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A Killer Senior Project

Do you ever wonder if you could be a killer? Could you kill someone if they threatened

you or your loved ones or could you kill after mentally snapping? You get handcuffed and

shoved into a cop car for pulling that trigger or stabbing with a knife. Leaving behind a bloody

scene, where white tarps are covering the once-breathing humans. They are now lifeless because

of you. Are you more likely to do this than the people around you? Was Ted Bundy more likely

to do the crimes he did than his neighbor? Are certain people more likely to commit these bloody

crimes? Do genetics, or the DNA you were given at birth, give signs of how likely you are to

commit terrible acts compared to how likely it is for a friend to commit those same acts? Over

the years, we have seen many people put behind bars for murder. Is there something that makes

murderers different than normal citizens? Are they born that way or were they made this way? It

has always fascinated me on how the human mind works and how someone could go through the

mental thought of killing someone and going through with it. I always wanted to know the

reason behind human actions and what exactly goes through someone's head. Because of this

fascination, I am going into the field of psychology for my college degree. Killers are the most

interesting to me because their mind works so differently than everyone else's. I want to know

the why, I want to know what was the reason they snapped. I also want to know if we could

prevent these killings, to know if there is a way to prevent these people from going on a rampage

and killing innocent people. I want to see if there is enough research done so we can help people

before they snap and kill innocent victims. The biggest part of figuring out the why though is the

debate of nature vs. nurture. Nature vs. nurture has been a big debate since the beginning of time.

The side I will be focussing on is nature. Having certain genes will not mean you will become a

killer, but does it make you more likely than other people? Is there a factor in people's genes that

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can make them more likely to do things that others would not? To take actions that they can not

help, to take actions they crave. It is my mission to investigate one side of the argument of nature

vs. nurture. That leads me to my question: Do genetics make someone more likely to become a

killer?

Nature vs. nurture has been a long-standing debate for years. Do genetics (nature) play a

bigger role than a person’s environment (nurture) or do they always turn out a certain way

because of their DNA? Some philosophers believe that people act a certain way because of

genetics, regardless of their environment. Philosophers like Plato believed in this concept: “Some

philosophers, such as Plato and Descartes, suggested that certain factors are inborn or occur

naturally regardless of environmental influences” (Cherry). Other thinkers believe that only the

human environment will affect how they become and genetics have nothing to do with it. Such as

“John Locke, [he] believed in what is known as tabula rasa which suggests that the mind begins

as a blank slate. According to this notion, everything that we are is determined by our

experiences” (Cherry). There is no definitive answer for which one is more important. To this

day, people still are researching this debate and the question of which factor is more important.

So far, researchers know both are equally important, one can just have a bigger effect than the

other in certain situations. Either way, both go hand in hand, and one cannot exist without the

other. A person cannot know how someone's mental health is doing without looking at their

environment, but also their genetics. Genetics is a very big part of mental health and brain

functions can depend on genetics. For example, depression is a mental illness that can be passed

through genetics, but it will not develop or show symptoms in people until environmental factors

occur. “I think that people could be more prone to many different things like somebody who

maybe suffers from mental illness”(Maddison Hunter). This can be said for other mental

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disorders such as anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc. Scientists cannot tell which one is

more important or has a bigger factor in how the human brain works because they both play big

factors in human behavior. There can not be one without the other.

Nature is the genetic part. It is the DNA given to a person at birth. Nature is “hereditary

factors that can impact how our personality is formed and influence the way that we develop

from childhood through adulthood” (Cherry). People are born with certain traits and have no

other choice than to accept them. Some people are born blind because of hereditary genes, and

they, unfortunately, cannot change that outcome. Many other aspects can shape a person's life

due to hereditary genes though, that one may not even think of. A person’s height, weight, and

eye color are all based on genetics. Physical health can also be based on genetics; someone can

be more likely to get diabetes because their mother has diabetes. Physical aspects are not the

only things based on genetics though; the chemicals and the way a person thinks are also affected

by genetics. People's chemical balance depends on people's DNA and how their own blood

relatives' chemical balance is. For example, a parent’s brain can make less dopamine(happy

protein), making it so their child might suffer from the same thing, but it does not always occur

that way. Some people can go their whole life without having depression, but their parents could.

