natural deaths. Gangsters redirects here For the computer game see Gangsters (video game. Coral Watts, Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy are well-known examples of this type of serial killer. Carl Eugene "Coral" Watts (November 7 1953 – September 21 2007 also known as "The Sunday Morning Slasher" was an American Serial killer Theodore Robert Bundy (November 24 1946 &ndash January 24 1989 known as Ted Bundy, was an American Serial killer.

Disorganized/Asocial Offenders are often of low intelligence, have a below average IQ (<90), and commit their crimes impulsively. Whereas the organized killer will specifically set out to hunt a victim, the disorganized will murder someone when the opportunity arises, rarely bothering to dispose of the body but instead just leaving it at the same place in which they found the victim. They usually carry out "blitz" attacks, leaping out and attacking their victims without warning, and will typically perform whatever rituals they feel compelled to carry out (e. A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions g. , necrophilia, mutilation, cannibalism, etc. Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia and necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses Cannibalism (from Spanish es ''caníbal'' in connection with cannibalism among the Antillean Caribs, also called anthropophagy (from Greek ἄνθρωπος ) once the victim is dead. They rarely bother to cover their tracks but may still evade capture for some time because of a level of cunning that compels them to keep on the move. They are often socially inadequate with few friends, and they may have a history of mental problems and be regarded by acquaintances as eccentric or even "a bit creepy. " Usually they are very introverted people, too. They have little insight into their crimes and may even block out memories of committing the murders. Ed Gein is a prime example of this type of serial killer.

Arguably the medical profession has produced the most serial killers, primarily as doctors but closely followed by nurses. ^[6][7][8][9] One example is Harold Shipman, an English family doctor, who portrayed victims as having died of natural causes; between 1971 and 1998 he killed at least 215, and possibly well over 250, of his own mostly elderly patients – and until very near the end of his killings it was not even suspected that any crimes had been committed. Harold Frederick "Fred" Shipman (14 January 1946 &ndash 13 January 2004 was an English General practitioner and convicted Serial killer The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English ^[10]

Motives

The motives of serial killers can be placed into five different categories (suggested by Holmes and DeBurger, 1988), although there may be some serial killers that have characteristics of more than one type.

Contrary to popular opinion, serial killers are rarely insane or motivated by hallucinations and/or voices in their heads. Many claim to be, usually as a way of trying to get acquitted by reason of insanity. There are, however, a few genuine cases of serial killers who were compelled by such delusions. A delusion is commonly defined as a fixed False Belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false fanciful or derived from Deception

Visionary

Herbert Mullin killed 13 people after voices told him that murder was necessary to prevent California from suffering an earthquake. Herbert Williams Mullin (born April 18, 1947 is a Serial killer who committed 13 Murders in California in the early 1970s California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth 's crust that creates Seismic waves Earthquakes are recorded with a Seismometer Mullin went to great pains to "point out" that California did indeed avoid an earthquake during his murder spree.

Edward Gein killed two women (or more, exact number is unknown) who bore passing resemblances to his mother. He also used the flesh of exhumed female corpses to fashion a "woman suit" (as well as various other household adornments, such as curtains and lamp shades) for himself so that he could "become" his mother. After his arrest he was placed in a mental institution for the rest of his life. A psychiatric hospital (previously called insane asylum, mental hospital; or derogatorily looney bin, nut house or Funny Farm) is

Missionary

So-called missionary killers believe that their acts are justified on the basis that they are getting rid of a certain type of person (often prostitutes or members of a certain ethnicity), and thus doing society a favor. Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. Aileen Wuornos is often described as a missionary killer. Aileen Carol Wuornos (born Aileen Carol Pittman February 29 1956 – October 9 2002 was an American Serial killer who killed seven men in Florida In Wuornos' case, the victims were not prostitutes, but their patrons. Dr John Bodkin Adams, meanwhile, was a British fundamentalist Christian (a member of the Plymouth Brethren). John Bodkin Adams ( January 21, 1899 &ndash July 4, 1983) was an Irish-born British General practitioner, convicted Fundamentalist Christianity, also known as Christian Fundamentalism or Fundamentalist Evangelicalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and The Plymouth Brethren is a Conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland His rich, 'non-believing' victims were killed partly in order to redistribute their wealth to people Adams considered more "deserving," usually - but not always - himself. ^[11] Missionary killers differ from other types of serial killer in that their motive is generally non-sexual.

