Introduction
Murder has been a universally monstrous crime present in our societies since the beginning of time. Changing in nature from human sacrifice to extreme punishment, to an act of vengeance, the study of murder has been an ongoing process, changing with the times. Originally described as “lust-murder,” it wasn’t until around 1983 that the term “serial murder,” was used to describe one of the world’s most incomprehensible crimes. Beginning with Henry Howard Holmes, who murdered 27 women in his infamous “murder castle” in the late 1800s, the study of these killers and their victims has been an ongoing project. Law enforcement, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and researchers have continuously adapted their research in the field of serial murder, in hopes of finding an answer to the question left in all of our minds when we hear of the grotesque acts of these “psychopaths.” The most common debate in this field is that regarding whether these killers are born or made. This argument looks at circumstances that are believed to be possible factors in the causation or motivation for these crimes. Cross case analysis is commonly used to find patterns in multiple perpetrators to try to identify a solid theory of motivation.
While various studies have taken a qualitative approach to find correlation between various case studies of apprehended serial killers, the quantitative approach has not yet been looked into in order to identify correlations between the previously identified trends in serial behavior. In my study I will take the trends introduced in past studies and compare the prevalence among a wide variety (50??? 100??? 25????) of case studies of American serial killers to identify potential interrelations between different commonalities among the killers. (Egger, 1984)
Types of Killers
Multiple homicide- defined as the murder of four or more victims simultaneously or sequentially, by an individual or a few individuals attempting to satisfy personal desires, such as power, profit, revenge, sex, loyalty, or control- takes place in a wide range of forms (Fox and Levin, 1998). The three most well known types of killers include mass murderers, spree killers, and serial killers, while seemingly similar in principle, these crimes have very distinct differences. The main difference lying in timing, multiple murder can occur all at once, such as in a the Columbine school shooting, or the Charleston Massacre, which are characterized as a mass murder. The murder of multiple victims across a short period of time falls under a killing spree, and that done over an extended period of time is considered serial murder (Fox and Levin, 1998). Differences also In his book, “Serial Murderers and Their Victims,” Eric W. Hickey identifies 10 types of killers, these classifications pertaining less to the nature of the crime, and moreso to the motivation. His list explains varying factors in the desires that push these people to kill, such as lust, greed, psychopathy, vengeance, etc. (Hickey, 2002).
Defining Serial Murder
In looking at serial murder, there are multiple different perspectives you must understand before you can understand the definition of a serial killer. However, due to the variations of crime, there is no set definition to be used universally. Some definitions are extremely vague, such as the definition stated by Fox and Levin (1998) which stated that serial murder was:
A string of four or more homicides committed by one or a few perpetrators that span over a period of days, weeks, months, or even years.
Other definitions get very specific such as Eric Hickey who defines serial murder with indicators pertaining to motive, victim type, relationship between victim and killer, etc (Keeney and Heide, 2000). He defines serial murder with 7 main components which come together to state that serial murder occurs when one or multiple individuals commits a second or subsequent murders. There is usually no relationship between the killer and his victim, and the subsequent murders occur in a different geographical location and time. There is no material motive, but rather an impulsive act in search of instant gratification. Victims will either have a symbolic value to the killer or appear powerless in their societies (Hickey, 2002) (Egger, 1984). Given the varying interpretations, we will choose a loose definition to consider for the sake of this study. Throughout this study we will interpret the term Serial Murder to be referring to “premeditated murder of three or more victims over a period of weeks, months, or years.
References
- Egger, S. A. (1984). The killers among us: an examination of serial murder and its investigation (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
- Fox, J. A., & Levin, J. (1998). Multiple Homicide: Patterns of Serial and Mass Murder. Crime and Justice, 23, 407-455. Retrieved November 14, 2017, from www.jstor.org/stable/1147545.
- Hickey, E. W. (2002). Serial Murderers and Their Victims (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
- Keeney, B. T., & Heide, K. M. (2000). Defining Serial Murder. In Serial Killers (Contemporary Issues Companion).
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