Genetics are a tricky thing in that way, sometimes a person can get certain disorders because of

genetics and sometimes they do not. “Some traits are controlled by genes passed from parent to

child, others are acquired through learning but most are influenced by a combination of genes

and environmental factors”(Dmitriy). There are a lot of unknowns because people do not get to

choose what traits they get from their parents. Genetics can also be tricky because a person may

get something their parents do not have, but their aunt may have it. Genetics and DNA are

complicated, but will always be involved in people's lives. Researchers want to know if genetics

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really make someone who they are, or if it only has a small part in it. Genetics plays so many

different factors in people's lives that researchers still are not sure, but they know it definitely

takes part in it, they just are not sure how big of a part in people's lives it takes.

Ted Bundy was a terrifying man who was an active serial killer in the 1970s. He was a

prolific killer who targeted young women and killed up to thirty victims, yet the specific number

is still unknown. He made women terrified and made women stay home and not leave their

homes. Kettler writes about how Bundy believed he had a great childhood, yet that was not

entirely true. Maybe he did not realize it, but there was some trauma in his childhood. While

growing up he lived with his parents and sister. He later found out in his teen years that his sister

was his mother, and his parents were revealed to be his grandparents. He never knew who his

father was, and to this day no one knows. Even though Bundy said he had a good childhood,

people said that as a child he was quiet and a shy kid, and his aunt in an interview revealed she

once woke up with toddler Bundy putting knives around her sleeping figure. It was later revealed

by multiple psychologists that Bundy had a gene known as the MAOA gene. It is found that

Bundy is not the only serial killer to suffer specifically from the MAOA gene. In an article called

“The Truth about the Serial Killer Gene” written by Korpal the author states that they found that

the MAOA gene was “credited with being the ‘most common denominator’ amongst serial

killers”. This gene can cause people to suffer from antisocial disorder and especially suffer from

anger issues, which are symptoms many murderers suffer from. This gene can be hereditary and

if tests are done can be diagnosed. If there were tests done earlier this gene could have been

spotted. If there are tests like the hereditary test, then maybe people could spot issues like this

sooner. There have been studies showing that people could be more susceptible to criminal

activities with certain genetic factors: “Genetic factors, an important source of influence

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implicated in a variety of mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety

disorders, may play a role in predisposing certain individuals to criminal behavior” (Tehrani).

People with genes like this are not going to positively become killers, but they are susceptible to

things like anti-social disorders and anger issues. If there are mandatory tests that can spot these

genes or even mutations scientists can help relieve these symptoms such as anger issues, and

antisocial behaviors. It is like if someone took a hereditary test and found out they are more

likely to have high blood pressure because of their genetics, then they would eat healthier and

take steps to prevent them from having high blood pressure. If people took hereditary tests and

found out they were more susceptible to things like anger issues, they could take anger

management classes to prevent anger problems. If certain tests, like a hereditary test, are

mandatory people could possibly lower crime rates and help people's mental health before they

even know they need it.

Not all genetic factors can be seen early during childhood or even in early adulthood.

Some genetic factors are never even noticed until an event happens to make them ‘snap’: “A

predisposition may lie dormant for eternity, but feed it a stressful environment and increased risk

factors such as malnourishment and trauma, and it will manifest” (Subramanian). This event that

causes a dormant predisposition to awaken is known as epigenetics. This is an environmental

gene when something dormant awakens from an environmental factor. “ Like epigenetics and

stuff, there's plenty of people that could have that same genetic component, but because of their

environment, it's not expressed in the same way. And it's not influencing their brain chemistry in

the same way that it would after someone goes through a traumatic event like abuse” (Kate

Hunter). This is a key argument in nature vs. nurture. Epigenetics show how some people may

never be affected by their genetics until an environmental factor comes into play, and then

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certain genetics affect them. This could be said about Bundy, he could have been a normal adult,

even with the MAOA gene, if he did not have a traumatic childhood. The hard part about this

argument is researchers are not sure how realistic it is because they can not change the past so

they do not know what would happen if the traumatic events did not occur. Epigenetics can occur

without people even realizing it, some people have epigenetics that happen to them when they

are infants. Maternal love is a big factor in people's environment, and when children do not

receive it their entire brain chemistry can change as a result. The maternal affection that children

get can make them more or less likely to even get certain genes: “Research showed that infants

that were more sensitive to maternal love, were the participants that held low levels of the

MAOA gene, and in a whole, these infants would be just as vulnerable to criminal activity just as

Bundy was” (Hernandez). This shows how an individual's environment as a baby can affect their

mental health. People do not think about how their children can be affected by events at this age.

