What is Serial Murder?

The American public is fascinated by horror and

Inside the
cruelty. Fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter
and Michael Myers amuse moviegoers; but while

Mind of a
these interesting beings and their crimes some-
times seem far-fetched, they can be all too close
to reality. What happens when the characters of

Serial Killer a movie come to life, or cinema imitates reality?

Just mentioning “Helter Skelter” or “Zodiac” can
send chills down the spine of the biggest horror
film fan. Anyone who has a common knowl-
edge of Jeffery Dahmer or Ted Bundy knows they
Nicholas Zeigler are far from fictional. Bonnie and Clyde, David
Sociology 300: Criminology Berkowitz, and Jack the Ripper are all real as
Dr. Kurtz
Fall 2007 well. They are all infamous serial killers.
According to Eric W. Hickey, author of Se-
rial Murderers and Their Victims, serial murderers
include “any offenders, male or female, who kill
over time” (12). It is doubtful that anyone would
disagree with Hickey’s definition, but some ex-
perts may choose to be a bit more descriptive.
Due to the qualifications of a serial homicide,
there tends to be a general consensus among
reactions to serial killings by the public but not
necessarily among the proposed reasons for
which one may commit such an atrocious act.
The crime should not be confused with a spree
killing, which involves the murder of many victims
without a relationship or extended period of time
existing between the killings.

How Often are Serial Murders Committed?

While murdering multiple victims is a terrible form
of homicide, these instances only account for
4.4% of all homicides as of 2005, according to Bu-
reau of Justice statistics. Despite this small frac-
tion, there has been an increase of 1.3% since
1975. Although these percentages seem very
low, they should still be taken seriously due to
the cruelty of the crime. Again as of 2005, 4% of Whom Does the Crime Effect?
all homicides included two victims, .6% involved Potential murderers often feel the crime will ben-
three victims, .1% involved four victims, and efit them psychologically, perhaps fullfilling them
.05% involved five or more victims (“Homicide internally. This depends upon the state of mind
Trends”). While these numbers prove that killings of the killers, which of course is the most troubling
with many victims are rare, they are still the sto- and confusing aspect of the murder to begin
ries that are embedded in our minds, and often with. The offenders often discover that their full-
times in history. fillment disappears and they soon get the urge to
kill again. The murderer also suffers from the act
Why Do Serial Homicides Occur? due to incarceration and a possible death sen-
It is difficult to prove why serial murders are com- tence if they are caught. Obviously victims suffer
mitted but some educated guesses have been by losing their lives, and the families of victims go
made as to the reasons for which some of these through a great deal of grieving. Finally, society
terrible acts of violence occur: “Various theses of suffers from fear. People may be afraid to leave
the aetiology of serial murder exist, most of which their houses or allow their children to play in the
chooses to align with a psychiatric, sociological streets. Daily life is interrupted when a serial mur-
or biological explanation” (Mitchell). In his ar- derer is on the prowl.
ticle “What Twists a Man so far as Murder?” D.
Jay Schaibly mentions three correlates to serial Reactive Measures to Capture Murderers
murder called the McDonald Triad. According Methods of catching serial killers that are de-
to Schaibly, signed to be reactive have been introduced
The triad is the name given to the set throughout history. Of those, the most popular
of characteristic (sic) that serials (sic) is criminal profiling. While the previous policies
killers are evident of in their youth. The attempt to disuade potential future serial killers,
“typical” serial killer is a sociopath or profiling deals with catching the murderer af-
psychopath that during childhood was ter he has committed the crime. It is a process
subject to three diagnoses: fire starting used to narrow the suspects in a case to those
(pyromania), prolonged bedwetting, who posess certain qualities or characteristics.
and animal torture. All of these things These specific traits are based on research and
correlate to a phase in life in which have been known to exist in similar offenders
the young person is curious of certain in the past. Although a very useful tool, profil-
things new to them. ing does not seek to find a specific suspect, but
Shaibly’s article begs the question: Do we have gives investigators an idea of what to look for in
the power to thwart serial killings before they oc- a suspect. This policy has been developing over
cur? His correlates definitely show a strong sup- many years due largely in part to the Investiga-
port for a biological explanation to the crime, tive Support Unit created in the 1950’s by FBI em-
but the three characteristics are also related to ployees Pat Mullany and Howard Teten. It is con-
poor social treatment (Shaibly). troversial, however, as to who exactly created
criminal profiling (Meyer). Although profiling be-
came popular in the 1950’s due to its extensive

