PSYCHOLOGY OF A SERIAL KILLER

PSYCHOLOGY III

Submitted by: Submitted to:

SHREYA VERMA MS. TANYA DIXIT

Roll number – 145

Semester III

Enrollment No.- 160101144

Section B

B.A. LL.B. (Hons)

DR. RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher Ms. Tnya Dixit who gave me the

golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic Psychology of a Serial Killer, and also

helped me in doing a lot of research and I came to know about so many new things. I am really thankful

to them. Secondly, I would also like to thank my parents and friends who helped me a lot in finishing this

project within the limited time. THANKS AGAIN TO ALL WHO HELPED Me

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What is serial killer?
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more people,[1] usually in service of abnormal
psychological gratification, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant break
(a "cooling off period") between them.[1][2] Different authorities apply different criteria when designating serial
killers;[3] while most set a threshold of three murders,[1] others extend it to four or lessen it to two.[3] The Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for example, defines serial killing as "a series of two or more murders, committed as
separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone".[2][4]

Although psychological gratification is the usual motive for serial killing, and most serial killings involve sexual
contact with the victim,[5] the FBI states that the motives of serial killers can include anger, thrill-seeking, financial
gain, and attention seeking.[4] The murders may be attempted or completed in a similar fashion, and the victims
may have something in common: age group, appearance, gender, or race, for example.[6]

Serial killing is not the same as mass murdering (killing numerous people in a given incident); nor is it spree killing
(in which murders are committed in two or more locations, in a short time). However, cases of extended bouts of
sequential killings over periods of weeks or months with no apparent "cooling off period" or "return to normalcy"
have caused some experts to suggest a hybrid category of "spree-serial killer"

According to Eric W. Hickey, author of “Serial Murderers and Their Victims,” serial murderers include “any
offenders, male or female, who kill over time” (Hickey 12). It is doubtful that anyone would disagree with Hickey’s
definition, but some experts may choose to be a bit more descriptive. Due to the qualifications of a serial homicide,

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there tends to be a general consensus among reactions to serial killings by the public but not necessarily upon the
reasons for which one may commit such an atrocious act. The crime should not be confused with a spree killing,
which involves the murder of many victims without a relationship or extended period of time existing between the
killings

How often are Serial Murders Committed?

While murdering multiple victims is a terrible form of homicide, these instances only account for 4.4% of all
homicides as of 2005. Despite this small fraction, there has been an increase of 1.3% since 1975. Although these
percentages seem very low, they should still be taken seriously due to the cruelty of the crime. Again as of 2005,
Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer Nick Zeigler Sociology 300: Criminology Dr. Kurtz DATE NEEDED 4% of all
homicides included two victims, .6% involved three victims, .1% involved four victims, and .05% involved five or
more victims (Bureau of Justice Statistics). While these numbers prove that killings with many victims are rare, they
are still the stories that are embedded in our minds, and often times in history.

Why do Serial Homicides Occur?

It is difficult to prove why serial murders are committed but some educated guesses have been made as to the
reasons for which some of these terrible acts of violence occur; “Various theses of the aetiology of serial murder
exist, most of which chooses to align with a psychiatric, sociological or biological explanation” (Mitchell). D. Jay
Schaibly mentions in his article What Twists a Man so far as Murder? three correlates to serial murder called the
McDonald Triad. According to Schaibly, The triad is the name given to the set of characteristic (sic) that serials (sic)
killers are evident of in their youth. The “typical” serial killer is a sociopath or psychopath that during childhood
was subject to three diagnoses: fire starting (pyromania), prolonged bed-wetting, and animal torture. All of these
things correlate to a phase in life in which the young person is curious of certain things new to them. Shaibly’s
article begs the question; do we have the power to thwart serial killings before they occur? His correlates definitely
show a strong support for a biological explanation to the crime, but the three characteristics are also related to poor
social treatment (Shaibly)

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What Would We Find Wrong in the Brain of a Serial Killer?

You do not have be enlightened to realize that there is something different about serial killers. Clearly, the horror
stories from victims and police reports will soon have you believing that something has to be very different about
these people for them to do what they do, and whatever that something is has to be encoded in the brain somewhere,
somehow. I would like to talk through some of the psychological disorders that could be behind the possibility for
serial killing, but firstly, I would like to clarify what I mean by ‘encoded in the brain.’ I simply mean that at any one
moment in time our brains have developed in one particular way and that way controls the statistical likelihood of
certain behaviors occurring under certain circumstances, in this case, serial killing.

