Serial Killers: The Zodiac Killer

The term serial killer is defined as, “The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender in separate events” according to the F.B.I. It is clear that there is something not quite right about a person who can kill, and continue to do so. (Pemment, 2013) With serial killers there is no real reasoning behind their murders, they do not just snap one day, nor do they do it out of greed or even jealousy. There is time between the murders, and most of the time these people are active members of a community. While there are umpteen studies about why these people murder, there have been no actual breakthroughs. The studies go anywhere from a poor childhood, to brain damage. While everything is so unclear, there are many studies that point

to a psychological disorder. The disorders in question range from Antisocial Personality disorder to Schizophrenia. So the question that still remains is what type of psychological disorder could cause this kind of behavior?
The Zodiac Killer, John Wayne Gacy, Gary Ridgeway, the BTK Killer, Ted Bundy, Son of Sam, and Jeffrey Dahmer are names that just about everyone in America recognize.

There have been countless new articles, books, movies, and reports about these people, who seemed to be a normal part of the community until it was found that they were serial killers. Dennis Rader (the BTK Killer), killed ten people in 1974 then taunted the police; he sent a floppy disk which ended up being traced back to his church. Jeffery Dahmer raped, murdered, and dismembered seventeen men and boys; in addition to, cooking and eating the severed body parts in 1978. When a potential victim escaped, he went to the police and took them to Jeffery Dahmer’s apartment. A few of John Wayne Gacy’s victims were employees at his construction business. While Ted Bundy was picked up during a traffic stop; David Berkowitz (The Son of Sam), shot and killed six people and wounded seven others during the summer of 1976, was thought to be a witness rather than the murderer. (Freeman, 2014)(Castillo,

2013)
Robert Ressler, the former director of the F.B.I.'s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, came up with the term “Serial killer.” The F.B.I states that a serial killer is a person who kills two or more people over a period of time. This definition separates them from mass murders and spree killers (Pemment, 2013). In the past century there have been somewhere around 400 serial killers in the United States, and anywhere between 2,526 and 3,860 victims. Although there is no real way to know exactly how many serial killers there are at a specific time, the estimated range is from fifty to three-hundred, but there is no real evidence to support this. These murders seem to be increasing over time; since 1950, eighty percent of the 400 serial killers from this century have surfaced (Freeman, 2014).
One way a serial killer can be classified is by their organizational and social skills. Depending on how the crime scene looks, it can show if they are organized or disorganized; furthermore, a serial killer can be classified as nonsocial or asocial depending on if they separate themselves from society, or if society separates them. While most serial killers are organized and nonsocial, there are still some that are unlike the rest. These people do not stick out in appearance and are in fact, usually largely involved with society. As children they usually have three behaviors known as the MacDonald triad: these include bed-wetting, arson, and animal cruelty. (Freeman, 2014)
The second way that serial killers are classified is by motive. This method is known as the Holmes typology, for Ronald M. and Stephen T. Holmes, the authors of several textbooks about serial killers and violent crimes. Many critics say that this method for classifying serial killers has flaws, but it is widely used when working on a case. According to Holmes typology, serial killers can be either act-focused, or process-focused. Act-focused is a quick killing and is only about the act itself. There are two different types of act-focused killers: the visionary (Hears voices telling him to kill) and the missionary (believes he is supposed to rid the world of a type of person). Process-focused get enjoyment from slow deaths and torture. There are three types of Process-focused killers: Lust killers kill for sexual pleasure; thrill killers get a kick from killing; and gain killers believe they will profit from killing in some way. In addition, there are also power-seeking killers wish to “play God” and to be in charge of life and death. (Freeman, 2014)
There is one question that still remains; how can a person commit such horrible acts? An easy way to answer that question is the reason of insanity, certainly there is something that sets serial killers apart from the rest of the world. According to the U.S. Code, a plea of insanity means “at the time of the commission of the acts constituting the offense, the defendant, as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, was unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of his acts. Mental disease or defect does not otherwise constitute a defense.” A serial killer using this defense must prove to the jury that at the time of the murders he did not understand right from wrong, but it is incredibly difficult to prove that he did not know that he was killing the victims. Consequently, there have only been two serial killers successfully use the insanity plea. The head of the F.B.I.’s Investigative Support Unit, John Douglass believes, "They don't have a problem understanding what death means, and that they have the power to kill" (Freeman, 2014)
So could there be a mental condition that pushes people to become serial killers?

