Serial Killing Definition Essay

At some point and time in a person's videogame career they become fed up with the simple theme of the good guy kills the bad guy and they begin to explore. Whether it is shooting random civilians on Grand Theft Auto, or shooting teammates in a first person shooter, people love to do what is not welcomed. Unfortunately this is not just a digital concept, there are a select few who enjoy killing innocent people in real life as well. Serial murder is something that has been around for a long time; however, it is hard to truly define a serial murder. The definition of a serial killing recognized by the FBI is “The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events.” Each killer has their own unique motives for committing

the crime and one of the hardest things to do is to determine the killer's motives. Television shows such as “Criminal Minds” make the job look easy. On the show it may only take the actors hours to look at the evidence, determine the behavior of the suspect, and develop a list of suspects, however, in real life, this process may take days, months, or even years to determine. Sadly, this means that the killer has more time to carry out the crimes and in the worst scenarios is never caught. The problem is determining whether or not the suspect is killing to fulfill their fantasies or they have a serious illness. In this paper I will be discussing whether serial killers kill for the sole purpose of fun or if they are unable to resist due to a mental disease.
If you took a survey and asked the question, “What do you define as a serial killing?” you would receive a multitude of different answers.

The term serial killing is hard to define, not because of the killing itself but rather the killer. Samuel Adjorlolo touches on the idea that there is no true definition of a serial killer. “Over the years, researchers and law enforcement professionals have tried to achieve uniformity in the use of the term “serial murder,” but such efforts have rather proven futile” (Adjorlolo 1). Adjorlolo goes into great detail on how the definition has changed over the years and even provides a table of the definitions. While similar, each definition has a slight variation of its predecessor. In his report, he settles with the general definition, “The murders are committed as discrete event(s) by the same person(s) over a period of time” (9). While agreeing with Adjorlolo, Laurence Miller takes a different approach to define the term. Miller looks at the different types of serial killers and attempts to define the killer rather than the killing. Miller’s article covers almost every topic of serial killers. In the article he identifies patterns, motives, and even the typical everyday attitude of serial killers. He states that serial killers are not limited by gender, IQ, or even their skill.. Miller defines three different skill levels, amateur, semi-professional, and professional. With this he breaks down how efficient each of the serial killers are

and what makes them tick.His work truly defines what it means to be a serial killer and how they differ from the rest of society. His article supports the argument that serial killers are monsters who do what they do because killing is what they love to do. “ What for most people (typically men) may constitute a momentary journey into cruelty during the “heat of battle,” as, for example, in military service, becomes for the serial killer his life's guiding purpose and mission. That is why he is so relentless. That is why he will always continue to kill until he is dead or securely confined” (Miller 1).