Schemata | 2010
development, aspects of the process were used under his category of property damage that fire
long before then. One of Jack the Ripper’s vic- setting with the intent “to destroy things” is an-
tims, Mark Kelly, was examined by Thomas Bond. other characteristic (“Conduct Disorder”). Unfor-
Bond suggested that due to the nature of the tunately Conduct Disorder does not adress the
evidence, police should be looking for “a quiet, problem of bedwetting, according to Evans. It is
innoffensive looking man, probably middle aged not known how bedwetting develops, but theory
and neatly dressed” (Petheric). Despite the cur- suggests it is a psychological problem stemming
rent excitement of new developments in criminal from damaging parenting strategies or conflict
profiling, the techniques have existed since the within the child’s home (Evans, “Bedwetting”).
1880’s (Petheric). Profiling techniques have aid- These factors may also contribute to the forma-
ed in the capture of many criminals, and as they tion of a serial killer.
become more advanced, the process becomes The first steps in creating policies dealing
even more effective in identifying potential sus- with serial killers should target early warning signs
pects. While it is important to improve the accu- of criminal behavior. Legal policies dealing with
racy of profiling to apprehend murderers, it may animal torture include animal treatment laws.
prove more important to the future of our society Animal rights activists fight for more “freedom” for
to design proactive policies to intervene before animals, and many activists have advertisements
a homicide takes place. which can be very informative. Many young
children who posess such a problem can receive
Proactive Measures to Prevent Serial Homicide psychological treatment as well. There are also
Even in the 21st century, little is known about the laws involving each animal species describing
mind of a serial killer; therefore, it is extremely whether or not they may be killed by a liscensed
difficult to formulate a policy designed to ad- hunter in a specific manner. As for Pennsylvannia
dress the problem. Murder laws and harsh pun- State law, no child under the age of 12 is permit-
ishments are supposed to deter crime, but the ted to get a hunting license. Other states have
number of serial murders is still on the rise. As we similar laws setting age limits and requirements,
see in the McDonald Triad, the development of and any child who does not fall under these re-
the potential serial killer begins with early warn- quirements is contradicting policy whether they
ing signs. While not all kids who torture animals, are aware of it or not.
set fires, and have prolonged bedwetting turn There are also legal policies against set-
out to be serial killers, such problems should be ting fires. Arson is a very serious crime for which
addressed during childhood since a correlation programs have been designed to address the
exists. A psychological problem called Extreme behaviors of those who commit the act. In many
Conduct Disorder refers directly to two of Mc- cases, judges require guilty arsonists to attend
Donald’s characteristics. classes on the topic. Kirkpatrick quotes an in-
Diagnosis signs for Conduct Disorder in- vestigator from the National Fire Protection Asso-
clude aggression towards people as well as ani- ciation as saying, “Arson is a way of lashing out
mals. In fact, Garret D. Evans, a professor of psy- resentment for the environment in which people
chology, directly lists torturing animals as one sign find themselves.”
of Conduct Disorder. Doctor Evans also states The third aspect of the McDonald Triad is

Sociology
prolonged bedwetting. While there are policies Compatibilities between Self-Control Theory
to deal with animal torture and arson, prolonged and Serial Homicide
bedwetting is viewed normally as a biological In his book To Kill Again, Donald J. Sears
problem that is usually delt with within the family. states, “The serial killer’s childhood is marked by
Parental literature exists on the subject to advise a lack of nurturing and love. He usually grows up
parents and inform them on prevention tech- in a neglectful, abusive, and even violent atmo-
niques. sphere, where important needs are not met” (79).
As a result, many kids who grow up in this type of
Gottfredson and Hirschi’s Self-Control Theory environment have trouble controlling their emo-
In order to refine preventative measures and tions and establishing meaningful relationships as
establish new ones, it would be helpful for law they grow older. The relationship with one’s par-
enforcement officials to understand why the ents, the first connection a human builds in his or
crime occurs. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to her life, provides structure and lessons, teaching
tell because most criminals have different vari- one how to interact with others. Speaking meta-
ables in their lives that may or may not have in- phorically, if these so-called “lessons” are absent
fluenced their behavior. Thus it is very difficult to or not taught correctly, the individual will lack the
derive a general theory of crime. On the other knowledge to connect with others in physical,
hand, many criminals do have similarities which emotional, spiritual, and sexual relationships (80).
provide criminologist with information that can Here Sears refers to what Gottfredson and Hirschi
help them to theorize. Two very important crimi- would suggest is improper childhood socializa-
nologists, Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson, tion on the part of the parents (Lilly, Cullen, and
attempted to explain why crime is committed in Ball 108). This improper socialization should be
their Theory of Self-Control. interpreted as anything from abuse to neglect,
Self-Control Theory suggests that crimes or simply not correcting negative behaviors.
are committed due to a lack of self-control, As explained previously, the McDonald Tri-
which is a result of poor parenting during child- ad proposes early warning signs of future violent
hood. Gottfredson and Hirschi even go as far as behavior. Fire setting, prolonged bed-wetting,
to say that self-control is fully formed by the fifth and violence toward animals are not the only
grade. Those who develop poor self-control will early behaviors that provide insight into a child’s
fail throughout life in adapting to social norms. troubled mind, but these activities, among oth-
They also state that people with low self-control ers, could easily be ignored by a neglectful par-
are impulsive, insensitive, risk-taking, non-verbal, ent. In allowing this sort of behavior to continue,
and short-sighted. Additionally, Gottfredson and parents are promoting the improper socialization
Hirschi believe in versatility, which refers to the of their child. Children displaying these behav-
capability of the theory to predict any type of iors need attention, prevention lessons, or even
crime from street to suite, male to female and psychological help. In its idea of improper child-
juvenile to senior (Lilly, Cullen, and Ball 108). hood socialization, Self-Control Theory clearly
addresses this concept of neglect that Sears
presents.
Gottfredson and Hirschi also claim that

