Serial Killers: The Zodiac Killer

Based on appearance alone, a person would probably never be able to pinpoint whether or not person is a serial killer. It is almost mind blowing how well serial killers blend with normal members of society. Serial killers have been known to be around as early as the 1800s. Throughout history, a lot has been learned about serial killers. There have been many studies on the background of serial killers, their motivation, and the popularity serial killers have gained.
Over half of the serial killer population is male; serial killers are rarely ever female. In some cases though, women are the culprit. Aileen Wuornos is one of the few notorious women serial killers. Her killings became so publicized, a movie was made, and she is known as “America’s

first female serial killer”. Women who become serial killers are usually sexually abused as children. This causes these women to grow a hatred for men. In other cases, group serial killers have been discovered. There are a few different types of group serial killers which include male and male, female and female, male and female, and families. For example, the Manson family are a highly publicized group of family serial killers (Pearson).
Most of the time the “creation” of a serial killer begins at home. Many of the serial killers who have been caught and questioned begin by stating their home situation when they were younger. A good portion say they were abused or neglected as a child. Often times serial killers use the excuse that when they were younger abuse was all they knew, so when they got older they saw these as a normal occurrence. A good portion had a good upbringing. The serial killers who were fortunate as children were normally spoiled and over- privileged as children so when they became adults and someone rejected them, they did not know how to process it and that led them to act out on the situation.
A person’s upbringing can define their personality, this applies to serial killers as well. For example, a child that has grown up basically alone, with no siblings and parents that are barely around, tend to be socially awkward, reserved, or shy. These personality traits and home situations cause them to be unable to function in society, which sometimes leads them to become serial killers. The killers who were fortunate as children usually have a charming and welcoming personality. These are the type of people that women usually end up on a date with.
A motive is different for every serial killer. Most serial killers begin killing because they want to be in charge and they crave power. The serial killers with this mindset believe that having the ability to choose whether someone lives or dies is the ultimate form of power. Serial killers usually continue killing because the hunger for power is just that strong. Many continue because they simply loved the feeling they received from their first killing and they think that killing again will make them feel the same, but it has been stated that you will never be able to get that same feeling you felt the first time. Some serial killers begin killing simply for the thrill. They treat the process of killing like a game. They never know when they are going to get caught and that excites them. Over time, serial killers usually develop a distinct technique, this is known as their signature. John Douglas defines a killers signature as “A personal detail that is unique to the individual, why he does it: the thing that fulfills him emotionally” (Douglas). A well-known signature of many serial killers consists of tying their victims up and performing some form of torture. In order to identify the killer in a homicide, police look for the serial killers signature (Miller).
Serial killers gain a lot of popularity after they are caught, and some even gain popularity while they are still committing the crimes if they manage to remain anonymous.

The Zodiac Killer is a prime example of gaining popularity while remaining anonymous. He sent letters to the press taunting them with confessions and poems and became widely publicized. Even though the killings were never solved, the Zodiac Killer still got the attention he was longing for. He left just enough clues for the public to know who he is, but not enough for the police to actually catch him. Believe it or not, for some, popularity is the main driving point to become a serial killer. These type of people will leave little hints and clues that eventually lead to them getting caught. Dennis Rader, for example, left a note in a book requesting for the media to refer to him by a certain name. He would also kill people and call the police to come to the crime scene. Due to the popularity of serial killers, today’s generation is fascinated with knowing every little detail about them. The Hollywood industry seems to glamourize these real life killers. Some people have been able to actually make careers out of studying and eventually catching serial killers, these people are known as criminal profilers, and they work for the FBI. Due to movies and biographies, serial killers accomplish one of their main goals: people remembering their names. People know who Ted Bundy is, but can rarely name one of his victims (White, Lester and Gentile

).
The complexity of serial killers seem to amaze a good portion of Americans. There are different factors that contribute to why some people become serial killers. Even though many of the motives can possibly be related, they are all still slightly different. Regardless of how many people acknowledge the fact that they serial kill for the popularity, it is still hard to teach people to stop giving it to them. Throughout time, people have done many scientific studies and researches on serial killers, but many things still are questionable or inconclusive. The unknown factors of a serial killer still leave many people fascinated, which is the main reason they are so popular today.