Six Myths About Serial Killers

The media's coverage of serial killers and embellishment of information presented about the murders that have been discovered often distort public perspective and create many "myths." There are six major myths surrounding serial killers(Egger, 2002):

1. All had abusive childhoods including one or all of the following types of abuse: physical, emotional or sexual.

Not all serial killers had abusive childhoods. Ted Bundy had a fairly average childhood, did well in school and incurred no documented abuse.

2. Serial killers appear abnormal or "stand out" in both appearance and mannerisms.

The idea that serial killers should be easily spotted by a gross deformity or stand out while in view of the public is not true (no mark of Satin on their forehead). Most serial killers lead lives that appear "normal" to anyone in the general public. Some serial murders involve such heinous acts that one could not imagine a "normal" person in appearance or mannerism being responsible. Thus the "monster" image is formed.

3. Serial killers kill anyone who they come in contact with and spend no time selecting their victims.

Serial killers spend, in some cases, vast amounts of time selecting their victims. Most kill certain people because they are easy targets, they have specific sexual orientation, or because they stand for or resemble something in the killers past. If they were to kill random people who cross their path, they would be more likely apprehended. In random killing, the potential to kill a prominent member of society is increased. This event would involve law enforcement more quickly than the disappearance or killing of a prostitute, runaway or vagrant person. Sooner involvement of law enforcement and media would make the killer's "work" more difficult and he or she would be sooner discovered.

4. Serial killers are able to elude the police for long periods of time. They travel across large geographic areas and have vast knowledge of police tactics and procedures letting them avoid capture.

Not all serial killers travel the nation in search of victims. Most prey on victims within a small geographic area. They choose victims from places where they will not "stand out" and can remain anonymous (Gacy, Dahmer, Robinson). Some (Lucas, Bundy) have traveled and killed in various places across the nation, however, this is not standard practice. Very few serial killers are knowledgeable of police tactics; they simply keep a low profile and choose victims who will not be missed, "The Less-Dead," prostituted, runaways and vagrants.

5. Serial killers are sex starved men driven to kill due to abusive childhoods and the ways society treats them. They are mentally disturbed (insane) cowards who prey on the weak.

Although sex is involved in some serial cases, the act of sex itself is not the motivation. Rather, the power and control the killer exerts over the victims is the motivation. Some say the lack of power over situations during the killer's childhood appears to play a significant part in their need to "control' their victims. Not all serial killers are men and there may have been more female serial killers in history than reported, but because society would prefer not to believe women capable of such acts they may have gone undiscovered. The simple fact that serial killers sometimes go to great lengths to avoid capture and conceal their crimes, such as Dahmer's "acid-baths" to destroy the remains or his victims, or Gacy's burial ground under his house, eliminates the possibility of insanity.

Serial killers are not insane, however, they are mentally disturbed. The cruel, callous, methodical and heinous murders they commit show this fact. Serial killers do not only prey on the "weak" victim. They prey on those who will not be missed by the community such as prostitutes who by trade are vulnerable because of their chosen profession, runaways who wander the streets and whose family may have given up the search for them and vagrants who, in the killers mind, no one cares about and won't be missed.

6. The F.B.I. investigates all serial murders because most cross state line.

During a serial murder investigation the F.B.I. does assist in the cases, however they do not conduct the investigation. Once the F.B.I. becomes involved the media shifts its attention to them and away from the local agency that is actually conducting the investigation. This gives the false impression that the F.B.I. is conducting the investigation.

References

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Frank, Christina. 2000, Stalkers, Serial Killers, and other sociopaths: Dr. Park Dietz Explores the Dark Side Of The Mind

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Springer, John. 2003, For Profilers, Missing The Mark Is Common, retrieved from the Internet February 20, 2005 from http://news.findlaw.com/court_tv/s/
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