Serial killer itself is not a diagnosis, but the term serial murder has been defined by the F.B.I. as “the unlawful
killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s) in separate events.” This definition, as far as law enforcement
is concerned, is very useful, as these behavioral traits are unique to the type of person who is likely to offend again if
not apprehended. But what psychological diagnoses could account for this kind of behavior? This question is made
even more important by the fact that forming an experimental group consisting solely of serial killers would be
extremely difficult to establish.

The most broadly recognized mental disorder associated with serial killing is Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD).
This is a cluster B personality in the DSM IV and is intimately related with psychopathy. Psychopathy is not a
clinical diagnosis, but it is considered a developmental disorder by neuroscientists (Blair, 2006). Many individuals
with APD are not psychopathic, but a number of them, especially the ones who exhibit traits such as limited
empathy and grandiosity, do demonstrate psychopathy (Hare & Babiek, 2007). Psychopathic traits such as charm,
manipulation, and intimidation have been recognized by the F.B.I. as being thoroughly connected to serial murder
(see here for more details), although it’s important to realize that not all psychopaths are serial killers.

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A cool academic point to note about psychopathy is that we know the kinds of behaviors psychopaths reliably
exhibit (such as superficial charm and a lack of empathy; for an inclusive list see Hare, 1990), we know that they
typically have a low resting heart rate (Lorber, 2004), and we also know that that they are likely to have significant
differences in their brain, such as reduced prefrontal gray matter (Raine et al., 2000), amygdalar abnormalities
(Blair, 2003), and asymmetric hippocampi (Raine et al., 2004). One can only speculate how these brain differences
could be implicated in psychopathic behavior, but it does mean that if we scanned the brain of a serial killer and
measured their heart rate, these are the kind of differences we could expect to find.

Could there be any other mental condition implicated in serial killing, other than psychopathy or APD? We can only
speculate, but a good place to look would be at the other cluster B personality disorders. Borderline Personality
Disorder (BPD) is characterized by emotional instability, anxiety, and psychotic-like symptoms where those
afflicted can suddenly become very paranoid or suspicious of others (Skodol et al., 2002). BPD has also been
included by Simon Baron-Cohen as a disorder that results in zero degrees of empathy, a term he uses to describe
conditions where the afflicted does not seem to have any empathy for others (Baron-Cohen, 2011). BPD is often
comorbid with impulsive aggression, too (Skodol et al., 2002).

So how could BPD result in serial killing? We can only speculate, but suddenly becoming very paranoid or
suspicious of others, having no empathy for anyone, and perhaps being subject to impulsive aggression, means that
should an individual with BPD display with all of these traits at once, there could be an assault that results in the loss
of life. If there is a situational or environmental trigger for these outbursts, the killing could become serial. This
would be in contrast to psychopathic serial killers, where the killing is usually pre-meditated.

The brains of those with BPD are less understood. Impulsive aggression is characteristic of most cluster B disorders,
and this seems to be related to low levels of serotonin (Skodol et al., 2002); this has resulted in attempts to treat BPD
with SSRIs. Scientists have found altered levels of metabolism in the anterior cingulate cortex (De la Fuente et al.,
1997) and reduced matter in the prefrontal cortex (Lyoo et al., 1998) in those with BPD.

There do not seem to be any neurological studies that have found anything special about Narcissistic Personality
Disorder (NPD), another cluster B disorder. But NPD is mentioned by Baron-Cohen as another disorder where the
afflicted have no empathy for others. This automatically suggests prefrontal and limbic abnormalities, perhaps
similar to APD and BPD, but unlike BPD, those afflicted with NPD do not suffer temporary psychotic-like
symptoms. It must also be acknowledged, here, that psychopaths are very narcissistic, and so deciding on a
diagnosis between APD and NPD is a very difficult task.

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The last disorder I would like to mention as a candidate is schizophrenia. Schizophrenics, especially when
experiencing psychotic symptoms (such as auditory and visual hallucinations), can become violent. Accounts of
schizophrenia and serial murder are mixed. Castle & Hensley (2002) claim that there has never been a validated case
of a schizophrenic serial killer, but Ronald Markman M.D., who served as a forensic psychiatrist, details the life of
Richard Chase, who was also known as The Vampire of Sacramento (Markman & Bosco, 1989). Chase was
diagnosed numerous times as a paranoid schizophrenic, before he committed a number of murders towards the end
of the 1980s.