Schemata | 2010
self-control is developed around the fifth grade. why murderers kill. The theory’s characteristic
This idea can also be paralleled to the develop- of impulsiveness also explains why some people
ment of a serial murderer because, as presented with poor childhoods resort to murder and others
in the triad, early warning signs develop during do not. But does the theory work for those who
childhood. These two criminologists attempt to commit the crime but never had a rough child-
accurately pinpoint the age during which such hood? Ted Bundy and David Berkowitz grew up
characteristics develop, which may not be pos- without violence or abuse. It may appear that
sible, but they do strongly state their belief in a these two men had quality childhoods, but a
youthful onset of the traits which can be analo- lack of violence and abuse does not necessar-
gous to the development of a killer. ily mean “good quality.” Any omission of love,
One major issue not directly explained of care, nurturing, and expression of emotion can
serial murders in Self-Control Theory is why some also result in improper childhood development
children who are raised improperly become of social skills. In other words, while Bundy and
criminals and others do not. Furthermore, an in- Berkowitz may not have been abused, they were
dividual’s degree of criminality becomes impor- most likely neglected. Thus Self-Control Theory
tant here because it is yet another variable in the does prove very compatible with serial murder,
equation of self-control. While Gottfredson and but there are some incongruous factors as well.
Hirschi do not address this problem directly, their
theory does provide an answer as to why this be- Incompatibilities between Self-Control Theory
havior may occur in some individuals and not in and Serial Homicide
others who have similar backgrounds. People Gottfredson and Hirschi were largely igno-
with low self-control are impulsive. The major as- rant of three major factors when they developed
pect that separates killers from non-killers, both the Theory of Self-Control. The theory lacks the
of whom have deprived childhoods, is intense ability to differentiate between improper social-
frustration (Sears 85). The intense frustration de- ization by gender and the types of crimes com-
scribed by Sears can lead to the lashing out or mitted. They also disregarded the correlation
impulsiveness that Gottfredson and Hirschi claim between improper socialization and its effects
plagues victims of low self-control. Secondly, on social bonds in adulthood (one of Hirshi’s own
people with low self-control are insensitive and ideas). Finally, the researchers disregarded any
risk-taking. Most killers are insensitive to the pain evidence that shows possible biological fac-
they cause and quite obviously take the risk of tors that may contribute to criminal behavior.
being put to death for their crimes. Although it seems that sociological issues carry
Self-Control Theory and the crime of se- more weight in creating a serial killer, it is impor-
rial homicide are very compatible. Serial killers tant not to exclude other variables, since we are
do appear to have low self-control, and much not attempting to derive a “general theory” of
of their lack of ability to establish meaningful re- serial killing.
lationships, according to Sears, stems from depri- According to Bureau of Justice statistics,
vation during the childhood years. Also, many a vast majority of serial killers tend to be white
of the characteristics of individuals with low self- males (“Homicide Trends”). Self-Control Theory
control can serve as possible explanations as to is incapable of explaining this phenomenon

