HENRY LEE LUCAS

Henry Lee Lucas (August 23, 1936 – March 13, 2001) was an American criminal, convicted of murder and once listed as America's most prolific serial killer. However, he later recanted his confessions. He once flatly stated "I am not a serial killer" in a letter to researcher Brad Shellady.

Lucas confessed to involvement in about 3,000 murders, an average of about one murder per day between his release from prison in mid-1975 to his arrest in mid-1983. A more widely circulated total of about 350 murders committed by Lucas is based on confessions deemed "believable" by a Texas-based "Lucas Task Force," a group which was criticized by Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox for sloppy police work and taking part in an extended "hoax".

Beyond his recantation, some of Lucas's confessions have been challenged as inaccurate by a number of critics, including law enforcement and court officials. Lucas claimed to have been initially subjected to poor treatment and coercive interrogation tactics while in police custody, and that he confessed to murders in an effort to improve his living conditions. This calls into question many of Lucas's alleged murders, since his confessions were often the sole evidence cited in favor of his guilt, especially his sole death penalty conviction; Amnesty International reported "the belief of two former state Attorneys General that Lucas was in all likelihood innocent of the crime for which he was sentenced to death."

Lucas's sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1998 by then-Governor George W. Bush, and Lucas died in prison of natural causes. Though Lucas's death seemed to have removed the possibility of resolution in many instances, there are still a number of unresolved or open questions. Some authorities—while admitting that Lucas tended to exaggerate his accounts and told some outright lies, and also recognizing that the Lucas Task Force engaged in some very questionable tactics—insist that Lucas was a viable suspect in a number of unsolved murders. Despite these factors, Lucas still maintains a reputation, in the words of author Sarah L. Knox, "as one of the world's worst serial killers—even after the debunking of the majority of his confessions by the Attorney General of Texas."

Lucas allegedly carried out many murders with an accomplice, Ottis Toole, whose reputation as a serial killer is mostly unaltered by Lucas's recantations.

Early life

Lucas was born on August 23, 1936, in Blacksburg, Virginia. He described his mother, Viola Lucas, as a violent prostitute. His father, Anderson Lucas, was an alcoholic and former railroad employee who had lost his legs in a train accident, and who suffered from Viola's wrath as often as his son. Lucas reports that Viola regularly beat him and his half-brother, often for no reason. He once spent three days in a coma when his mother hit his head with a plank of wood, and on many occasions he was forced by his mother to watch her have sex with men. Lucas described an incident when he was given a mule as a gift by his father's friends, only to see his mother shoot and kill it.

When he was a teenager, Lucas claimed to have been introduced to bestiality and killing animals for pleasure (zoosadism)—the latter a common trait among sociopaths, especially those who become serial killers—as well as receiving convictions for petty theft. Lucas had also damaged an eye during a fight with his half-brother. His mother ignored the injury for three days, and subsequently the eye grew infected and had to be replaced by a glass eye.

Lucas claimed to have first murdered in 1951, when he strangled a girl who refused his sexual advances. Like most of his confessions, he later retracted this claim. In 1954, Lucas was convicted on several counts of burglary in and around Richmond, Virginia, and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. He escaped, was recaptured, and was released in September 1959.

In late 1959, Lucas moved to Tecumseh, Michigan to live with his half-sister, Opal. Lucas was engaged to marry when his mother visited Michigan for Christmas. She disapproved of her son's fiancee and insisted he move back to Virginia. He refused, and they argued repeatedly about his upcoming nuptials.

Lucas kills his mother

On January 12, 1960, Lucas killed his mother, stabbing her with a knife. He claimed to have returned home from a night of drinking and gone to bed, only to be later woken by his mother, who beat him with a broom. After killing her, Lucas fled in a stolen car, returned to Virginia, then says he decided to drive back to Michigan, but was arrested in Ohio on the outstanding Michigan warrant.

Lucas claimed to have attacked his mother only in self-defense, but his claim was rejected, and he was sentenced to between 20 and 40 years' imprisonment in Michigan for second-degree murder. He served fifteen years and was released on August 22, 1975.