A common characteristic of schizophrenics, however, is to have jumbled and confused thoughts, which when
considered in light of cold, calculated, and premeditated murders, it is harder to merit schizophrenia as a driving
force behind serial murder. If our serial killer was a schizophrenic, however, we could expect to see enlarged lateral
ventricles (brain tissue surrounding the ventricles has diminished), depleted myelin sheaths in the cerebral cortex,
and abnormal clusters of neurons (Bear, Connors, & Paradiso, 2007).

There are other implicated disorders in violent behavior and it must be understood that it is not uncommon to have
more than one of them. Schizoid and Schizotypy personality disorders are known to share similarities with
schizophrenia, but again, on their own the probability of them being implicated in serial murder is low to
nonexistent.

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Etiology

There are studies that indicate a lack of neuropsychiatric risk factors for the development of antisocial PDs. 6Organic
factors, such as obstetric complications, epilepsy, and cerebral infection, have been investigated. Abnormal
electroencephalography findings have also been observed in individuals with antisocial PD who committed crimes.
One of the abnormalities most often reported is the persistence of slow waves in the temporal lobes. 2 According to
Eysenck and Gudjonsson, who formulated the General Arousal Theory of Criminality,7 there is a common biological
condition underlying the behavioral predispositions of psychopaths. These individuals are likely to be extroverted,
impulsive thrill seekers, presenting a nervous system that is insensitive to low levels of stimulation (they are hard to
please and are hyperactive in childhood). Therefore, in order to increase their level of stimulation, they participate in
high-risk activities, such as crime.

Biology and molecular genetics have been progressively contributing to the understanding and treatment of
psychiatric patients. However, to date, it has not been possible to find specific genes for the various mental
disorders.8 In PDs, genes can be held responsible for the predisposition rather than for the disorder. Consequently, it
is essential to consider the environment in which the individual lives, as well as the interaction established with this
environment.

The concept of spectrum has been used in order to demonstrate that, according to the environmental interaction,
even an individual presenting a determinant gene might not develop the predicted mental disorder or might develop
it in a wide spectrum of clinical configurations.

Various studies9 have confirmed the existence of genetically-determined personality traits. Studies with
monozygotic twins have revealed very similar behavior in terms of personal, social, and professional choices, even
in individuals raised in different environments. Significant concordance has also been found in the development of
PDs, much higher than that found in dizygotic twins. These results were later confirmed in studies including adopted
children.

There are still biological aspects that are not of a genetic nature, but that also interfere with the development of the
personality. As an example, behavior that is more aggressive can be related to higher testosterone levels. However,
increased serotonin levels can generate behavior that is more sociable.

With regard to the interaction between the individual and the environment, special importance has been attached to
early relationships, due to their influence on the formation of the nucleus of the personality of the individual. It is
known that negligence and abuse suffered by a child whose brain is being shaped by experiences create an anomaly
in the brain circuits, which can lead to aggressiveness, hyperactivity, attention disorders, delinquency, and drug
abuse.

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Disorders common in serial killers

The ICD-10 describes eight types of specific PDs: paranoid, schizoid, antisocial, emotionally unstable, histrionic,
anankastic, anxious, and dependent.

1) Paranoid PD is characterized by self-referential thinking: a predominance of distrust, oversensitivity to setbacks,

and the perception of being constantly harmed by others.

2) Schizoid PD is predominated by detachment, a lack of interest in social contact, affective withdrawal, difficulty in
feeling pleasure, and a tendency toward introspection.

3) Antisocial PD is characterized by indifference to the feelings of others (which can lead the individual to adopt
cruel behavior), disdain for norms and obligations, a low tolerance for frustration, and a low threshold for the
perpetration of violent acts.

4) Emotionally unstable PD is marked by impulsive and unpredictable manifestations, presenting two subtypes:
impulsive and borderline. The impulsive subtype is characterized by emotional instability and uncontrolled
impulses. The borderline subtype, in addition to emotional instability, presents self-image perturbations (causing
difficulty in defining personal preferences) and a consequent feeling of emptiness.

5) Histrionic PD is characterized by a prevalence of egocentrism and a low tolerance for frustration, as well as
theatricality and superficiality. Individuals with histrionic PD are ruled by the need to be the center of attention.

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6) In anankastic PD, concern about details prevails, together with rigidity and stubbornness. However, the repetitive
and intrusive thoughts seen in anankastic PD do not attain the level of severity that would lead to a diagnosis of
obsessive-compulsive disorder.