Hedonistic

This type kills for the sheer pleasure of it, although what aspect they enjoy varies. This is the most common type of serial killer depicted in slasher and horror movies, psychological thrillers, and so on. Yang Xinhai's post-capture statement is typical of such killers' attitudes: "When I killed people, I had a desire [to kill more]. Yang Xinhai ( (July 1968 – February 14 2004 also known as Wang Ganggang, Yang Zhiya, and Yang Liu, was a Chinese Serial killer This inspired me to kill more. I don't care whether they deserve to live or not. It is none of my concern. "^[12] Some killers may enjoy the actual "chase" or "trolling" phase of hunting down and ensnaring a victim more than anything, while others may be primarily motivated by the act of torturing and abusing the victim while they are alive. Some, such as Dennis Rader, Wichita's notorious "BTK (Bind Torture Kill) Strangler," who killed 10 known victims, enjoyed both the hunt and torturing his victims after capturing and subduing them. Dennis Lynn Rader (born March 9 1945 is an American Serial killer who murdered 10 people in Sedgwick County (in and around Wichita Kansas Wichita (ˈwɪtʃɪtaː is the most populous City in the US state of Kansas, and the county seat of Sedgwick County. Yet others, like Jeffrey Dahmer, may kill the victim quickly, and then indulge in necrophilia or cannibalism with the body. Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (May 21 1960—November 28 1994 was an American Serial killer. Usually there is a strong sexual aspect to the crimes, even if it may not be immediately obvious; some killers obtain a surge of excitement that is not necessarily sexual, such as David Berkowitz, who got a thrill out of shooting young couples in cars at random and then running away without ever physically touching the victims. It is hypothesized that these individuals have a high tolerance for endorphins. Normal individuals can get a natural high from activities ranging from taking a run to riding a roller coaster. Sociopaths have a high tolerance, meaning they must do something that causes more of an endorphin rush. Murdering someone is said to be the biggest endorphin rush one can experience. It is also worth noting that some killers of this type, such as Gary Ridgway, the infamous "Green River Killer," may attempt to justify their actions in missionary terms after being caught (Ridgway, for example, preyed primarily, though not exclusively, on prostitutes and runaways), but their choice of socially "undesirable" victims is often a matter of convenience more than anything else. Gary Leon Ridgway (born February 18, 1949) known as the Green River Killer, is one of the most prolific Serial killers in American . . i. e. , they know these types of victims will accompany them alone to secluded locations willingly, will probably not be reported missing until a significant period of time after their deaths, and the deaths/disappearances will generally not lead to a large amount of public outcry.

Gain motivated

Most criminals who commit multiple murders for material ends (such as Mafia hit men) are not classed as serial killers, because they are motivated by economic gain rather than psychopathological compulsion. The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra) is a Sicilian Criminal Secret society which is believed to have first developed in the mid-19th century Psychopathology is a term which refers to either the study of Mental illness or mental distress or the manifestation of behaviours and experiences which may be indicative There is a fine line separating such killers, however. For example, Marcel Petiot, who operated in Nazi-occupied France, could be classified as a serial killer. Marcel André Henri Félix Petiot (January 17 1897 – May 25 1946 was a French doctor and Serial killer convicted of multiple Murders after the discovery Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 He posed as a member of the French Resistance and lured wealthy Jewish people to his home, claiming he could smuggle them out of the country. The French Resistance is the collective name used for the French Resistance movements which fought against the Nazi German PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Instead he murdered them and stole their belongings, killing 63 people before he was finally caught.

Power and control

Their main objective for killing is to gain and exert power over their victim. Such killers are sometimes abused as children, leaving them with feelings of powerlessness and inadequacy as adults. Often they indulge in rituals that are linked, often very specifically, to forms of abuse they suffered themselves. Many power/control-motivated killers sexually abuse their victims, but they differ from hedonistic killers in that rape is not motivated by lust but as simply another form of dominating the victim. ^[13]

Serial killers in popular culture

Serial killers have been featured in many novels, movies, songs, comic books, true crime, soap operas, video games, and other media. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story A song is a Musical composition. Songs contain vocal parts that are performed 'sung' and generally feature Words ( Lyrics) commonly followed A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative True crime is a Non-fiction literary genre in which the author uses an actual Crime and real people as a point of departure A soap opera is an ongoing episodic work of Fiction, usually broadcast on Television or Radio. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. Films such as The Silence of the Lambs, Psycho, Scream, Se7en, Copycat , Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Halloween and the Friday The 13th series, have featured serial killers as villains, antiheroes, and even protagonists. The Silence of the Lambs or Silence of the Lamb can refer to the following ''The Silence of the Lambs'' (novel, by Thomas Harris ''The Psycho is a suspense / Horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock, from the Screenplay by Joseph A scream, shout, holler, vociferation, or yell is a loud human audio vocalization in which the person makes a loud cry by expelling air from Copycat ( 1995) is an American Psychological thriller, starring Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter. Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 2007 musical thriller and the Film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and Halloween is a 1978 American independent Horror film set in the fictional midwestern town of Haddonfield, Friday the 13th is an American horror franchise that consists of eleven Slasher films a television show, Novels The Protagonist or main character is the central figure of a story. Examples of famous fictional serial killers include Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates, Freddy Krueger, Carnage, Leatherface, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Patrick Bateman, Serge A. Storms, John "The Jigsaw" Kramer, Sylar, Dexter Morgan and various others. Origin and development Thomas Harris has given few interviews and has never explained where he got inspiration for Hannibal Lecter but in a documentary for Hannibal Rising Fictional character biography Both the novel and Alfred Hitchcock 's 1960 film adaptation explain that Bates suffered severe emotional Abuse Freddy Krueger is a Fictional character from the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' series of films Carnage is a Fictional character that appears in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Appearances Original series The character was originally played by Gunnar Hansen. Appearances Michael Myers is the primary antagonist in all of the Halloween films with the exception of Halloween III Season of the Witch, as that Appearances Patrick Bateman is a Fictional character, the Anti-hero and Narrator of the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis Serge A Storms is the main Fictional character in most of Tim Dorsey 's novels (and appears in all of them to date Appearances in film Saw The Jigsaw Killer character was introduced in the 2004 film Saw through the character Dr Gabriel Gray, more commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar, is a Fictional character and one of the main Antagonists on the NBC Dexter Morgan is a fictional character in a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay, including Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004 Dearly Devoted Dexter A few of these have become some of the most famous and popular characters in modern popular culture. Popular culture (or pop culture) is the Culture — patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance — Serial killers have also been portrayed in video games such as Condemned: Criminal Origins, and its recent sequel Condemned 2: Bloodshot.