Lucas drifted around the American South, working a number of mostly short-term jobs. In Florida, he made the acquaintance of Ottis Toole sometime between 1976 and 1978 (sources disagree) and claims to have had a romantic affair with Toole's pubescent niece, Frieda Powell, who had escaped from a juvenile detention facility. Lucas and Toole both called Powell "Becky" sometimes, partly to disguise her identity and because Powell preferred it over her given name. Lucas and Toole were also reportedly lovers. Lucas would later claim that during this period he had killed hundreds of people, sometimes as Toole's partner. The trio left Florida and eventually settled in Stoneburg, Texas, at a religious commune called "The House of Prayer." Ruben Moore, the commune owner and minister, found Lucas a job as a roofer, and allowed Lucas and Powell to live in a small apartment on the commune.

Powell became homesick, so Lucas agreed to move to Florida with her. Lucas said they argued at a Bowie, Texas truck stop and claimed that Powell left with a trucker. According to Shellady, a waitress at the truck stop supported Lucas's account in court.

1983 arrest and multiple confessions

Lucas was arrested in June 1983, initially on a firearms violation. He was later charged with killing 82-year-old Kate Rich in Ringgold, Texas, and was also charged with Powell's murder. Lucas claimed that police stripped him naked, denied him cigarettes and bedding, held him in a cold cell, and did not allow him to contact an attorney. After four days of this treatment, Lucas claimed he decided to confess to the crimes in a desperate bid to improve his treatment.

Lucas confessed to the murders but claimed to be unable to take police to the victims' bodies. He closed out his confession with a hand-written addendum that read: "I am not allowed to contact any one I'm in here by myself and still can't talk to a lawyer on this I have no rights so what can I do to convince you about all this". When he was finally allowed counsel, Lucas's lawyer described his client's treatment as "inhumane" and "calculated solely to require the defendant to confess guilt, whether innocent or guilty."

The forensic evidence in the Powell and Rich cases has been criticized as inconclusive. A single bone fragment recovered from a wood-burning stove was said to be Rich's, and a mostly-complete skeleton roughly matched Powell's age and size, but Shelladay reports that the coroner stopped short of positively identifying either remains. As with most of his alleged crimes, Lucas has confessed to these murders only to later deny involvement, but the general consensus seems to be that Lucas did indeed murder Powell and Rich.

Confesses to thousands of murders

Lucas pled guilty to the charges, and in open court stated he had "killed about a hundred more women" as well. This was an unexpected confession, and Lucas later claimed to have been despondent over being suspected in Powell's disappearance. Shelladay reports[8] that Lucas said, "If they were going to make me confess to one I didn't do, then I was going to confess to everything." These claims were quickly seized upon by the press, and Lucas, accompanied by Texas Rangers, was soon flown from state to state, to meet with various police agencies in an effort to resolve a number of unsolved murders.

In November 1983, Lucas was transferred to a jail in Williamson County, Texas, where the Lucas Task Force was soon established. Shelladay describes the task force as "a veritable clearinghouse of unsolved murder, courtesy of the Texas Rangers." They officially "cleared" 213 previously unsolved murders via Lucas's confessions.

Lucas reported that he confessed to murders only because doing so improved his living conditions, and that he received preferential treatment rarely offered to convicts. Others have offered accounts that seem to support Lucas's claims, for example, that Lucas was rarely handcuffed when in custody or being transported, that he was often allowed to wander police stations and jails at will—including knowing the security codes for computerized doors—and that he was frequently taken to restaurants and cafés. On one occasion, in Huntington, West Virginia, Lucas confessed to killing a man whose death had originally been ruled a suicide. The man's widow received a large life insurance settlement that had been denied after the initial suicide verdict, and the Texas Rangers hosted a party at a Holiday Inn, spending $3,000 on drinks and prostitutes. It has been suggested that such treatment demonstrates that the Lucas Task Force did not consider Lucas a threat.

Texas Ranger Phil Ryan reports that Lucas became so accustomed to such treatment that he began "dictating orders" which were often obeyed by Rangers. Ryan also reported that he became concerned about the veracity of most of Lucas's confessions, feeling confident in the accuracy of two of Lucas's confessions, and further stated to the Houston Chronicle that "I wouldn't bet a paycheck on any of the others." Shellady reports that Ryan invented utterly fictional crimes, to which Lucas would generally "confess" involvement, a tactic also employed by Dallas detective Linda Erwin.