7) Anxious (or elusive) PD is predominated by oversensitivity to criticism, persistent feelings of

tension/apprehension, and a tendency toward social withdrawal (due to insecurity regarding social capacity,
professional capacity, or both).

8) Dependent PD is characterized by behavioral deficit, lack of determination and lack of initiative, as well as by an
unstable sense of purpose.

However, in the present study, our focus will be antisocial PD. This is the type of PD that is given the most
importance in the forensic sphere due to its close association with psychopathic behavior.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Antisocial personality disorder describes individuals who tend to disregard and violate the rights of others around
them.

Definition

Antisocial personality disorder is best understood within the context of the broader category of personality disorders.

A personality disorder is an enduring pattern of personal experience and behavior that deviates noticeably from the
expectations of the individual's culture, is pervasive and inflexible, has an onset in adolescence or early adulthood, is
stable over time, and leads to personal distress or impairment.

Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others. The
diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder is not given to individuals under the age of 18 but is given only if there is
a history of some symptoms of conduct disorder before age 15.

The symptoms of antisocial personality disorder can vary in severity. The more egregious, harmful, or dangerous
behavior patterns are referred to as sociopathic or psychopathic. There has been much debate as to the distinction
between these descriptions. Sociopathy is chiefly characterized as something severely wrong with one's conscience;
psychopathy is characterized as a complete lack of conscience regarding others. Some professionals describe people
with this constellation of symptoms as "stone cold" to the rights of others. Complications of this disorder include
imprisonment, drug abuse, and alcoholism.

People with this illness may seem charming on the surface, but they are likely to be irritable and aggressive as well
as irresponsible. They may have numerous somatic complaints and perhaps attempt suicide. Due to their
manipulative tendencies, it is difficult to tell whether they are lying or telling the truth.

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Antisocial personality disorder is much more common in males than in females. The highest prevalence of antisocial
personality disorder is found among males who abuse alcohol or drugs or who are in prisons or other forensic
settings.

Symptoms

 Disregard for society's laws

 Violation of the physical or emotional rights of others

 Lack of stability in job and home life

 Irritability and aggressiveness

 Lack of remorse

 Consistent irresponsibility

 Recklessness, impulsivity

 Deceitfulness

 A childhood diagnosis (or symptoms consistent with) conduct disorder

Antisocial personality is confirmed by a psychological evaluation. Other disorders should be ruled out first, as this is
a serious diagnosis.

The alcohol and drug abuse common among people with antisocial personality disorder can exacerbate symptoms of
the disorder. When substance abuse and antisocial personality disorder coexist, treatment is more complicated for
both.

Causes

While the exact causes of this disorder are unknown, both environmental and genetic factors have been implicated.
Genetic factors are suspected since the incidence of antisocial behavior is higher in people with an antisocial
biological parent. Environmental factors may also be blamed, however, as a person whose role model had antisocial
tendencies is more likely to develop them.

About three percent of men and about one percent of women have antisocial personality disorder. Much higher
percentages exist among the prison population.

Treatments

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Antisocial personality disorder is one of the most difficult personality disorders to treat. Individuals rarely seek
treatment on their own and may initiate therapy only when mandated to do so by a court.

There is no clearly indicated treatment for antisocial personality disorder. Recently, an antipsychotic medication
called clozapine has shown promising results in improving symptoms among men with antisocial personality
disorder.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the Antisocial Personality Disorder -- A Lot in Common

Criteria in the (American Psychiatric Association's) DSMIV for Antisocial Personality Disorder (30l.70), include
"failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that
are grounds for arrest." Arrestability is not a criterion for diagnosing a Narcissistic Personality Disorder (30l.81).
However, if you omitted the diagnostic labels and reviewed the other criteria for each of these "personality
disorders," you might not be able to distinguish one from the other.

The narcissist, for example, "is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention." The
same is true of the antisocial person. The narcissist evidences "self-dramatization."

People who are antisocial can also be quite dramatic. In fact, some count on drama to distract others from their real
intentions. And some appear dramatic as they play out their perception that they are the center of the universe
around which all else should revolve.

The DSMIV cites as an "essential feature" of the narcissist a "lack of empathy that begins by early childhood and is
present in a variety of contexts." If lack of empathy isn't a hallmark of an antisocial individual, then what is (again
see the DSMIV "reckless disregard for the safety of others")?

