Characteristics Of A Serial Killer

What makes a killer a serial killer? According to the FBI, “the term ‘serial killings’ means a series of three or more killings, not less than one of which was committed within the United States, having common characteristics such as to suggest the reasonable possibility that the crimes were committed by the same actor or actors” (fbi.gov). This is the definition that I have based my research off of. The three killers that I have chosen are Ed Kemper, Robert Hansen, and Dennis Rader. Before I introduce these killers, I am going to discuss the psychological makeup and stereotypes of serial killers.
Most serial killers exhibit three symptoms as children that would be considered warning flags. This is known as the “triad of Sociopathy […] the triad consists of bed-wetting after the age of five, cruelty to animals and arson or an interest in fire” (Weatherby, Buller, McGinnis). This is supported by John E. Douglas, a FBI profiler, who helped capture many serial killers. In his interviews with serial killers, he found out that most were abused by one of their parents, mostly by their mother. In one of his first interviews, the man’s mother was friendly towards everyone outside of her home, “yet at home, she treated her timid son as if he were dirt” (Douglas, John E.). The abuse would have further led to development as every killer’s brain examined by Jim Fallon, a neuroscientist, “had damage to their orbital cortex. How you end up with a psychopath and a killer depends on when the damage is done” (Fallon, Jim). Another factor that influences the development of a serial killer is that most killers have too much serotonin. This is caused by the “major violence genes [… which are] in the normal population […and are] sex length. It’s [loc...

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...h represented his method and would eventually become his alias. His mistake that led to his capture was that he asked the police if sending a floppy disk would be untraceable. The police mentioned that it would be safe, so Rader sent the disk. By tracing the disk, they found that it came from the church that Rader was currently president of. He was arrested February 25, 2005. Rader was convicted three days later. With a body count of ten people, he received ten consecutive life-sentences.
Serial killers are an interesting group, not that I want to become a serial killer. I chose this topic because it reveals a side of life that not many people my age choose to think about. By explaining the lives of these killers in detail, I hope to diminish the power of stereotypes and reveal how the most dangerous killers are clever, organized, and careful in their execution.