Serial Killers
“A serial killer is typically defined as a perpetrator who murders three or more people over a period of time.” (Dogra, T D, et al.,ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) It was the insight into their minds through interrogations which brought up the argument of “nature or nurture?” There are two main theories about how an individual becomes a serial killer. Many argue that their early childhood and parental influence play a big part in their later motivations to kill. While other research shows that some of these individuals are born to kill. In the following paragraphs, examples of natural born killers, as well as serial killers with physical, mental, and emotional traumas will be presented in connection with their crimes.
Though not all serial killers in the United States are white, the average serial killer is a 20-30-year-old white male, with a low-middle socioeconomic status. Another trait in serial killers is that they often experiment with the torture, mutilation, and killing of smaller animals before building their way up to larger victims. “Serial killers often lack empathy and guilt, and most often become egocentric individuals; these characteristics classify certain serial killers as psychopaths. Serial killers often employ a “mask of sanity” to hide their true psychopathic tendencies and appear normal, even charming.” (Serial Killers vs. Mass Murderers).org
With regards to “nature,” Biological Determinism argues that “most human characteristics, physical and mental, are determined at conception by hereditary factors passed from parent to offspring.” (biological determinism, britannica.com) It is harder to identify clear examples of nature because a child’s upbringing plays a large part in their later development. After a child is born, any outside influence can affect them. Also, if a child is born with a defect, the parent might not know how to treat them, worsening their condition.
One perpetrator which is the perfect example of the “nature” theory is Jeffrey Dahmer. He was seen as a timid child in his younger years, with a normal upbringing. He “…began showing little to no interest in hobbies or social interaction as he entered adolescence, turning instead to examining animal carcasses and heavy drinking for entertainment.” (Jeffrey Dahmer, crimemuseum.org) A few weeks after his high school graduation, Dahmer murdered his first victim, Steven Hicks. “Dahmer then dissected, dissolved, pulverized, and scattered the now imperceptible remains throughout his back yard, and later admitted to killing him simply because he wanted Hicks to stay.” (Jeffrey Dahmer, crimemuseum.org) Over the next five years, Dahmer murdered another 14 individuals until his capture in 1991, when one of his victims escaped and alerted police.
Dennis Rader is another example of someone who had a natural born tendency to murder. He had an ordinary childhood without abusive parents. As he grew, he began to torture and kill small animals, showing no remorse. 1974 marked his first kill. He lived a normal life, had a wife and children, had served in the air force, and had a stable job. On the surface, it was hard to believe that such an ordinary man could commit such horrendous crimes and request to be called BTK, which stood for “Bind, Torture, Kill”.
Serial killers who are considered to be created from nurturing, come from broken homes where physical, mental, emotional, and sometimes sexual abuse are common. Apart from undergoing abuse, many children are also traumatized by divorce and an unhealthy family structure.
The “mask of sanity” mentioned above, can be seen best in Ted Bundy’s case, where most of the time, he presented himself with an injury, or in need of assistance, in order to appear helpless and less of a threat to his victims. Ted Bundy did not share an abusive childhood as the rest of them did, although it could be argued that he was inevitably confused by his mother, who he was led to believe was his sister. Ted Bundy was raised by his grandparents, since in that era it was frowned upon for a single mother to have a child out of wedlock. Ted’s mother later married, but Ted never formed a bond with his step-father. In school, Ted became the focus of bullying and teasing, since his family was not as high-class as his classmates. When he was older, Ted was told the truth about his “sister”, which made him mistrustful and uncertain about his own identity. “In interviews he recalled being antisocial and wandering the streets looking for discarded pornography or open windows through which he could spy on unsuspecting women; he also had an extensive juvenile record for theft that was dismissed when he turned 18.” (Ted Bundy, crimemuseum.org)
Edmund Kemper (active through 1964-1973), is another example of ‘nurture.’ He was sent to live with his grandparents after his parents divorced, then later killed his grandparents and was sent to a mental hospital for treatment. After faking his recovery, he was released to his mother, who became his 9th victim. (Blanco)
