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A Cultural Study of American Serial Killers

A Serial Killer is defined as someone who murders more than two victims in a short period of time. However, they are different from mass murderers in that they usually commit the crimes individually rather than in bulk. While there are no standard defining characteristics of serial killers, many display signs of psychological disorders and there are often sexual elements involved in the crime.

Brief History

America experiences the highest number of serial murders in history, even with Europe having experienced serial murdering almost 200 years before America’s first. The first known serial killers in American history were Lizzie Borden and ‘The Devil in the White City.’ The mass trend of serial murders, however, did not spike until the 1970’s. From the first killings around 1800 until the largest peak in America in 1995, 399 known serial killers murdered an estimated 2,526-3,860 victims. Of these 399 serial killers, only 62 were women – almost all of whom did not begin their sprees until after 1950. This disparity in numbers demonstrates the drastic difference between the culture of female serial killers and that of men.

Characteristics

While there is no fool proof link that exists between all known serial killers, certain stereotypes do pertain to a majority of the killers.

1. The majority are single, white males.
2. They often show above average intelligence, with an average IQ of 123.
3. Many have a history of abuse in an unstable family and are usually abandoned by one or both parents.
4. They display high rates of suicide attempts.
5. From a young age they are interested in pornography, often of an inappropriate nature.
6. Many show fascination with fire starting.
7. A large percentage demonstrates sadistic behavior towards small animals.

Beyond these commonalities is the idea of psychological disorders and their strong presence amongst serial killers. However, despite the common view that serial killers must be psychotic, psychosis is not a typical diagnosis. Instead, the dominant disorder is Antisocial Personality Disorder: defined as a condition that causes egocentrism and impulsiveness, therefore leading to disregard for and manipulation of others. These common qualities, although not characteristic of all serial murderers, help to associate a culture to the criminals themselves as well as to provide a stereotype for others to follow.

Motives

Motives behind the madness are also binding factors, as the majority of serial killers and their motives fit into four categories with somewhat considerable overlap. These are “visionary,” “mission-oriented,” “hedonistic,” and “power.”

Along with these specific motivations are other driving influences on a serial killer’s behavior. Very few serial killers murder for reasons other than to kill and 70% of them thrive on killing only strangers: a method that sets them apart from the average homicide. However, a constrictive culture is impossible to find despite the consistencies: the most salient aspect of a serial killer is his uniqueness. Another breed of serial killer – the copycat killer – also contributes to the murky definition of what qualifies a serial killer.

Visionary

Visionary serial killers suffer from psychotic breaks with reality, sometimes believing they are another person or are compelled to murder by entities such as the devil or God. The two most common subgroups are "demon mandated" and "God mandated."

David Berkowitz ("Son of Sam") is an example of a demon-mandated visionary killer. He claimed a demon transmitted orders through his neighbor's dog, instructing him to murder.

Often, these visionary serial killers are the subject modern crime television shows; the idea of messages from above are clear depictions of psychosis and easily portrayed in entertainment arenas. An example of this is the episode "Doubt" of the CBS series, Criminal Minds.

Mission-oriented

Mission-oriented killers typically justify their acts as "ridding the world" of a certain type of person, they perceive as undesirable, such as homosexuals, prostitutes, people of different ethnicity or religion; however, they are generally not psychotic. Some see themselves as attempting to change the nature of human society, often to cure a societal ill.

Ted Kaczynski, the "Unabomber", targeted universities and the airline industry. He wrote a manifesto that he distributed to the media, in which he claimed he wanted society to return to a time when technology was not a threat to its future, asserting that "the Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race."

Hedonistic

This type of serial killer seeks thrills and derives pleasure from killing, seeing people as expendable means to this goal. Forensic psychologists have identified three subtypes of the hedonistic killer: "lust", "thrill" and "comfort".

Lust

Sex is the primary motive of lust killers, whether or not the victims are dead, and fantasy plays a large role in their killings. Sexual gratification is often only found if certain acts of torture of mutilation are administered to the victim's body. Lust killers often use weapons of a very personal nature, so that they can be close to the victim in death. Frequently, lust killers require more and more victims with decreased time in between the kills in order to satisfy their needs.

Kenneth Bianchi, one of the "Hillside Stranglers", murdered women and girls of different ages, races and appearance because his sexual urges required different types of stimulation and increasing intensity.

Jeffrey Dahmer also represented a lust killer, as his fascination with his victims bodies was clearly seen by his preservation of their body parts. He experimented with cannibalism to "ensure his victims would always be a part of him".

Thrill

The primary motive of a thrill killer is to induce pain or create terror in their victims, which provides stimulation and excitement for the killer. They seek the adrenaline rush provided by hunting and killing victims. Thrill killers murder only for the kill; usually the attack is not prolonged, and there is no sexual aspect. Usually the victims are strangers, although the killer may have followed them for a period of time. Thrill killers can abstain from killing for long periods of time and become more successful at killing as they refine their murder methods. Many attempt to commit the perfect crime and believe they will not be caught.

Comfort (profit)

Material gain and a comfortable lifestyle are the primary motives of comfort killers. Usually, the victims are family members and close acquaintances. They often use poison, most notably arsenic, to kill their victims. Because of this weapon choice, many comfort killers are suspected to be women, however this is not always the case as seen with H. Holmes. Dorothea Puente killed her tenants for their Social Security checks and buried them in the backyard of her home. H. H. Holmes killed for insurance and business profits. Professional killers ("hit men") may also be considered comfort serial killers.