The most important point is that people who are either antisocial or narcissistic are victimizers.. Most likely, every
reader of this column has unfortunately known a man or woman who is incredibly self-centered and self-
aggrandizing, who is untruthful and cannot be trusted, who fails to see things from any point of view other than his
own, and who is able to eliminate fear (and conscience) long enough to pursue any means to an end. Invariably,
others are betrayed, deceived, and emotionally (perhaps financially) injured. The narcissist may not commit an act
that is illegal, but the damage he does may be devastating. In fact, because the narcissist appears to be law-abiding,
others may not be suspicious of him leaving him freer to pursue his objectives, no matter at whose expense. I have
found that the main difference between the narcissist and antisocial individual, in most instances, is that the former
has been shrewd or slick enough not to get caught for breaking the law.

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Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia, a serious mental illness, causes changes in the structure of the brain. Several subcategories exist.
Schizophrenics may receive sensory impressions without a basis in objective reality. A growing number of experts
believe schizophrenia involves a genetic component; inheriting certain genes may make it more likely an individual
will display symptoms of schizophrenia. Today, drugs help many schizophrenics control their symptoms. Ed Gein
exemplifies a serial killer suffering from schizophrenia.

Sadism

Sadists treat people and animals with cruelty. Some sadists obtain sexual gratification by inflicting pain. This is
perhaps one of the most widely documented serial killer mental disorders. Almost all of these murderers suffered
abuse as children and inflicted abuse on other creatures (frequently on animals).

Necrophilia/Necrophagia

Some serial killers seek to have sexual contact with corpses and/or to eat body parts. Chinese serial killer Wang
Qiang illustrates this psychopathy

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER

This disease is characterized by impulsive behaviors, intense mood swings, feelings of low self worth, and problems
in interpersonal relationships (WebMD). It has also been diagnosed among some of the U.S.’s most notorious serial
killers. Interestingly, this seems more common among female criminals:

Aileen Wuornos, the woman who inspired the 2003 film “Monster” starring Charlize Theron, confessed to seven
murders in Florida. She was also diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder.

Jeffrey Dahmer, also known as the “Milwaukee Cannibal,” killed seventeen boys and men between 1978 and 1991.
He also struggled with heavy alcohol abuse.

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Kristen H. Gilbert killed four patients at a Northampton, Virginia hospital where she worked as a nurse by
administering fatal doses of epinephrine to induce cardiac arrest.

The above figure describes the steps followed by a serial killer.

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The organized/disorganized classification is one of the most commonly cited classifications of violent serial
offenders. This distinction between offenders is made on the criteria that it can be drawn from an examination of the
crime scene and the victim.

The FBI’s behavioral specialists have compiled the Crime Classification Manual, which categorizes murder into
four main groups: criminal enterprise homicide (category 100); personal cause homicide (category 120); sexual
homicide (category 130); and group cause homicide (category 140). There is no separate category for serial killing;
serial homicides fall into the various categories depending on the their type. The most common group where serial
homicides frequently occur is category 130: sexual homicide. That group is divided into subcategories that include
the following: (131) organized sexual homicide, (132) disorganized sexual homicide, and (133) mixed sexual
homicide (Burgess, Ressler, Douglas. 1997).

The organized offender leads an orderly life that is reflected in the way he commits his crimes. He is said to be of
average to high intelligence, socially competent, and more likely than the disorganized offender to have skilled
employment. In many instances, he lives with a girlfriend or is married. He may even be a father. He will plan his
offense before the opportunity arises often for weeks, months, and even years before acting. He is aware of his
growing compulsion to act out his murderous desire. He will typically use restraints on the victim, and bring a

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weapon with him, which he will then take with him when he leaves. Typically, the organized offender leaves three
crime scenes: Where the victim is confronted, where the victim is killed, and where the victim’s body is disposed of
(Vronsky, 2004).

The organized killer approaches his victims by socializing with them, charming them, or tricking them into a
situation where he can overpower them. He typically owns a car, which he then uses in his crimes. He follows the
reports of his crimes in the media and changes jobs or moves to a different city when he believes he may be
detected. He is sometimes schooled in police investigative methods and he is constantly improving his technique
with each additional murder. The longer he kills, the more difficult it becomes for police to catch him (Vronsky
2004).

The ultimate example of an organized killer is the infamous Ted Bundy. Bundy was so organized police never
located the crime scenes where his first seventeen victims were killed. Six of his victims remain missing to this day.
Bundy once referred to himself as, “the only Ph.D in serial murder.” He had been attending law school when police
finally identified him. He was exceptionally intelligent, having once worked for a state Republican Committee as a
consultant. He was engaged and also owned a car, which he took the front passenger seat out to more easily
transport bodies. Bundy would frequent parks and colleges, pretending to have a broken leg. There, he asked young
girls to help him carry things to his car in order to charm and lore them to their deaths (Crime Archives 2007).

