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...