The same Houston Chronicle article reports that Erwin interviewed Lucas after he confessed to 13 murders in Houston. Erwin reports that "when I heard it got to be hundreds and hundreds (of confessions), it was unbelievable to me." Erwin further reports that, like Ryan, she assembled an utterly fictional crime: She "fabricated a case using random photographs from old murders long since solved and details pulled from her imagination ... He claimed credit for the phony crime, and his confession, containing facts she had dribbled out to him, probably could have convinced a jury to convict him, she said." Erwin admitted she was uncomfortable fabricating a crime, but felt it necessary in order to settle questions of Lucas's reliability. Lucas was not charged with any of the crimes he confessed to committing in Dallas.

Ryan reports the manner in which Lucas typically confessed to a number of unsolved murders: If a police agency suspected Lucas, and if Lucas admitted involvement—and his total of some 3,000 confessions suggests he rarely denied complicity—they would send the Lucas Task Force a case file with information pertaining to the unsolved crime. Lucas would be questioned at length and sometimes even allowed to read police reports, thus learning any number of details previously known only to police, which he could then use during interviews.

"The Lucas Report" and controversy

Lucas's claims gradually became criticized as outlandish and less likely: He claimed to have been part of a cannibalistic, satanic cult called "The Hand of Death", to have taken part in snuff films, to have killed Jimmy Hoffa, and to have delivered poison to cult leader Jim Jones in Jonestown prior to the notorious mass muder/suicide of Jones's group.

In response to these claims, and to reports of the Lucas Task Force's questionable investigative methodology, the Texas Attorney General's office issued a study (sometimes called "The Lucas Report") in 1986.

The bulk of the Lucas Report was devoted to a detailed timeline of Lucas's claimed murders. The report compared Lucas's claims to reliable, verifiable sources for Lucas's whereabouts; the results often contradicted his confessions, and thus cast doubt on most of the crimes in which he was implicated. Attorney General Jim Mattox wrote that "when Lucas was confessing to hundreds of murders, those with custody of Lucas did nothing to bring an end to this hoax," and "We have found information that would lead us to believe that some officials 'cleared cases' just to get them off the books."

Here are a few examples of crimes the Lucas Task Force ruled "closed" based on Lucas's "confessions," when strong evidence has been cited, indicating Lucas was far from the scene of the crime:

* Lucas confessed to the August 10, 1977, murder of Curby Reeves in Smith County, Texas, while payroll records indicate that Lucas worked a full shift at the Kaolin Mushroom Company in Kaolin, Pennsylvania.

* Lucas confessed to the March 20, 1979, murder of Elaine Tollett in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while medical records indicate Lucas was in hospital in Bluefield, West Virginia.

* Chris Piazza, then a prosecutor in Little Rock, Arkansas, wrote, of a specific 1981 robbery-murder case in which Lucas claimed involvement, that "the testimony of Henry Lee Lucas ... is dubious, to say the least" and that Lucas's testimony was "inaccurate in nearly every detail."

Orange Socks

Ultimately, Lucas was convicted of eleven homicides. He was sentenced to death for the murder of an unidentified woman, dubbed "Orange Socks" after her only clothing, who was discovered in Williamson County, Texas, on Halloween 1979. Lucas's confession was recorded on audio tape and videotape and, when presented at court, had been subject to significant editing, leading critics to speculate that the removed sections showed authorities coaching Lucas on details of the crime.

Dan Morales, Mattox's successor as Texas Attorney General, concluded that it was "highly unlikely" that Lucas was guilty in the "Orange Socks" case. Though initially skeptical of the Lucas Report, he came to generally support its findings.

Williamson County prosecutor Cecil Kuykendall discounted Lucas as a suspect in the "Orange Socks" case and has stated his opinion that Lucas's confession drew attention from a far more viable suspect, further noting evidence that Lucas was in Florida, working as a roofer, during the time that "Orange Socks" was killed. As cited in an Amnesty International report, Mattox stated that during the time "Orange Socks" was killed, "work records, check cashing evidence, all information indicating Lucas was somewhere else. [W]e found nothing tying [Lucas] with the crime he confessed to and was convicted of." Mattox's office decided not to intervene, so certain they were that the state appeals court would overturn Lucas's conviction in the "Orange Socks" case.

Lucas told Shelladay that he confessed to the murder in an effort at "legal suicide," and that he "just wanted to die." Lucas expressed what Shellady describes as "deep regret and sorrow" for offering false confessions, stating that he "was not aware how crooked they [Texas authorities] were until it was too late." The Houston Chronicle article also notes that Lucas offered various motives for his confession spree: Improving his conditions, a desire to embarrass police, and feeling guilt over killing Powell and Rich.