There are less serial murderers who were “natural born killers”, but there are a few more infamous killers who were created through nurture. Richard Ramirez, also known as the Nightstalker, whose cousin exposed him to many violent and deranged photos from his service in the vietnam war. Ramirez was eventually convicted of “13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries.” (Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker, crimemuseum.org) Another vicious murderer wearing the “mask of sanity” was John Wayne Gacy, also known as the Killer Clown, because of the neighborhood parties he hosted in which dressed as a clown. Gacy was seen as a successful man, who created his own construction business, and employed young boys and men to work for him. Suspicion began to build when his workers began disappearing. Gacy wasn’t investigated immediately, and his employees continued to disappear. It was not until a 15 year old boy disappeared, that Gacy was investigated. He later admitted to killing 30 people. (John Wayne Gacy, crimemuseum.org)
A different form of “nurture” theory in serial murderers came about from research by Peter Vronsky, a History professor at Ryerson University, when looking into why there were so many murders in the 70s and 80s. In an interview with the New York Post, he explores the possibility that many veterans of the Second World War “came back from that war traumatized and with no outlet for them.” He goes on to explain how, “they were tossed the G.I. Bill, told to go to college and forget about it. And so the more I explored the children of World War II veterans, this notion appeared of their fathers returning in this sullen silence from the war and never speaking about it — this kind of brooding shadow — I began to realize that if this is the case with healthy individuals, imagine the fathers of those who became serial killers.” (Miller, Joshua Rhett)
Catching a serial killer in the 70s and 80s was hard. Apart from the lack of information which the police had, life was different before internet and mobile phones. It was easier for a person to become a drifter and create a different identity for themselves if they felt the need to hide. Individuals were more carefree and trusting, and many would easily fall for the “normal” appearance of what was a psychopathic serial killer.
The stigma of …“the lone, decontextualized and sociopathic individual, here we have emphasized the unnervingly familiar modern face of serial killing. Several distinctively modern phenomena, including anonymity, a culture of celebrity enabled through the rise of mass media, and specific cultural frameworks of denigration, each provide key institutional frameworks, motivations, and opportunity structures for analyzing such acts.” (Haggarty, and Ellerbrok)
Since the 70s and 80s The modernization of many aspects in criminology,such as police technology, forensic science, psychological analysis, and criminal behavior analysis, has helped suppress and discourage many potential serial killers due to the fact that they are more likely to be caught. These developments aided the capture of many of the biggest offenders, and due to an increase in serial killer activity in the 1970’s and 80’s, experts were prompted to investigate reasons behind their activity. With what they now know about the nurture influence, what measures can be taken to avoid the trauma that creates the “serial killer” personality?
Works Cited
Blanco, Juan Ignacio. “Edmund Kemper.” Edmund Kemper | Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers, www.murderpedia.org/male.K/k/kemper-edmund.htm.
Allen, Garland Edward. “Biological Determinism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 Sept. 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/biological-determinism.
Haggarty, Kevin, and Arianne Ellerbrok. “The Social Study of Serial Killers.” The Social Study of Serial Killers | Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/publications/cjm/article/social-study-serial-killers.
Jenkins, John Philip. “Ted Bundy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 Jan. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Ted-Bundy.
Miller, Joshua Rhett. “Brace for a Surge in Serial Killers in 25 Years.” New York Post, New York Post, 13 Aug. 2018, nypost.com/2018/08/13/the-greatest-generation-gave-rise-to-the-golden-age-of-serial-killers/.
Allen, Garland Edward. “Biological Determinism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 Sept. 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/biological-determinism.
“Ted Bundy | Serial Killers | Crime Library.” Crime Museum, www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/ted-bundy/.
“A Psychological Profile of a Serial Killer.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, “Serial Murder.” FBI, FBI, 21 May 2010, www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder.
“Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker.” Crime Museum, www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/richard-ramirez/.
“Dennis Rader.” Crime Museum, www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/dennis-rader/.
“John Wayne Gacy.” Crime Museum, www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/john-wayne-gacy/.
Dogra, T D, et al. “A Psychological Profile of a Serial Killer: a Case Report.” Omega, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23115894.
