I don’t know about you, but a serial killer is a sure way to get me to check out the cover copy of a book. Why are we as a society so fascinated by them? In my opinion it’s mostly their alien quality, the sense that they are something apart from the rest of us. Not to mention that we are used to being the top of the food chain, and serial killers imply that we really aren’t.
Whatever the reason, things sure have changed since we first saw Psycho. Due to the glut of serial killers in the media, we seem to have gotten reality and fiction pretty mixed up when it comes to these predators. So here’s a little authenticity:
According to a study by Radford University the median IQ of serial killers was 102. While this is considered average, it is by no means genius. So all those scary-intelligent killers in the media aren’t nearly as likely as you might think. Of course, these results are based on the ones who got caught, so who knows?
The Holy Trinity of serial killers. You know, all serial killers were bed-wetters, cruel to animals, and abused as children (Some people also include fire-starters). Well, according to the FBI, this simply isn’t true. While some documented cases have revealed these “symptoms”, plenty have not. Unfortunately, after all these years, we still don’t have any accurate predictors for serial killers' behavior. So including them in your book is legitimate, but not a necessity. I think that killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, who never really had any indicators at all, are a lot more frightening.
Profiles are in no way infallible. After having compiled massive amounts of information on serial killers, we now understand them a little better. However, those amazingly accurate profiles you see on TV are rare at best. Just check out this article to see what I mean. Profiles are tools, not sure things.
Serial Killers do not only kill strangers. There have been numerous cases where a captured serial killer is linked to a past victim they knew. In hindsight it may seem obvious, but usually at the time of the murder the killer was just another anonymous acquaintance.
Not all serial killers have a specific ritual. Whether you call it modus operandi, fetish, signature, or ritual, everyone seems to think that serial killers are victims of their own obsessions. While there have been a few murderers with these things, plenty of them diverge often, or even constantly, from this routine. One great example is Tommy Lynn Sells. He claims to have killed between 60 - 70 people, stabbing some, shooting some, bludgeoning others. While he seems to have had a predilection for children, he also killed adults, and even the elderly, with no ritual or signature in sight.
Have you ever seen the ViCAP form? I have. It is ridiculously long and boring. You can download one here. Because of this and the fact that cops have too big a workload already, they only get filled out sometimes. Even when they do, the biggest plus to this sort of database is for research and analysis purposes. As of today, I am unaware of ViCAP ever having helped catch a serial killer.
Most serial killers really are white males between the ages of 20 - 35. That’s true. However, that does not mean all of them are. Just a few examples:
Eugene Britt, 8 or more victims, African American
Jarvis Catoe, 13 victims, African American
Yang Xinhai, 67 victims, Asian
Charles Ng, 12 victims, Asian American
Rafael Resendez-Ramirez, 9 victims, Mexican
Rory Conde, 6 victims, Columbian
So don’t forget when writing about serial killers, they can be any age, race, or even sex.
A few random facts:
The United States leads in serial killers with 76% of the world’s total. However, some people dispute this number, saying that we only catch & identify more.
The only real definition of a serial killer is someone who murders more than three victims, one at a time, in a relatively short interval. This obviously means that there are a lot more crimes than expected that fall under the heading “Serial Killing”.
In Peter Vronsky’s book “Serial Killers”, he asserts that almost every month a new case of serial murder is reported somewhere in the world.
The BSU, or Behavioral Sciences Unit, of the FBI was originally created for psychological study of hostage takers.
Although we hear a lot of numbers being repeated, the actual total of confirmed serial killer victims in the United States between the years of 1800 - 1995 are estimated at 3,680. This averages out to about 18 victims a year, although the numbers did escalate after 1970. Whether this is due to higher solve rates or an actual increase is unknown. As stated above, however, this only includes the known victims, which leaves a lot of room for error.
The perceived rise in serial killings over the last forty years is real. However, it is only the latest in several serial murder epidemics that have taken place throughout history. Between 1911-15 & 1935-41, respectively, there were surges. Clearly serial killers are not such a new phenomenon as some think!
I hope this page helps clear up a few misconceptions and falsehoods. If you have anything to add to this, feel free. Below you will find a list of some good serial killer information and reference materials. Warning: some of them are upsetting or graphic. Thanks for your time!
Also, there are about a gazillion books out there about them. Have fun!
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