Why the People Are Interested in Serial Killers

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Serial Killers
Serial killers have struck fear in the hearts of people, yet the public remains fascinated and intrigued by the crimes perpetrated by these individuals. There are several theories and factors that have been attributed to serial killers in an attempt to explain their behaviors. Furthermore, by indentifying the behaviors that are exhibited by serial killers, law enforcement professionals are able to gather information about these serial killers that will assist in the apprehension of the criminal.
In the majority of serial homicides, a motivating factor, in addition to domination and manipulation of a victim, is the sexual gratification and desire that is experienced by the serial killer. Serial killers murder individuals because they believe, and feel, that the act will fulfill them and they will continue to murder people as long as they can (Douglas 191). The definition of serial killer may be distinguished from that of a spree killer and/or mass murderer through a variety of factors. Whereas a spree killer will murder a number of victims at different places over a short period of time and a mass murderer will plan an endgame strategy in which he or she does not expect to survive, a serial killer will hunt humans primarily for sexual thrill that they derive from the act (14) It is not often that law enforcement officials and behavioral scientists are able to get a first hand glimpse into the worlds of a serial killer at the time that the attacks are taking place (Arrigo 98). One of the factors that may prevent law enforcement officials and behavioral scientists from observing serial murders at the time they occur is the cooling off period often exhibited by the criminals perpetrating the crime. Because a serial k...

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...equently revive them in order to strangle them to death (114). It is believed that the cousins fed into each other’s desires and had they not been together, the crimes they committed would not have occurred. Bianchi was apprehended on an unrelated charge on January 12, 1979 and Buono was apprehended on October 22, 1979. Both were sentenced to life without parole.
By understanding and studying criminal behavior, law enforcement officials are able to infer future behaviors and hopefully prevent future crimes from occurring. Linking the Modus Operandi to victims allows law enforcement to link multiple victims to the same murderer and based on the time of the last murder determine a possible cool down time utilized by the killer. Being able to out this information together makes it possible to predict roughly when to expect another victim of a long term unsolved case.

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