Serial Killers Essay

By definition, a serial killer is ‘an individual who murders more than three victims, one at a time during a relatively short interval’, but is it possible to define the reasons and motives behind these attacks? One of the most intriguing aspects of crime throughout the years has been focused on serial killers. What makes a serial killer tick? There is not any one, straightforward answer as to what motivates individuals to commit murder. “Unravelling the making of a serial killer is like aligning a Rubik's cube”.

There is a great distinction that separates serial killers from other murderers, and this is their motives to kill. Homicides are generally committed due to moments of rage and anger, or disputes from family problems, financial difficulties, gang violence, and conflicts between lovers and between friends. "A psychokiller, I should make clear, is not a regular murderer. A murderer has a vendetta, a nice specific personal thing against his victim". In contrast to this, the victims of serial killers, more often than not, are strangers that have never been encountered before the event of the killing. Serial killers are driven by instinct and a desire to kill.

Since the early 1980s, law enforcement agencies have become aware of the emergence of this alarming new phenomenon, the serial killer. Ever since the 1960s, ‘multiple murders’ have been on the rise, with more and more cases, of what may originally seem to be, ‘motiveless’ murders.

Beverly Allitt – known as the “Angel of death”, a nurse who killed four babies in her care. George Chapman, poisoned and killed three women. John Childs, convicted of 6 killings. Ian Brady and Myra Hindley – “Moors Muderers”, murdered five children. Anthony Hardy, suspected four murders. D...

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...them to enact their violent fantasies.

However, as we scrutinize childhood abuse as a possible explanation of serial killer's behaviour, we must take into account that many children have suffered horrific abuse by close family members or carers, but did not grow up to be mass murderers. We therefore cannot assume that childhood abuse is a direct link to a future in criminal behaviour. As well as this, whilst many girls are victimised as children, very few grow up to behave in such a violent sadistic way, turning to extreme lengths of violent behaviour towards individuals. The vast majority of serial killers are known to be men rather than women, which may suggest that other factors are also important and need to be taken into account. Childhood abuse may not be the sole excuse for serial killers, but it is an undeniable factor in many serial killers backgrounds.