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32 Bone Chilling Facts About Serial Killers That Explain Who They Are, And Why They Do What They Do

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32 Bone Chilling Facts About Serial Killers That Explain Who They Are, And Why They Do What They Do

Most psychiatrists note that psychopaths cannot be successfully treated.

A serial killer is someone who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with a cooling-off period between murders.

— Clifton Bryant and Dennis Peck, Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience

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A serial killer's motive is usually based on psychological, often sexual, gratification. However, the motives may also include anger, thrill, money, and attention seeking.

— Clifton Bryant and Dennis Peck, Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience

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Men constitute the overwhelming preponderance of serial killers, at over 90%.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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Dr. Harold Shipman (1946–2004) is regarded as the most prolific serial killer in modern history, with over 250 murders ascribed to him. He was a British doctor who murdered his patients: the oldest was a 93-year-old woman, and the youngest was a 41-year-old man. He hung himself in his cell in 2004, a day before his 58th birthday.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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Steven Egger, in his book Murder among Us, notes that serial murderers are frequently found to have an unusual or unnatural relationship with their mothers.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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While many serial killers were abused or beaten as children, there are exceptions. Jeffrey Dahmer had an apparently normal upbringing, yet became one of the most horrible sex murderers in popular culture.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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A study that focused on a group of sociopaths who had been adopted as infants showed that the biological relatives of sociopaths were 4–5 times more likely to be sociopathic than the average person. Researchers note that it is easier for ‘bad seeds to blossom in bad environments.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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Most serial killers suffered child abuse. Neglect and child abuse not only impair a child’s self esteem, they also interfere with his or her ability to function in society, succeed academically, and form healthy relationships with people.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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Many serial killers report having an abnormally strong sex drive and many fantasized about dead women rather than living ones.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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Almost all serial killers admit that they started by acting out their fantasies on small animals before they moved to humans and that animal torture brought them a great source of pleasure.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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Many serial killers will keep ‘souvenirs’ of their crimes. For example, when Ted Bundy was asked why he took Polaroids of his victims, he said, ‘when you work hard to do something, you don’t want to forget it.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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Between 30%–38% of psychopaths show abnormal brainwave patterns, or EEGs.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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Nearly 70% of serial killers received extensive head injuries as children or adolescents which, for many researchers, suggests a link between such injuries and serial murder. Some researchers believe that the prefrontal cortex (the area involved in planning and judgment) does not function properly in psychopaths.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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While many children wet the bed, this behavior may be a sign of a deeper pathology when it persists beyond the age of 12. Over 60% of serial killers were still wetting their beds as adolescents.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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There are six phases of the serial killer’s cycle: 1) the Aura Phase, where the serial killer begins losing a grip on reality; 2) the Trolling Phase, when the killer searches for a victim; 3) the Wooing Phase, where the killer lures his victim in; 4) the Capture Phase, where the victim is entrapped; 5) the Murder or Totem phase, which is the emotion high for the killer and, finally, 6) the Depression phase, which occurs after the killing.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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Most psychiatrists note that psychopaths cannot be successfully treated.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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Out of all the states in the U.S., California has the highest number of serial homicide cases in the 20th century, at 16% of the national total. Maine has the lowest: none.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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The United States has the highest number of serial killers, with 76% of the world’s total. Europe comes in a distant second with 17%.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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While women make up just a very small percentage of serial killers, they constitute the majority of victims: 65%.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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The most prolific female serial killer in history is Elizabeth Bathory (1560–1614). After her husband’s death, she and four collaborators were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of girls and young women. One witness places the number at 600 victims, though they were convicted of 80.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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The first serial sex killer of the modern era was Jack the Ripper, who slaughtered five London streetwalkers.

— Harold Schechter, The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers

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The majority of serial killer arrests are done by patrol officers doing their everyday duties and unrelated to the ongoing serial murder investigation. For example, Larry Yeler was arrested during a traffic stop for a parking violation and Ted Bundy was arrested during a traffic stop for a stolen car.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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Most serial killers are young: 44% started when they were in their 20s, 26% in their teens, and 24% in their 30s.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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Serial killers usually come from families that are dysfunctional and debilitating. Additionally, they are rarely remembered by classmates because did they not have many close friends. Often, they grow up lonely and isolated.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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From an early age, many serial killers are intensely interested in voyeurism and fetishism as well as other paraphilia. Many will start as harmless peeping toms before moving onto the house breaking, rape, and murder.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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Unlike some people with significant mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, psychopaths can seem normal and often charming, in a state of adaptation psychiatrists call ‘the mask of sanity.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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Many serial killers are fascinated by authority. They have attempted to become police officers or security guards or have served in the military. Many have also disguised themselves as law enforcement to gain access to victims, such as Ted Bundy, the Hillside Stranglers, and John Gacy.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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Because of the their psychopathic nature, serial killers do not know how to feel sympathy for others. They learn to simulate normal behavior by observing others, but it is a manipulative act. Henry Lee Lucas described being a serial killer as being ‘like a movie-star . . . you’re playing a part.

— Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Click?

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Criminologists estimate that at least 86% of male serial killers are heterosexual. While numerically less, homosexual serial killers include some horrific monsters, such as John Wayne Gacy (1942–1994) and Jeffrey Dahmer (1960–1994).

— Louis B. Schlesinger, Serial Offenders: Current Thought, Recent Findings

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According to the FBI, more than 70% of serial killers experienced problems related to substance abuse. While only a few serial killers were actually addicted to alcohol and substances, many of them encountered them in their youth.

— Michael H. Stone, The Anatomy of Evil

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John E. Robinson is dubbed the ‘first Internet serial killer.’ After being released from prison in 1993 for running a prostitution ring, using the name ‘Slavemaster’ he started to lure women in chat rooms to his home, where he murdered them.

— Michael H. Stone, The Anatomy of Evil

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The motives of serial killers generally fall into four categories: 1) visionary (someone who feels compelled by entities such as God or the Devil to murder); 2) mission-oriented (to rid the world of homosexuals or prostitutes or to cure a societal ill); 3) hedonistic (someone who derives pleasure from killing); and 4) power- or control-hungry. The categories overlap considerably.

— Michael H. Stone, The Anatomy of Evil

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