Adding to the confusion, however, was Lucas's habit of making confessions, recanting them, then offering more confessions, and again recanting them. Mattox, wary of Lucas's many false confessions, suggested in 1999 that in the case of Rafael Resendez-Ramirez "I hope they don't start pinning on him every crime that happens near a railroad track."

Lucas's supposed confederate, Ottis Toole, died in September 1996 from cirrhosis of the liver. He was serving six life sentences in a Florida prison. In 1998, the Texas Board of Pardon and Parole voted to commute Lucas's death sentence to life imprisonment. Then-Governor George W. Bush recommended the commutation. On March 13, 2001, 64-year-old Lucas died in prison from heart failure.

Dissenting opinions

On the other hand, several authorities and interested parties remained sure of Lucas's guilt in a number of murders, regardless of his recantations and the controversy surrounding his many confessions. Jim Larson, a sheriff’s department investigator in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, questioned Lucas in September 1984 regarding the unsolved 1978 murder of schoolteacher Stella McLean. Larson says he asked deceptive questions to test Lucas, but insists Lucas offered compelling testimony to support his claims of killing McLean.

Texas General Land Office Commissioner Garry Mauro, then standing for election of governor of Texas, stated his opinion that "There is no doubt in my mind that Henry Lee Lucas is guilty enough of the murders he confessed to that he earned the death penalty."

The Houston Chronicle article quotes Harold Murphy of Marianna, Florida, who remained convinced that Lucas killed his daughter Jerilyn in 1981.

As cited in the above Houston Chronicle article, Texas Ranger Phil Ryan—while strongly criticizing the Lucas Task Force for their questionable methods, and while rejecting the vast majority of Lucas's confessions—concluded that Lucas was a strong suspect in two cases, and thought Lucas was "at most ... responsible for 15 murders." This was still a considerable total, qualifying Lucas as a serial killer according to the FBI's definitions, but well below the claims of hundreds or even thousands of murders. Eric W. Hickey[16] cites an unnamed "investigator" who interviewed Lucas several times, and who concluded Lucas had probably killed about 40 people.

These statements, among others, make it clear that law enforcement officials and other figures have conflicting opinions as to Lucas's guilt or innocence.

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The Hand Of Death: Fact or Fiction?
By Anna M. Griffy
Published In The Serial Killer Magazine

Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole were by many accounts the most prolific serial killers in history. They were notorious for the many women they raped and killed and allegedly engaged in a homosexual relationship themselves. But from their humble beginnings, a merging of two minds became a cross-country killing spree that may have been touched by the hand of Satan, and a cult called The Hand Of Death. While there have been many rumors and some killers have suggested to be part of the cult, Lucas and Toole were the most vocal about their participation in the training, crimes and activities.

Lucas was born in Blacksburg, Virginia on August 23, 1936. From all accounts his early years were spent in a miserable, filth-strewn two-room cabin. His parents brewed liquor and his mother, Viola was the local prostitute. Henry later claimed that while she turned the tricks of her trade, she would force him to watch. This, coupled with her grim amusement in dressing Henry in girls dresses, styling his hair in curly ringlets and laughingly parading him about, left a psychological imprint that would result in her bloodshed years later. Henry’s father, Anderson, had suffered a railroad accident, which had taken both his legs. His days were limited to dragging himself around the house, drinking himself into a stupor and avoiding the wrath of Viola as much as possible. Although Henry had 9 siblings, most of them were sent into foster care. Being one of the two children considered lucky enough to remain at home, he suffered abuse, mostly at the hands of Viola. Anderson died from a case of pneumonia after refusing to watch Viola’s sex show, he crawled out into the frigid Virginia night and the hypothermic snow proved to be too much for his drunken state. Henry was with Viola and her lovers. It was up to him to survive, and in a fashion, he did. He was bashed in the head with a plank of wood and was unconscious for several days. He had to be given a glass eye, courtesy of another of Viola’s fits of temper.