Even though they may only be one week old, physical touch can affect these kids' behavior for

the rest of their lives. So when they grow older they may act a certain way, but not because of

genetics, but because of environmental factors that they do not even remember. The lack of touch

from their biological parents can cause people to have issues, such as attachment issues. This

shows how environmental factors can affect people even at such a young age. With this

information, people know that environmental factors can affect someone's mental well-being and

affect how they will turn out growing up before they can even talk.

Events such as a person's mother leaving are not the only nurture factors that can change

someone. There are also physical factors that can make someone mentally change, including

head trauma: “A head injury can cause a person to lose control over their emotional expressions.

This condition, also known as emotional lability, changes the way the patient reacts to certain

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situations, which plays a large role in apparent personality changes” (“Personality Changes After

Head…”). Football players are an example of these injuries. Due to the rough sport, football

players receive multiple head injuries which can later change their behavior. People see the

changes in these behaviors in the news or on social media. The changes caused by head trauma

are not only shown in football players. Alexander Pichushkin's ‘The Chessboard Killer’ also

changed in his childhood due to a head injury. In the article “This Moscow Killer Was so

Obsessed with Chess He Aimed to Slay 64 Victims”, Serena writes about Pichushkin’s childhood

and his drastic change. In his early childhood, Pichushkin was described as a loving child, who

was very sweet and loved to spend time with his mother. But one day he hit the back of his head

with a swing, and he suffered a concussion due to the injury. After this injury, Pichushkin’s

parents said he had changed drastically. He had changed from this laughing-fun child to a child

who was quiet and reserved. His parents became very worried when he started dissecting

animals, something he had never done before the head injury. His whole personality changed at

such a young age because of that head injury. “In addition, a head injury often affects a patient’s

mood and emotions. This can make them seem more depressed, angry, or irritable than usual,

causing others to believe that the person has had a personality change” (“Personality Changes

After Head…”). This describes how people who suffer from these head injuries can change

drastically. Environmental factors do not only have to include what happens in a person's

surroundings but also physical injuries as well. People can hit their heads once, and if enough

damage is done, can change their whole personality.

The MAOA gene, a gene that the once prolific serial killer, Ted Bundy once had:

“MAOA is a catabolic enzyme or enzymatic degrader that is involved with regulating

neurotransmitters including serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and neuromodulators” (DeLisi,

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et. al.). The MAOA gene has been researched and studied throughout the years. These genes can

cause people to lose enzymes like dopamine and serotonin. These enzymes are known as the

‘happy proteins’ because they make people feel happiness and joy. Over the years the MAOA

gene has been nicknamed the ‘warrior gene’ and the ‘serial killer gene.’ It has been given these

nicknames due to the gene being tied back to multiple serial killers and has been known to make

people suffer from terrible anger issues. MAOA gene has been tied back to many different

countries around the globe, and has been researched to be reasons why some people commit

heinous crimes: they simply cannot help it: “The study eventually concluded that about 9-10% of

violent crime in Finland was associated with the low-activity MAOA allele” (Subramanian). It

might not seem like a high percentage but with one gene affecting that many people, Finland was

debating whether or not to add something about the MAOA gene to their law system. It may be

difficult at times for people to control their actions and behavior because of the MAOA gene, but

they still have some control. With that said though, there should be a way that others can help

people who suffer from the MAOA genes, and genes like it. If people can get the help they need

before it is too late, it could save lives. The MAOA gene does not set in stone that people will

commit crimes, but if it makes people suffer from anger issues it will make them more likely to.

