Serial Killers

Essay by Steven WellnerUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, October 1996

download word file, 16 pages 4.5

Serial Killers

'God, I've never done anything. Help me, help me! God, why is this happening?

Help me!' Robert Violante screamed as the Son of Sam's .44 caliber bullet tore through

his temple (Eyes of a Killer, http.//www.serialkiller.com). Serial killers are the most

famous of all murderers because of their mass numbers of victims and their odd rituals of

killing. What is a serial killer? A serial killer falls into two categories: psychotics and

psychopaths. Psychotics are clearly insane, they fail to perceive reality correctly. A

minority of serial killers are psychotics. Psychopaths, also known as a sociopaths, do not

suffer from a mental illness, but from a character flaw. They are in touch with reality,

and know right from wrong. They know killing is wrong, they just don't care (1994,

Serial Killers, Time Life Books). You cannot pick a sociopath out in a crowd because

they look just like everybody else.

Actually, they act just like everybody else. You could

have a neighbor that's a serial killer and not even know it. Psychopaths are everyday

people with everyday lives, but they just have one problem, they have a need to kill.

What does a serial killer do? Serial killers usually have reasons for killing, they

just don't go out and kill anyone (the majority). A serial killer will plan out where, when,

why, and how before they actually kill. Ted Bundy used to lure his victims with a phony

cast on his leg. Others lured with the promise of sex or porno movies. When they kill

they usually have their own style. The Son of Sam used a .44 Cal, Dahmer killed

various ways and then hacked his victims into several pieces, dumping the bodies into

vats of acid, and Gacy molested little boys before strangling them and...