Sociology
because Gottfredson and Hirschi do not distin- the heinous acts of a serial murderer. Brain in-
guish between the types of crime and the sex juries, genetics, and chemical imbalances have
of the offender. According to the U.S. Census been linked to murders, and this relationship
Bureau, in 2000, 50.9% of the white population is illustrated by Sears and Hickey in their books.
was female and 49.1% of the white population Despite the popularity of biological reasoning in
was male. If sex is not relevant to the theory, the criminological literature, Self-Control Theory is in-
proportion of female-to-male serial killers should compatible with the logic. In no way did Gott-
be closer to the ratio of female-to-male whites fredson and Hirschi give any credit to the previ-
throughout the United States. Gottfredson and ously mentioned explanations in accounting for
Hirschi may have been a bit ignorant to suggest the commission of any type of offense.
that their theory is a “general theory of crime,” or Self-Control Theory is quite deficient in
they have simply forgotten to address the differ- many ways. Its authors failed to address a varia-
ences that take place in the improper socializa- tion in the improper socialization between sexes
tion of males in comparison with that of females. and between races. Hirschi also ignores the con-
Along the same lines, one would expect to see, cepts of his Bond-Theory, which could possibly
proportionally to the population, more minority have a relation with some of the aspects of his
serial killers as well. Self-Control Theory, especially regarding crimes
Hirschi also wrote a theory suggesting that of impulsive violence. On the other hand, serial
people commit crimes as a result of poor social killers may be difficult to understand because
bonds with society. This theory can also be par- many of their behaviors do not seem impulsive
alleled to the behavior of the typical serial killer whatsoever. The term “impulsive” in this case
because killers can become frustrated by their is more or less used to describe the reaction to
inability to establish meaningful relationships a breaking point in the individual’s life which
with others. A correlation might exist between causes them to act out; it is a motivating force.
the weak social bonds of Bond Theory and the Finally, there is an inconsistency between litera-
improper socialization of children in Self-Con- ture on serial killers and Self-Control in regard to
trol Theory. Weak social bonds may be a result the credit they give to biological causes of crime.
of a lack of nurturing as a child. As previously
mentioned, a baby’s first bond is formed with his Does the Theory Work?
mother and then his father. This primary relation- Without ignoring the discrepancies of Self-
ship provides an example for future connections. Control Theory, it is more compatible with serial
If the parent-child relationship is weak, it is likely homicide than not. At the theory’s core, it states
that future relationships will be feeble as well. that crime is a result of improper childhood rear-
Therefore, social bonds could be useful in accor- ing, which is very comparable to the sociological
dance with Self-Control Theory to explain serial development of the serial killer. Literature on the
killing. Despite Hirschi’s development of both the crime and the theory are also harmonious in ex-
Bond and Self-Control theories, he failed to make plaining the early age of emerging, potentially
this connection. dangerous characteristics. Finally, Self-Control
Many researchers state that biological jus- Theory makes clear why some children with in-
tifications would be more efficient at explaining sufficient childhood development on the part of

Schemata | 2010
their parents commit murder and others do not. Petheric, Wayne. Crime Library. Web. 10 Oct.
People with low self-control are impulsive and 2007.
high frustration levels can cause them to act on Sears, Donald J. To Kill Again: The Motivation and
impulses due to a lack of ability to express them- Development of Serial Murder. Wilmington,
selves and relate to others. DE: SR Books, 1991. Print.
While Self-Control Theory is very accurate Shaibly, D. Jay. “What Twists a Man So Far as
at depicting what preambles may lead to the Murder?” Serial Killers. 16 Apr. 2003. Web. 24
formation of a killer, it is difficult to tell where such Sep. 2007.
knowledge has a place in a reactive criminal U.S. Census Bureau. “Female Population by Age,
justice system. It is also difficult to understand a Race, and Hispanic or Latino Origin for the
mind so troubled. In fact, the public may have United States: 2000.” 2001. Web. 29 Oct. 2007.
trouble understanding serial killers because many ___. “Male Population by Age,
times they do not seem to be troubled at all. For Race, and Hispanic or Latino Origin for the
the average person it is hard to understand how United States: 2000.” 2001. Web. 29 Oct. 2007.
someone so normal can commit an act so evil.

Works Cited
Evans, Garret D. “Conduct Disorder.” EDIS. *Title art by John Piazza
University of Florida IFAS Extension. 2009. Web.
13 Sep. 2007.
___. “Bedwetting.” EDIS. University of Florida IFAS
Extension. 2009. Web. 13 Sep. 2007.
Hickey, Eric W. “Serial Killers: Defining Serial Mur-
der.” Mind of a Killer: An Investigation of Serial
Homicide. 2007. Web. 12 Sep. 2007.
“Homicide Trends in the United States.” Bureau of
Justice Statistics. 11 July 2007. Web. 13 Sep.
2007.
Kirkpatrick, Sarah. International Encyclopedia
of Justice Studies. December 2002. Web. 8
Oct. 2007.
Lilly, J. Robert, Francis T. Cullen, and Richard A.
Ball. Criminological Theory: Context and Con-
sequences. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publica-
tions, 2007. Print.
Meyer, C. B. “Criminal Profiling Research.” Janu-
ary 2000. Web. 10 Oct. 2007.
Mitchell, Edward W. “The Aetiology of Serial Mur-
der: Towards an integrated model.” 1997.
Web. 21 Sep. 2007.

Sociology