But the thing that made the biggest imprint on Henry’s young mind at this time was that he learned about sex. First from Viola, who occasionally beat him if he wouldn’t watch her service the local men who came by to purchase her homemade liquor, then from her live-in lover who moved in after Anderson died. “Uncle Bernie” showed him that animals could be used for sex, torturing and killing them after using them sexually. Having watched his mother for so long, at age 15 Henry finally decided to try and have sex with a girl for the first time. Being inexperienced and far from attractive, Henry picked up a local girl and made advances. When she rebuffed him, Henry strangled her and buried her corpse-after he had made use of her sexually, beginning a practice that would last for many years. A dead woman can’t say no, and Henry realized that becoming a killer was probably the easiest thing he’d ever done. If all he had to do was kill to get his way, then life was going to be easier and a lot more fun than he thought.

Henry knew that a life of crime would be the easiest way to earn a living and he became involved with a number of small-time crooks and petty thieves. He was arrested and spent time in prison for robbing a bank with several others and while he managed to escape twice, he spent about 6 years in prison. When he was released in September of 1959, he went to stay with his half-sister in Tecumseh, Michigan. This would wind up being the scene of his final confrontation with his mother. Viola showed up there, looking for Henry and at age 74, she was hardly in the position to fight him. Still, while drinking and bickering with Henry about returning to the family home in Blacksburg, they became violent. She swore at him that he had a duty to care for her in her old age, and struck at him with a broom. He responded by grabbing a knife and stabbing her to death, then raping her corpse. When he was later confessing to many of his crimes while incarcerated, he said he never raped her that he’d made the whole thing up. But he’d already shown a predilection for necrophilia that makes it hard to know what the truth was. He was convicted in 1960 and given a sentence of 20 to 40 years. He was to spend part of his sentence in a hospital for the criminally insane, and was released in 1970.Heading back to Michigan to stay with family seemed like the best idea to him, and he took a job, briefly marrying the widow of a cousin of his. But traditional home and family was something Henry had never known, and this wasn’t going to work out. He had been accused of molesting not only two teenage girls, but also the two daughters from his wife’s former marriage and she divorced him in the summer of 1977.

Murderous Minds Meet:
About this time, in late 1976 Henry met Ottis Toole, a drifter and criminal not unlike himself. Being that he was divorcing his cousin’s widow named Betty, he needed a friend and Ottis turned out to be just that, and much more. Women of course would always be their preference but there has long been speculation that the two were occasional homosexual lovers. Henry boasted to his new friend that he’d slashed a killing field as far as Maryland and beyond. Ottis had many a tale of his own: blazing an arson and murder trail across the country. They smiled at each other, I’m sure and at that moment the blood of hundreds of innocents were destined to be spilled. Some strangers, some prostitutes, some kind souls wanting to help the two drifters, and some relatives, such as Ottis’s own sister, Becky.

Ottis Toole had a childhood full of as much dysfunction as Henry. Born in Florida in 1947, his father saw no reason to stay with the family and leaving his son the legacy of alcoholism, went off for good. But Ottis had the opposite of Henry’s mother: instead of promiscuity, his mother was violently religious and took her beliefs out on everyone in the home. He had a sister who in an interesting parallel to Henry, liked to dress him up in little girl’s clothing and parade him around. His Grandmother however, was reputed to be a Satanist and had decided Ottis was the devil’s child. He later claimed it was because he was an Epileptic and the seizures made him appear possessed. Later both he and Henry talked about being possessed, but at the time Ottis was just a child and an Epileptic. Ottis claimed she took him out on runs to cemeteries for body parts for rituals. He also claimed to be an arsonist as a child, torching empty houses just because he “Didn’t like the look of them.” As he got older, he dropped out of school. It was too difficult with his low IQ and he was too interested in drinking and committing small time crimes. He was arrested for lewd behavior and theft before he started killing. He was suspected in the death of a 24-year-old woman who was shot in the head, and later confessed to it being his first kill. He was accused of 3 other slayings over the next two years before he found himself in a Jacksonville soup kitchen looking for something to eat-and finding Henry Lee Lucas. Ottis took Henry home to stay with his family. Novella Toole, the woman who claimed to be his wife later elaborated that Ottis could not perform sexually with a woman unless there was a man involved as well. Henry was his ideal companion: a partner in crime, in bed and willing to look for the next thrill. By 1978, the two had separated and Novella threw both Henry and Ottis out. It was time for them to enjoy themselves.

