The Origin Story

Everyone has an origin story. We all came from somewhere, had a past that made us who we are, and had people that influenced what we have become. With that being said, serial killers have origin stories to. They all started off like the rest of us, born into this world as innocent little babies. Something happened in their lifetime that changed them, that led them, drove them even, to the path of killing.

Many serial killers have similar past experiences that explains their violent nature. A lot of them go through drug abuse, child abuse, etc. They usually are antisocial as children and do not make very many friends. Before doing anything extreme, serial killers start off small. Growing up, they might enjoy torturing and killing small animals (sadistic much?) or they might be drawn to arson.

Usually, serial killers come from unstable families that have criminal, psychiatric, or alcoholic histories. Despite having violent mindset and mental issues, many serial killers have an above average IQ. Organized killers have an average of 113 (140 is considered a genius) and disorganized ones have an average of 93. All these components, make up your average all-american (other countries as well) serial killer.

Then again, there is the common argument between nature vs. nurture. The question being, is serial killing in your genes or are you driven to it?

For those who think it is genetic, a experiment was used to prove so. Scientist, Jari Tiihonen, tested many serial killers and came to the conclusion that killing is gene related. He found that most of them that he tested had a MAOA gene (AKA the "warrior gene"), linked to aggression. The MAOA gene is in the X- chromosome, which explains why most serial killers are men. The theory of nurture is that serial killers did not have a very caring childhood. Not having the best childhood led them to kill.

Serial killers have various reasons that lead them to the life of a murderous criminal. Whether it be genetic or by chil.d abuse, it leads to the same violent path.

Citation: "9 Early Warning Signs for Serial Killers." Crime Blog:. N.p., 23 June 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2016. 

Killer Victims

No one can tell exactly what goes on inside the vicious mind of a serial killer, but many have various theories and thoughts. After reading two different websites, examiner.com and expertlaw.com, a lot of serial killers have more similarities than differences. The choosing process of a serial killer's victims is much deeper than one might think.

For the most part, a serial killer has an image of his/her "ideal" victim and targets people who fit the bill. The "perfect" target could fit the description of anything as specific as "a young female with dark brown long hair and blue eyes"or as vague as "middle-aged male."Victims of a serial killer are chosen based on their similarities in looks, lifestyles, habits, or even occupations.

The reason behind a serial killer having a certain criteria for victims could be linked to their past. Whether it be an ex-lover or someone who abused them before. For example, let's say someone with a violent past gets their heart broken by someone who is a 24 year old short female with long blond hair. Well then, to avenge themselves after being hurt, this person targets any short 20 something year old female with long blond hair.

Some serial killers spend so much time finding the right target that when they cannot find what they are looking for, they kill an easy target, just for the sake of killing. Then, they continue their hunt for the "ideal" victim that fits the mold. The serial killer gets an easy target because the constraint of their own standards dries them to violence.

Can't relate? Think of shopping. It's just like when you have the perfect jacket in mind to buy, you have the color, size, and style all planned out. You then go to the mall looking for that one jacket, after going to several stores, you can't find it. Instead, you find another jacket, affordable, cute, trendy. You think "Eh, this is okay too." and end up buying it. Realizing you are not satisfied you go back out the next day for for that perfect jacket. I know I have done that at least a couple of times, so the sense of unsatisfaction is normal. With that in mind, killing for satisfactory needs is a little on the extreme side if I do say so myself.

When serial killers go out to find their victims, they set their minds to think of each victim as nothing more than an object. They think that the victims are objects only to be used for their killing purposes.
In their minds, every victim is unworthy but only worthy of vicious abuse and ultimate destruction. Serial killers essentially "punish" their victims for thinking they are worthy of living. They conduct their fantasies that they dream up and enjoy the feel of power.

Not all serial killers have a specific "type", but for the ones that do, it is because of something that ruined their minds leaving them psychologically scarred. It leads them to kill for revenge or for the need to feel dominance.

Citation: Andreu, Nelson. "Serial Killers- A Homicide Detective's Take." Serial Killers. ExpertLaw, 8 Nov. 2014. Web. 09 May 2016.                                               

Cliques of Killers

In high schools around the world, different cliques are grouped together. You have your band kids, your athletes, your drama kids, and so on. They form groups based on similar interests and personalities. Well, same goes for serial killers. There are all kinds of serial killers but based on their reasons for killing or how they kill, they are grouped into three different categories. The visionary killers, the mission-oriented killers, and the hedonistic killers. The website I found for research was really informative, but there was no author listed so I question its credibility. https://sites.google.com/site/psychologyofpsychopaths2a/what-is-the-profile-of-a-serial-killer-1/what-are-the-different-types-of-serial-killers

The visionary killers are those types of killers that have gone psychotic and begin to listen to the "voices" in their head. They're your all-natural crazies that have lost touch with reality. They are the ones that claim "God made me do it." This type of serial killer is also categorized as "disorganized" because of their mental illness and impulsiveness. They usually don't aim to kill a specific type of person, they kill people based on their indiscernible logic.