Some, like Puente and Holmes, may be involved in and/or have previous convictions for theft, fraud, dishonesty, non payment of debts, embezzlement and other crimes of a similar nature.

Power/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. Many power or 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. Ted Bundy traveled around the United States seeking women to control.

The Media as a Cultural Influence

As the numbers of serial killers increase so too does their popularity in the media. The average American child watches 8,000 murders on T.V. before graduating elementary school. Not only is there a growing culture of serial killers, but a growing fan-club with a fascination for the dark acts committed by such: “Serial murderers touch something dark and forbidden in all of us, the fascination with both sexuality and violence”. Of the one billion dollar industry of television show rentals, the largest portion is designated to the rental of crime shows. Clearly, the media aides in this growing interest, as it is not the truth that interests society anymore, but the entertainment value that can be derived from this manipulated truth.

Misconceptions in the media are frequent, especially when it comes to the crime industry. The media has formed stereotypes that, although frequently consistent, are not the rule when it comes to finding serial killers. Not only do these misconstrued aspects of our entertainment industry reach this growing fan-base and lead to a romanticized version of the serial killer but they also influence the serial killers themselves. “Serial killers are influenced by the media…and many make a specific study of earlier offenders." The Ohio killer-letter writer, as named by the FBI, admitted to researching his “idols” before taking his first victims. The media industry has formed both a fanatic sub culture of serial killer idolizers, as well as a foundation through which more serial killers may be born.

Serial killers in television and film

Since its invention, portrayals of violence seem to have been an integral part of filmmaking. It is true that "serial murderers touch something dark and forbidden in all of us, the fascination with both sexuality and violence." One of Thomas Edison's first phonograph recordings dealt with the confessions of serial killer H. H. Holmes.

Serial killers are featured as stock characters in many types of media, including books, films, television programs, songs and video games. Films featuring serial killers include Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Mr. Brooks, Seven, Copycat, Halloween, Scream, The Lovely Bones, Romasanta and many others.

Amongst the many depictions of serial killers and violence in the entertainment industry are frequent misinterpretations of the culture and capabilities of serial killers. Copycat, the 1995 thriller, first introduced the exaggerated version of copy cat serial killing to the American public. Copy killer Peter Foley mirrors the killing sprees perpetrated by famed killers Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz and Albert Desalvo. From this movie stemmed the idea that copycat killers both had access to the exact methods of previous killers and was able to commit each act with perfectly mirrored precision.

Serial killer memorabilia

Notorious and infamous serial killers number in the hundreds, and a subculture revolves around their legacies. "Murderabilia", or memorabilia centered around famous serial killers, includes the paintings, writings, and poems of these killers. Recently, marketing has capitalized even more upon interest in serial killers with the rise of various merchandise such as trading cards, action figures, and encyclopedias like The Serial Killer Files by Harold Schecter. Some serial killers literally attain the status of "celebrity" in the way they acquire 'fans'. Some killers even have previous personal possessions auctioned off on websites like eBay. A few examples of this are Ed Gein's 150 pound stolen gravestone, and Bobby Joe Long's sunglasses.

Profiling as an Ethnographic Study

The professionals who form these conclusions about serial killers as a sub division of the general population are considered profilers. Profiling as tool in solving cases is a relatively new aspect to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s serial homicide division. In 1988, two agents, Agent Ressler and Agent Douglas, interviewed thirty-six incarcerated serial killers. Of those interviewed, Charles Manson – the hippy cult leader – David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz – the New York letter writer – and Edmund Kemper – the hitch hiker – were the most famous and elusive killers. These agents, Ressler and Douglas, wrote “Sexual Homicide” following these interviews; it is a crime classification manual on profiling. The profiling technique is based on crime scene evidence from which an idea of the physical and mental traits of the perpetrator can be formed. However, profiling is a controversial method in that it relies on the stereotypes so easily influenced by previous encounters, the media and myths surrounding serial killing. Two such myths involve the beliefs that serial killers are skilled at eluding the police of long periods of time and that serial killers are driven to kill because of childhook devastations. While these traits may be true for certain psychopaths, they cannot be profiled for every individual killer.

The stereoptypical serial killer is white, middle-aged, socially awkward and likely to show interest in the investigation of his case; typically, this is how the FBI profiles their perpetrators. Yet this white, middle aged man is not the only serial killer acting out in America Throughout recent years, the producers of television shows and movies have depicted characters that fit this description and cast them as the "bad guy," a practice that misrepresents both the profiling of serial killers as well as the reality surrounding their qualities. For a long time, the typical serial killer showed traits similar to that of "The Green River Killer." Gary Ridgway, the serial killer, did not exhibit sexual misconduct or aggression towards his wife and kids. He evaded the police in what was the longest on-going serial investigation of the century and was convicted of murdering prostitutes - typical as they were strangers to Ridgway However, this stereotype is deteriorating as larger numbers of African Americans and other races commit more mass murders in America. The system of profiling - the seemingly accurate method of describing the general characteristics of serial killers - is getting harder and harder.

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