When they found themselves without a home, Ottis told Henry he’d done more killing than he told him about. He’d been made a member of the Satanic cult the Hand of Death and wanted Henry to join, too. This wasn’t the first time that Henry would have killed, raped or even possibly cannibalized another human. But this was very detailed and had repercussions that would lead to your death without exception. Lucas later confessed that he wanted to join and told Ottis. He understood he would be killed if he did anything to betray the cult and that the only way out was death. His parents hadn’t taught him about religion, so there was nothing in Henry’s way of   becoming a Satanist. Worshipping the Devil really meant nothing to him. When confessing all this to police years later, many people didn’t believe Henry’s claims. But in other cases, there was evidence and the police were convinced enough to organize a task force.

Ottis told Henry that the Satanic rituals would keep them safe and from being caught. There was a power there they would be protected by, as long as they obeyed the cult. Henry and Ottis went to Florida to have Henry see the training camp that was set up in the Everglades. There, in an isolated spot, they met a man named Don that Ottis seemed to know well. It was becoming clear to Henry that Ottis had already proved himself to the cult many times over and now he must do the same if he wanted to join. They went to a tent where a young man was drinking and smoking. Don looked at Henry and told him, “Kill him. And make it clean. Only then will you be one of us.” The man was a student, had betrayed his oath to the cult and must be killed, Don explained. Ottis had a bottle of whisky and was ready to go. They walked down to the water with the young man, who was still drinking and talking. Henry waited until he stood at the edge of the water and was tipping his head back for a drink, when he grabbed him from behind and slit his throat so deeply that the whisky poured out, mingled with blood, flowing down his hands.
Don smiled at such a clean kill. The body, according to Henry, was used in a cult ritual where the body was mutilitated, the heart cut out and some of the flesh eaten.

After that, Henry was a member and in training, according to him, all new members had a sponsor. The camp had both men and women and had both day and night activities: days were for training in all forms of crime: Murder, kidnapping, rape, drug selling and the making of pornographic movies and photos. At night, there were liquor and drugs for everyone and Henry claimed sex was plentiful. There were evening sacrifices, transient people or sometimes people who had in some way or another betrayed the cult and was considered a liability. It was as if there were no shortage of bodies to kill, and Henry was quite willing to kill as many as he possibly could. Engaging in the training activities with his partner assigned by the cult, Henry was trained for 7 weeks in almost every form of criminal activity imaginable. Shortly after his training was completed, he was assigned to the kidnapping division of the organization. Ottis was there to work with him and they were told they could make a lot of money by kidnapping. There would be no killing and it would be much easier. In 1978 the chances of being caught were much slimmer, the Amber Alert not having been instituted yet. Henry and Ottis took their first job by kidnapping 3 babies and running them across the border of Mexico to a ranch in Chihuahua. Henry claimed he and Ottis also kidnapped several teenage girls that were used in pornographic snuff films. Knowing they would die at the end wasn’t troubling for him. By that time, he’d killed so many people; he said it just didn’t matter anymore. But the stakes were higher in the killing game than in the kidnapping operations and after nearly a year, Henry asked to be transferred there. In a year, he claimed to have carried out 6 high profile executions. Most of these were in Texas and Mexico, with one in Canada. He told the police at the time of his incarceration that he was offered the job of delivering the cyanide to Jim Jones in Guyana and assassinating then President Jimmy Carter. How much all of this is fact and not a figment of Henry’s imagination, one is left to speculate. But what happened next is fact, and not open to interpretation.

Henry and Ottis had traveled extensively, killing and raping at their discretion. But Ottis had a young niece named Becky that Henry had his eye on for a long time. He’d met her when she was 10, when he and Ottis had first started crashing around. But now she was in a youth center, her parents having passed away and being made a ward of the state. Henry went to get her and soon they were on the road together. Becky was young and loved Henry. She had very little experience in the way of men or homicidal cannibals, so there was a shock waiting for her. They obtained work for a couple doing odd jobs, finishing furniture and cleaning for room and board. The couple had the idea to have Henry and Becky move in with their mother, Kate Rich, who at 80 years old needed help By the next week, Kate’s family threw them out and Henry and Becky were hitchhiking down the country road in Texas to find a place to stay. Becky was crying, and telling Henry she wanted to go back to Florida. He didn’t want to hear it. She slapped him across the face and that was a first for him, never being disrespected by a woman. He grabbed a knife and plunged it into her chest, stabbing over and over. There was no one to hear her screams in the cold back woods. There was no one to see him rape her ripped and bloody corpse, cut it into pieces and scatter it across the field they were nearby.