In contrast to the organized killer, the crime scene of the disorganized offender is described as reflecting an overall
sense of disorder and suggests little, if any, preplanning of the murder. He, too, is difficult to catch because while the
organized offender is predictable in some way, the disorganized offender is very much not. He has vague and
intense murderous fantasies, but he does not develop a thought-out plan of action. The disarray present at the crime
scene may include evidence such as blood, semen, and the murder weapon. There is minimal use of retrains because
the victim is usually rendered unconscious moments after encountering the disorganized offender. This is thought to
be because the offender is aware of his inability to interact with the victim. The body is often displayed in open
view, is usually left where the confrontation took place, and is often subjected to extraordinary mutilation. The
disorganized offender is often times still living with parents or guardians, and to have a below-average intelligence.
The killer is usually unemployed or unskilled, does not own a car, and kills near his home (Vronsky, 2004).

An example of the disorganized class of serial kills, Miguel Rivera randomly attacked young boys in tenement
buildings in East Harlem and on the Upper West Side of New York between March 1972 and August 1973. His first
victim, an eight-year-old-boy, was stabbed thirty-eight times and sodomized, and an attempt was made to cut off his
penis. Three other boys were found in hallways, in basements, and on the rooftops of various tenements, stabbed to
death and their genitals cut off. After being arrested, Rivera claimed that God had told him to transform little boys
into little girls (Crime Archives 2007).

In the Crime Classification Manual, a third category is presented: the “mixed” offender (Burgess, Ressler, Douglas
1997). It is suggested that the reasons for those offenders who cannot be easily discriminated as organized of
disorganized are varied. The attack may involve more than one offender, there may be unanticipated events that the

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offender had not planed for, the victim may resist or the offender may “escalate” into a different pattern during the
course of an offense or over a series or offenses. The suggestion is that in this sort of crime, although there may be
some evidence of planning, there will be poor concealment of the body. The crime scene might be in great disarray,
and there will be a great deal of manual violence committed against the victim. The offender may be young or
involved in drugs or alcohol (Vronsky, 2004).

Richard Ramirez is a perfect example of a mixed killer, who killed nineteen people been June 1984 and August
1985. He killed his victims in their homes at random, not always sure whom he would find when he entered houses.
He overcame them with a fast blitz attack using extreme force. He left many of his victims alive, suggesting that
when he made a decision to kill he made it spontaneously at the scene. He did not disguise his face and left forensic
evidence behind. On the other hand, Ramirez brought weapons to the scene and even carried a police frequency
scanner, trains of an organized offender (Crime Archives 2007).

Critics of the organized/disorganized model argue that the “mixed” category demonstrates the weakness of the
system too many serial kills do not fit into the neat categories and are thus classified “mixed” a meaningless
classification (Death Reference 2007).
The model for classifying offenders as disorganized, organized, or mixed was only the beginning of an effort to
classify serial killers. There are other ways of classifying serial killers for psychological or criminological study;
however, this model is more widely accepted among the criminal investigative analysts at the FBI.

Five Notorious Serial Killers With Mental Disorders

1. Ted Bundy (1946-1989)

Ted Bundy, an infamous sociopath, committed crimes ranging from rape and homicide to burglary and sexual acts
on corpses. He escaped from custody before police re-captured him after a nationwide search.

Born to an unwed mother, Ted Bundy lacked positive male role models. Intelligent, handsome and superficially
charming, he graduated from college and won admission to law school. A breakup with his fiancé coincided with the
disappearances of several young women. Ted Bundy would later admit to killing them. He confessed to murdering
30 people between 1974 and 1978. Some investigators believe he committed as many as 100 homicides.

Bundy often transported or lured victims to isolated locations to kill them. He traveled extensively during killing
sprees. A poster boy for anti-social personality disorder, he died in the electric chair.

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2. Andrei Chikatilo (1936-1994)

Between 1978 and 1990, Andrei Chikatilo killed at least 52 victims in the Soviet Union. Raised in extreme poverty
in Nazi-occupied Ukraine, he witnessed extensive violence during childhood.

Andrei Chikatilo worked as a teacher and later as a supply clerk. He sexually molested children then expanded his
activities into murder. He killed children, as well as vagrants and young women. He sometimes consumed sex
organs. Diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and sadism, he died by firing squad.