There are possibilities in question that can be answered with a diagnosis like psychopathy, borderline personality disorder, or Schizophrenia. Borderline personality disorder is characterized by emotional instability, anxiety, and psychotic-like symptoms. These patients can become paranoid or suspicious of others out of nowhere. The theory is that if all of these things happen at once to a person with borderline personality disorder, there is a possibly the result could be the death of another person, and if these are triggered by a certain situation or place then it could become serial killings; whereas, psychopath killings are usually pre-meditated. Simon Baron-Cohen included borderline personality disorder as resulting in zero-degree empathy, this means that the patient does not have empathy for others. Finally, there is schizophrenia, when these patients being having symptoms or hallucinations they can become violent. Castle and Hensley have claimed that there has never been a serial killer who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but Ronald Markman M.D., a forensic scientist, studied the life of Richard Chase, The Vampire of Sacramento, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia countless times before he committed most of his murders. (Pemmet, 2013) In the case of psychopathy, it is known that these patients do not have the typical reactions to situations, like getting caught doing

something wrong. This study has been limited to only criminal psychopaths, but not all psychopaths are criminals. While nearly all psychopaths are manipulative, impulsive, and aggressive, they do not always travel the road leading to criminal activity. They have difficulty following rules, even if they do understand them. It is also known that Psychopaths usually have a low heart rate, reduced gray matter in the cerebral cortex, amygdala abnormalities, and asymmetric hippocampi, but that does not mean that if we took a look at every serial killers brain these abnormalities would be found. (Brogaard, 2012)
There is no answer to what causes psychopathy or if it is a result of nature or nurture. The Minnesota Twin Study is led by Thomas Joseph Bouchard Jr., a Minnesota professor of Psychology. This study shows that psychopathy is sixty percent heritable, this suggests that psychopathy has more to do with DNA rather that upbringing. Some social factors can have a small impact in generating psychopathy, but after several years of research there is still no evidence to show that any factors can contribute to the development of psychopathy. It is not excluded that childhood abuse or neglect may cause a psychopath to commit crimes, but it does not contribute to psychopathy itself; furthermore, while there have been serial killers like Charles Manson, who were abused and neglected as children; most serial killers grew up with a normal childhood. There are a large amount of crimes committed by psychotics, not psychopaths; these are different mental disorders. Psychosis is the complete loss of the patients’ sense of reality, while psychopathy is a personality disorder. They can be profoundly similar but the key to differentiating them is if the patient has a grip on reality. Psychopaths do not hear voices in their heads, nor do they have a false view of the world. (Brogaard, 2012)
Some theories say that serial killers have suffered brain injury or they have an underdeveloped brain. A study by Adrain Raine, a professor of criminology, at the University of Pennsylvania, found that there is a decreased amount of brain activity in the part of the brain that controls emotion; thus, these people lack certain emotions, self-awareness, and sensitivity to violence. Adrain has found these similarities in smaller criminals as well; he says, “The findings suggest that numerous people currently being punished for their crimes cannot actually control their behavior, and should be seen as suffering from a disorder that needs treatment." These people not only have an under-developed dorsolateral cortex (Involved in risky and moral decisions), but also a shrunken ventromedial cortex (involved in decision making). Graeme Fairchild, a lecturer in clinical psychology at Southampton University, has concluded that aggressive adolescents usually have a shrunken amygdala. That being said, they are lacking the ability of decision-making, learning from their mistakes, and emotions and mortality. Graeme has said, "People with severe forms of conduct disorder could be seen as having a brain development disorder, rather than just being evil. If the parts of your brain involved in feeling guilt or empathy are damaged, then there is an issue of diminished responsibility. It is too early to use this in the courts, but we have to ask if they are truly to blame for their behavior." Other researchers believe that serial killers have suffered an injury to the frontal lobe, the hypothalamus and the limbic system. This can cause extreme aggression, loss of control, loss of judgment and violence.(Moon, 2013) Henry Lee Lucas and Arthur Shawcross, both convicted of eleven murders, suffered with brain damage in multiple areas; in addition, shawcross suffered with headaches and blacked out often, while he was in prison. Bobby Joe Long, convicted of nine murders, stated, "After I'm dead, they're going to open up my head and find that just like we've been saying a part of my brain is black and dry and dead." (Freeman, 2014)
The F.B.I.’s Behavioral Sciences Unit developed profiling in the 1970’s, Ted Bundy is one of the first serial killers to be profiled. The signature and the motive are both found by profiling. Information from psychologists, psychiatrists and passed serial murders all help to create a profile for a new case; as well as, crime-scene information and witness statements. While profiles are not always completely accurate, they are usually extremely close. Robert Keppell, the detective who took Bundy’s confession said that Bundy’s profile was perfect, right down to the fact that he had a step-brother. After a profile is finished, investigators look at the list of suspects and can narrow it down by who fits the profile. (Freeman, 2014) There are generalizations that fit in most cases; for example, serial killers are typically males between the ages of twenty or thirty, they are normally highly intelligent, and they seem to kill within their own race. In addition, there are patterns, a serial killer will use the same method of killing, each time, and the victims will all be the same type of person (for example, a certain age, or a prostitute) and usually they do not know the victim. While female serial killers are rare, they still exist and they do not match typical profiling. Oftentimes a woman serial killer will know her victim, and they are almost always males; in addition, they murder for material gain and are often part of a team. (Dvorsky, 2012)
In conclusion, while there are multitudinous thoughts about why serial killers kill, there is no actual answer to the question. These people have unique situations and many of them live a relatively normal life; furthermore, most of them are part of the community. Whether it is an under developed brain, psychopathy, or borderline personality disorder is undetermined. The only thing that is actually accurate with serial killers is profiling and it has proven to be extremely useful. Why a serial killer murders will remain a question far into the future, if not forever.