Serial killer memorabilia and serial killer lore is a subculture revolving around the legacies of various infamous and notorious serial killers. A souvenir (from French, for memory) memento or keepsake is an object a traveler brings home for the memories associated with While memorabilia is generally confined to the paintings, writings, and poems of infamous killers, a market has expanded in recent years with serial killer encyclopedias, trading cards, and action figures. An encyclopedia (or '''encyclopædia''') is a comprehensive written Compendium that contains Information on either all branches of Knowledge A trading card (or collectible card) is a small Card, usually made out of Cardboard or thick Paper, which usually contains an image of a An action figure is a posable character Figurine, made of Plastic or other materials and often based upon a movie, Comic book, Video game Some of the best known articles of serial killer memorabilia include the clown paintings of John Wayne Gacy and the poetry of Jack Unterweger. Johann "Jack" Unterweger (16 August 1951 – 29 June 1994 was an Austrian Serial killer who Murdered prostitutes in several countries

Victims

Criminologists have long recognized that there are links between most serial killers and their chosen victims. A criminologist is often defined as someone who studies the Etiology of Crime, criminal behavior types of crime and social cultural and media reactions to crime One such link is the association between demographic factors and likelihood of victimization. Demographics or demographic data refers to selected population characteristics as used in government Marketing or opinion research or the Demographic profiles While overall the odds of falling victim to a serial killer are very minute in comparison to other violent crimes, and to the population as a whole, the outcome of these crimes can often be the most extreme. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Compared to all other types of crimes, homicide in general has one of the lowest victimization rates. List of countries by homicide rate Homicide ( Latin homicidium, homo human being + caedere to cut kill refers to the act of killing another

Demographically, serial murderers tend to target more women than men, and kill strangers more often than family or acquaintances. This as opposed to single-homicide offenders, who tend to kill men and women equally, while killing friends and family more often. Serial murderers’ killings are often sexually motivated. The sexual motivation supports the idea that serial murderers tend to have specific criteria and specific sexual interests that motivate their selection of certain victims. This victim selection process sets serial murderers apart from other types of killers. ^[14]

See also

• List of serial killers by country
• List of serial killers by number of victims
• Mass murder
• Psychopath
• Offender profiling
• Spree killer

References

Bibliography

• Douglas, John and Olshaker, Mark. Journey into Darkness. Pocket Books, (1997). ISBN 0-671-00394-1
• Douglas, John and Olshaker, Mark. Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit. Pocket Books, (1997). ISBN 0-671-01375-0
• Lane, Brian and Gregg, Wilfred. The New Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers. Headline Book Publishing, (1996). ISBN 0-7472-5361-7
• MacDonald, J. M. "The threat to kill. " American Journal of Psychiatry 120 (1963).
• Norris, Joel. Serial Killers: The Growing Menace. Arrow Books, (1990). ISBN 0-09-971750-6
• Ressler, Robert K. and Schachtman, Thomas. Whoever Fights Monsters. St. Martins Mass Market Paper, (1994). ISBN 0-312-95044-6
• Schechter, Harold and Everitt, David. The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. Pocket Books, (1996). ISBN 0-671-53791-1
• Vronsky, Peter. Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters, The Berkley Publishing Group, (2007). ISBN 0-425-21390-0
• Vronsky, Peter. Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters. The Berkley Publishing Group, (2004). ISBN 0-425-19640-2
• Wilson, Colin. A Plague Of Murder. Robinson Publishing, Ltd. , (1995). ISBN 1-85487-249-4
• Elliott Leyton. Hunting Humans: The Rise of the Modern Multiple Murderer (1986) McClelland and Stewart ISBN 0-7710-5025-9
• Holmes, Ronald; Stephen Holmes. McClelland & Stewart is a Canadian publishing company It was founded in 1906 as McClelland and Goodchild by John McClelland and Frederick Goodchild both originally employed Murder in America. Sage Publishing. ISBN 0-7619-2092-7.  

External links

• Crime Library's Serial Killer page
• The Aetiology of Serial Murder - Towards an Integrated Model, By Edward Mitchell, University of Cambridge.

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