If people can find out they have these hereditary aspects, they can do things like interventions. If

people already know their issues before symptoms even occur, not only the people with the

genes would be helped, but possibly people that could be hurt in the future. It does not even have

to be victims, people with these genes can ruin friendships or relationships without meaning it

and could never know why unless they take the steps to find out. If doctors make hereditary tests

mandatory it could be helping multiple people.

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Nature vs. nurture is a big debate that may never be truly solved. The two truly work

together, and there will never be one without the other. People's genetics do have major factors in

shaping people's lives, but so does their environment. The question is though, do genetics make

someone more likely to become a killer? The answer is yes. There have been numerous amounts

of research done, and several articles written about that specific topic. Genetics can make

someone more likely to be color blind or even to have terrible anger issues. Those anger issues

can turn into something much darker later on, it is seen in multiple cases throughout time.

Genetics is not the only thing that shapes people and how they will become but it can make them

more vulnerable to certain things. It can make people more likely to take a knife and drive it into

someone, and for people who do not have certain genetics, it can make them more open to being

calm in situations. The hard truth is, some people are more likely to commit murder. Some

people are more likely to kill someone than someone sitting next to them. The thing is now, what

will society do about it? There are measures to prevent people's anger from getting the best of

them. For example, people can take tests to see their genetic background, like heredity tests.

When people check their genetics they can see if they have any of these genes or are more

susceptible to things like anger issues and antisocial disorder. If people are more susceptible they

can take steps to prevent them from having any issues with them. For example, if they are more

susceptible to anger issues they should take anger management classes. People can get help to

control a dark side that they were born with. Or we can help people who may have genes like the

MAOA gene and have not ‘snapped’ yet, there are ways to help these people. There just now

have to be steps taken to help them.

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Works Cited

Cherry, Kendra. “What to Know about Nature vs. Nurture.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 19

Oct. 2022, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-nature-versus-nurture-2795392.

DeLisi, Matt, and Michael G. Vaughn. The Routledge International Handbook of Biosocial

Criminology. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2018.

Dmitriy Niyazov, MD. “Why Do People Have Certain Genetic Traits?: Ochsner Health.”

Ochsner Health System, Ochsner Health System, 9 Aug. 2022,

https://blog.ochsner.org/articles/why-do-people-have-certain-genetic-traits#:~:text=It's%2

0in%20Your%20Genes.&text=Some%20traits%20are%20controlled%20by,of%20g

enes%20and%20environmental%20factors.

Hernandez, Jose, et al. “Nature (MAOA) and Nurture in a Criminal.” UC Merced Undergraduate

Research Journal, vol. 8, no. 1, 2015, https://doi.org/10.5070/m481029475.

Hunter, Kate. Personal Interview. 29 March 2023.

Hunter, Maddison. Personal Interview. 22 April 2023.

Kettler , Sara. “Inside Ted Bundy's Troubled and Disturbing Childhood.” Biography.com,

A&E Networks Television, https://www.biography.com/crime/ted-bundy-childhood.

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Korpal, Sanjana. “The Truth about the Serial Killer Gene.” SQ Online, 16 Feb. 2022,

https://sqonline.ucsd.edu/2022/02/the-truth-about-the-serial-killer-gene/#:~:text=As%20I

%20said%20before%2C%20there's,terrible%20idea%20for%20several%20reasons.

“Personality Changes after Head Injury: Causes and Treatment.” Flint Rehab, 18 May 2022,

https://www.flintrehab.com/personality-changes-after-head-injury/.

Serena, K. (2022, September 30). This Moscow killer was so obsessed with chess he aimed to

slay 64 victims - to match the squares on the Board. All That's Interesting. Retrieved

April 22, 2023, from https://allthatsinteresting.com/alexander-pichushkin

Subramanian, Anusha. “Born to Kill? the Story of ‘Serial Killer’ Genes.” BSJ, 21 July 2020,

https://bsj.berkeley.edu/born-to-kill-the-story-of-serial-killer-genes/.

Tehrani, Jasmine A., and Sarnoff A. Mednick. “Genetic Factors .” Federal Probation, vol. 64, ser.

2, Dec. 2000, pp. 24–27. 2.

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