Serial Killers

Behind every action is an individual with certain motivations, so it stands to reason that criminals leave psychological clues behind at the scenes of their crimes. Thus, in the face of countless suspects, investigators have increasingly turned to psychological profiling for assistance. Profiling narrows the hunt, helping authorities know who they are looking for.

In the 1950s, psychologists and psychiatrists began to theorize that criminals had similar behavioral patterns and personalities. Criminal investigators started asking these experts for help in looking at unsolved crimes. Given a specific crime, could they determine the type of person who might have committed it? The answer was "possibly."

The theory became a discipline during the 1970s in Quantico, Va., where the FBI established the Behavioral Science Unit. From this base, profilers examine cases, mostly through crime-scene photographs, witness statements and evidence reports. They look for unique details that indicate the perpetrator's background, degree of experience and motivation.

Based on his or her observations, the profiler develops a psychological profile of the perpetrator. The profile suggests how old the suspect might be, his or her past habits, lifestyle and even employment status. The profiler also tries to determine the gender, race, size, marital status and level of adjustment of the perpetrator -- and often, the perpetrator's next move.

From a murder scene, a profiler might even reach astoundingly specific -- and accurate -- conclusions, such as a finding that the perpetrator has a speech impediment, post-adolescent acne or sexual dysfunction, or is someone who is socially inadequate. Or he may find evidence within the crime scene that the perpetrator might have known, and therefore deliberately stalked, the victim, rather than murdered at random.

Initially a hit-or-miss technique, the reliability of criminal profiling has improved with each passing year. There's even a national computer database into which investigators can enter information about known offenders in order to connect similar crimes committed across state lines. By conducting a signature crime analysis of different acts, the profiler tries to determine if certain behaviors link them together. Is it possible that the actions in different crimes emanated from the same source? Armed with his or her conclusions, the profiler can recommend appropriate courses of investigation.

Nationwide, there are perhaps 30 men and women with the true qualifications to be considered criminal profilers. Their work requires long, concentrated study of the deepest psychological characteristics of most violent criminals. Overcoming the resistance of traditionalists, they are slowly changing the way that criminal investigations are conducted -- and deepening our understanding of the nature of such horrifying acts in our society.

Where does this urge come from, and why is so powerful? If we all experienced this urge, would we be able to resist?Is it genetic, hormonal, biological, or cultural conditioning? Do serial killers have any control over their desires? We all experience rage and inappropriate sexual instincts, yet we have some sort of internal cage that keeps our inner monsters locked up. Call it morality or social programming, these internal blockades have long since been trampled down in the psychopathic killer. Not only have they let loose the monster within, they are virtual slaves to its beastly appetites. What sets them apart?

Henry Lee Lucas (SteveNorthup/ TIMEPIX)

Serial killers have tested out a number of excuses for their behavior. Henry Lee Lucas blamed his upbringing; others like Jeffrey Dahmer say that they were born with a "part" of them missing. Ted Bundy claimed pornography made him do it. Herbert Mullin, Santa Cruz killer of thirteen, blamed the voices in his head that told him it was time to "sing the die song." The ruthless Carl Panzram swore that prison turned him into a monster, while Bobby Joe Long said a motorcycle accident made him hypersexual and eventually a serial lust killer. The most psychopathic, like John Wayne Gacy, turn the blame around and boast that the victims deserved to die.

They must be insane -- what normal person could slaughter another human, for the sheer pleasure of it? Yet the most chilling fact about serial killers is that they are rational and calculating. As the "British Jeffrey Dahmer" Dennis Nilsen put it, "a mind can be evil without being abnormal."What They AreBefore we look at who they are, we must first describe what they are. In his book The Killers Among Us, Steven Egger defines serial murder: * A minimum of three to four victims, with a "cooling off" period in between;* The killer is usually a stranger to the victim -- the murders appear unconnected or random;* The murders reflect a need to sadistically dominate the victim;* The murder is rarely "for profit"; the motive is psychological, not material;* The victim may have "symbolic" value for the killer; method of killing may reveal this meaning;* Killers often choose victims who are vulnerable (prostitutes, runaways, etc.)Statistically, the average serial killer is a white male from a lower to middle class background, usually in his twenties or thirties. Many were physically or emotionally abused by parents. Some were adopted. As children, fledgling serial killers often set fires, torture animals, and wet their beds (these red-flag behaviors are known as the "triad" of symptoms.) Brain injuries are common. Some are very intelligent and have shown great promise as successful professionals. They are also fascinated with the police and authority in general. They will either have attempted to become police themselves but were rejected, or worked as security guards, or had served in the military. Many, including John Gacy, the Hillside Stranglers, and Ted Bundy, will disguise themselves as law enforcement officials to gain access to their victims.Who They KillSerial killers choose victims weaker than themselves. Often their victims will fit a certain stereotype which has symbolic meaning for the killer. Bundy brutally murdered college-age women with long brown hair. Was he killing, over and over again, the upper-class fiancee who broke off her engagement with him? David Berkowitz, aka "Son of Sam," was not so particular -- he hated all women: "I blame them for everything. Everything evil that's happened in the world--somehow goes back to them." Gacy savagely strangled young men, some of them his own employees, calling them "worthless little queers and punks." Some believe that Gacy's homicidal rage was projected onto the boys who represented his own inadequacy in the eyes of his own domineering