Then there's your average mission-oriented killers. These killers believe that they are doing all of us a favor by "ridding the world" of a certain type of person. They kill a population of people that they believe is undesirable, such as prostitutes or African Americans. Mission-oriented killers think that they are changing society for the better by killing off a certain group of people, therefore; they believe that their actions are justifiable. They are usually not psychotic like visionary killers.

Lastly, your most famous, well-known serial killers, are the hedonistic killers. Hedonistic killers are generally the ones that you hear about on the news and they make up the majority of serial killers. These are usually the ones that scare me the most. They end up giving me the creeps at some point of my research for this type of killer. (Note to self: DO NOT procrastinate on researching the topic of serial killers late a night. It is really not a good idea.) The category of hedonistic killers is further broken into three subcategories: comfort killers, lust killers, and thrill killers.

Comfort killers kill for material gain and profit. They're victims are mostly family members or friends. Just think about it, being murdered by someone close to you. Yikes. Talk about a backstabber (literally). Lust killers are the ones whose primary motives are sex. A lot of fantasy is involved in their killing and they use weapons that require close contact, such as hands or knives. Some lust killers cannot get sexual satisfaction without means of violence, while others, use violence just to intensify the sensation.

Last but not least, we've got the thrill seekers. They are consider to be most monstrous of all types because they just kill for the pleasure of killing. These sadistic killers like to invoke pain and fear into their victims. The more their victims suffer, the more excitement they get. They seem a little messed up in the old noggin to me. Thrill killers can plan their killing for weeks while looking for just the right target. One of the most famous of this type is the Zodiac killer.

Linked to at least five murders in 1968 and 1969, the Zodiac killer summed up his reasoning as "I like killing people because it is so much fun." He taunted the police and made threats through letters. Then after 1974, any further communication stopped suddenly. To this day he still has not been found.


Citation: "What Are the Different Types of Serial Killers? - Psychology of Psychopaths 2a." What Are the Different Types of Serial Killers? - Psychology of Psychopaths 2a. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.                                                  

The Spark of Curiosity

Have you every wondered what makes a serial killer tick? What pushes their buttons? What makes them different from your run-of-the-mill murderers? Well I have too, which is why I have created this blog to research the intriguing mind of a serial killer. This curiosity all began when I watched a crime investigation show with my mother. The plot involved an arsenal serial killer who burned peoples' house down (WHILE THEY WERE INSIDE) and enjoyed watching them burn.

The first question I had was why?! Why or how could someone be so sadistic to just stand there and watch innocent people as they burn alive? Watching that episode made me interested in this topic because I do not understand how a serial killer could do something so extreme as to murder other human beings. Hopefully all this research will be able to answer my main question: What is it like inside the mind of a serial killer?

As I began my research the first website I found, titled "10 Chilling Glimpses Into The Minds And Lives Of Serial Killers", (http://listverse.com/2015/07/23/10-chilling-glimpses-into-the-minds-and-lives-of-serial-killers/) had a quote that really caught my eye. It stated, "Not all psychopaths are serial killers, but all serial killers are psychopaths." This quote made me think, if all serial killers are psychopaths does that mean none of them are sane and conscious? It also mentioned the common confusion between a psychotic serial killer and a psychopathic serial killer. In the crazy cuckoo sense, psychotic serial killers have lost all touch with reality while psychopathic serial killers are aware of what they are doing, but continue to kill anyway.

After further reading the article, it proposed multiple theories and facts about what makes a serial killer, a serial killer. From underdeveloped brains to killing in genes to bad childhoods. The reasons were fascinating and explained a lot about the difference between the way we think and the way a serial killer thinks.

After countless experiments and data collection, Adrian Raine, a professor of criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, concluded that most serial killers have underdeveloped brains. The parts of the brain that they lack are their ventromedical cortex, which is linked to decision making, and their dorsolateral cortex, which is linked to ones ability to learn from their mistakes.

That explains why serial killers kill over and over again. If they do not realize that what they are doing is wrong then they continue to do what they do, killing whoever they please. They commit crimes based more on impulse than premeditation. The fact that almost all serial killers lack remorse and empathy creates a common theme among them.

Citation: Nixon, Eli. "10 Chilling Glimpses Into The Minds And Lives Of Serial Killers - Listverse." Listverse. N.p., 23 July 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.