3. John Wayne Gacy (1942-1994)

John Wayne Gacy sustained frequent beatings as a boy from an alcoholic father. He suffered from antisocial
personality disorder. Raised in Chicago, he maintained a double life as an adult: the outwardly respectable self-made
contractor and divorced father who entertained hospitalized children with a clown routine picked up young men in
private to sexually assault them.

His first known homicide occurred at age 30 in 1972 when he killed a teenage boy. John Wayne Gacy eventually
took 33 innocent lives. He hid many bodies beneath his residence.

Police discovered his crimes after he murdered a teen who had contacted him about a summer job. A court
sentenced him to 12 death sentences and 21 life sentences. He died by lethal injection in 1994.

4. Jeffrey Dahmer (1960-1994)

A troubled young man from a middle class household in West Allis, Wisconsin, Jeffrey Dahmer committed many
horrific murders. At first glance, he seemed an unlikely criminal. He grew up in a quiet Milwaukee suburb and
graduated from a local high school. When the extent of his crimes came to light in 1991, the public reacted in shock
and disbelief.

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As a youngster, shy, reserved Jeffrey Dahmer displayed a fascination with dissecting animals. He developed an
alcohol abuse problem as a teen. When his parents separated, 18-year old Jeffrey moved into his own apartment.
Soon afterwards he began committing murders.

Jeffrey Dahmer kidnapped, molested and murdered 17 boys and young men between 1978 and 1991. He
dismembered the bodies and ate some of his victims. The authorities discovered extensive human remains in his
refrigerator.

Mental health experts concluded he displayed borderline personality disorder and "sadistic" traits. After his
conviction in 1992, he began serving a sentence of life imprisonment "plus 70 years". He died two years later from
wounds received during an altercation with another inmate.

5. Wang Qiang (1975-2005)

Born in Liaoning, China, Wang Qiang committed at least 45 murders. His alcoholic, abusive father mistreated him
as a child. Wang Qiang reportedly began killing young girls in 1995 after his father denied him an opportunity to
further his education.

Chinese authorities eventually convicted and executed him. At the time, he had been found to have raped at least 10
victims, some of them after death. He clearly showed necrophiliac tendencies.

Although they cause a disproportionate amount of pain and misery in the world, fortunately statistically only
very,very few people afflicted with widespread mental disorders such as personality disorder or schizophrenia ever
become killers, let alone repeat killers that become infamous for their atrocities. Medical experts and law
enforcement specialists have established that fact. Remember not to rush to judgement when you hear of someone
who is mentally afflicted. Read more about serial killers on the True Crime Blog so you may better understand, with
nuance, the things that lead an otherwise normal person to repeatedly kill

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Original FBI case study of serial killers

Following are original case studies given by fbi for serial killing offenders.

Offender Number One

This offender was a White male who at the age of 30 began killing female prostitutes, most of them White. He was
adopted and grew up in a large urban area. He had a limited history of dating females his age and had no lasting
romantic relationships, though he did have a few social friends of both sexes. He had no record of treatment for
psychological disorders. As an adult, he took some college courses, but dropped out and later resumed living in his
family home. He had a few sporadic and lowpaying jobs and failed in several business ventures. He had grown
accustomed to using prostitutes to satisfy his sexual urges, having done so routinely for several years. He met them
primarily on inner-city streets, paid for their services, and carried out his sexual interactions with them while inside
his personal vehicle. Occasionally, though, he would bring a prostitute back to his mother’s home, where he also
lived, for a longer liaison. (These limited situations occurred when his mother was away.) During these years of
frequenting prostitutes, he was arrested once for solicitation, but was never charged with any violent crimes. The
women he killed ranged in age from 21 to 41. He strangled all 17. He varied his methods of disposing of the
victims’ bodies. He buried them; placed them under discarded items (e.g. a mattress); placed them in bodies of
water; and hid them in wooded areas. He dismembered three, then scattered their remains in locations in and around
the metropolitan area where he lived. No patterns or discernable changes over time were noted in these disposals. He
stated he simply took advantage of opportunities that arose which allowed him to avoid or delay detection. He
sometimes kept personal belongings of his victims; many of these, including jewelry and photo identification, were
found when his home was searched following his arrest. He felt his actions were influenced by several factors,
among them family instability, the death of his father two years prior to the first murder, social isolation, and a deep
resentment toward young women. He claimed to have had consensual

