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.