sexual intercourse with all the victims before killing them. He could not articulate any specific reasons for the
murders, but did profess an intense interest in watching some of them die. He had a look of detachment during the
interview, and the researchers noted an apparent lack of remorse as he described his actions. At one point the
offender admitted, unabashedly, that his killings had become ‘‘a very problematic hobby for me.’’ His murders
spanned a period of just over four years. The time between murders varied considerably, from 1 to 18 months.
During his interview he attempted in vain to explain why he chose certain victims over other potential ones. He
sometimes left home knowing that he would kill later that day. At other times, however, he did not know he would
kill until just before the opportunity presented itself. (This assessment of opportunity included his evaluation as to
the remoteness of the location, the absence of other people in the area, his emotional state, and his general ‘‘desire’’
to kill.) This self-reported variation in his thought processes highlights a tremendous challenge in projecting or
tracking a serial killer’s activities and progress over a course of time. For this offender, for example, his relative
degree of stealth, his selection of vulnerable victims with a transient lifestyle, and the variations in his methods of
body disposal allowed him to remain undetected for many months. When arrested, he readily confessed to the

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murders, expressing little feeling. During his interview, he displayed some traits of psychopathy. These included
irresponsibility, impulsivity, poor behavioral controls, promiscuous sexual behavior, a parasitic lifestyle,
callousness, and lack of empathy. However, with a score of 24 (out of a possible 40) on the PCL-R, he did not reach
the higher level historically noted for psychopaths. He described having an extremely high degree of mobility, in
that he drove extensively throughout the area where he lived. It was the impression of the interviewers that driving
in this seemingly aimless and restless fashion was perhaps in fact more purposeful, allowing him to evaluate and
mentally map the area, so that he could later strategize as to how he would obtain and/or dispose of future victims.

Offender Number Two

This inmate was also a White male, adopted and raised as the only child in a middle class home. His early
childhood was unremarkable, but in adolescence he began abusing drugs. He reached adulthood, though, without a
criminal record. He committed two assaults against women just prior to his murders, and following one of these he
began receiving psychological treatment. He attended several semesters of college, but his heavy use of cocaine and
marijuana caused him to drop out before obtaining a degree. This substance abuse seems to also have factored
heavily in the murders he committed. He had been married for two years, but was unhappy in the relationship. He
maintained a stable job, though he stole from his employer to obtain money for drugs. At the age of 25, he killed
three White females during a two-week period. He later claimed he had felt intense anger and rage toward women
for some time prior to the murders. There are some indications that this may have stemmed from difficulties in his
marriage.

The first victim was a 20-year-old woman who lived in his neighborhood, but who was unknown to him. He gained
entry to her residence through a ruse, then raped her. He shot her twice in the head with a handgun, and then
consumed a beer he had found in her refrigerator. He left her nude, face up on her bed. Before departing, he placed a
bottle of hot sauce in her vagina, and positioned a stuffed animal next to her body. His second victim was a relative,
43 years of age, who lived a few miles from him. She had come to his residence one evening while his wife was
away, to return a borrowed item. He raped her, and shot her once in the head with the same handgun he had used
before. He tried, unsuccessfully, to clean up a large amount of the victim’s blood. He also left a note at the scene,
which stated, ‘‘I kill your sister, now I kill your husband.’’ He placed her corpse in her vehicle and drove less than a
mile away, disposing the body by the side of a well-traveled road. The victim was found nude, face up, with one of
her shoes placed between her legs. Regarding both of these encounters, the offender detailed his sexual interactions
with the victims before he killed them. He stated he forced each to masturbate and then perform fellatio on him. He
also masturbated, and raped each victim anally and vaginally. While he denied that these two events were
specifically scripted, the similarities, at least in terms of his sexual behaviors, are striking. Immediately following
the second homicide, the offender drove in the victim’s car, through several states. The next evening he shot and
killed another stranger, a 25-year-old woman who was working as a motel desk clerk at the time of the encounter.
Though there was evidence of sexual assault, he denied this. He did, however, admit that this was what he had
intended. He stated that he later returned to the murder scene and, prior to the arrival of police, stole money from the

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motel’s cash drawer. He was arrested without further violence a few hours later, in a nearby town. This offender’s
personal history reflected pathological lying, manipulative behavior, shallow affect, and lack of guilt. However, in
his general lifestyle he did not demonstrate as many psychopathic traits (he scored 15 on the PCL-R) as most of the
other serial killers studied.

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