Becky was soon missed: by Kate Rich, by a local young minister who had tried to help her. Henry told Kate they could go look for her and they set off on a drive to do just that. While Kate peppered Henry with questions, he heard little of it. He had a 6 pack of beer and finally, when he’d had enough, he pulled over and did to Kate what he’d done to Becky: ferociously stabbing her as she fell out of the car and then raping her dead body until he was exhausted. None of this meant anything to him. He thought about the cult and Ottis. There is no doubt that he had killed 2 women in a few days time and there were going to be people looking for them. Shortly afterward, Kate Rich’s farmhouse burned down and was quickly dubbed the work of an arsonist. Ottis? He has never confessed but surely his predilection for setting fires that started in his younger days comes to mind. And the fact that Henry had burned Kate’s corpse in her wood-burning stove makes further speculation that the old friends were back in business together. But if they were, it would be a short-lived reunion, indeed.

The police in Stonesburg, Texas were looking and waiting for Henry. That was the closest place anyone had seen Becky alive. Henry at first acted as though he didn’t kill Becky and that he wanted to clear his name. Unfortunately, he had a handgun on him, and was picked up for being an ex-con possessing a firearm and taken to jail. Henry was charged with the murders of Kate Rich and Becky Powell. There was a lot of evidence against him, and he had practically led them to the site of the remains. But still, he told an officer guarding him late one night, “I done some real bad things.” There had to have been visions of blood and bones draining from the bottom of Henry’s cell that night, and in the morning, he was brought before a judge, a roomful of cops and reporters and confessed to killing both Kate and Becky. He told them where the remains were-what little there was left. He admitted to having sex with both dead bodies and while they all stared stunned, he said he’d killed hundreds more. At least, he smiled grimly, at least hundreds more. “Will I be able to go on helping y’all find dead bodies?” he asked. It has been rumored that several reporters had to leave the courtroom, on the verge of becoming physically ill.

Soon, Texas jurisdictions were leapfrogging over each other to clear cold cases that they hadn’t been able to solve for years, all pinning them on Henry. And Henry was as good as his word, going where they wanted him to and pointing out where remains would be and where they would found. He had killed many. It’s hard to say how many because of his penchant for exaggeration. He told the police about The Hand Of Death. His confessions were believed by so many people, even though forensic evidence didn’t always match up that there were two books written on the subject: “The Confessions Of Henry Lee Lucas” by Mike Cox and “Hands Of Death” by Max Call. Over the next 18 months, Henry talked about the cult, probably knowing he would never see the outside of a prison cell, and fearing no retribution, confessed to first 75, then escalating to 150, and finally a whopping 300 body count. By this time, Ottis was in prison for arson and was implicated in many of these murders, being that he was the one who had introduced Henry to the cult. Toole corroborated many of Henry’s tales and told of his taste for human flesh, usually with barbeque sauce.

Ottis and Henry had one last phone call that is telling in nature:
Henry: “I don’t want you to think I’m doing this as a revenge.”
Ottis: “No, I don’t want you to hold anything back about me.”
Henry: “See we got so many of them, Ottis. We got to turn up the bodies. Now this boy and girl I don’t know anything about.”
Ottis: “Well maybe that’s the two I killed my own self. Just like that Mexican that wasn’t gonna let me out of the house. I took an ax and chopped him all up. What made me? I been meaning to ask you? Why’d I do it?
Henry: “ I think it was just the hands doing it. I know a lot of the things we have done in human sight are impossible to believe.”

 There were journalists who tried to discredit Henry and Ottis, but according to Texas law enforcement, it was all about money. Henry was leading them to the sites where there was physical evidence. That was irrefutable. Could he have been hired to assassinate Jimmy Carter? Could he have been a contract killer to fly cyanide to Jim Jones at the   People’s Temple of Guyana? Very doubtful. But he was a murderer, a cold-blooded killer, and with Ottis Toole, they soaked the raw Texas farmland with enough blood to satisfy the thirst of a cult called The Hand Of The Death.

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Henry Lee Lucas’ Transcribed Phone Conversation with Ottis Toole
Transcribed By (used)Dion Brass For The Serial Killer Magazine

1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Bpj5X0CXY

Henry Lee Lucas: “…anybody might say, or anybody might do.”

Ottis Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “You know that.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, I feel, myself玆now, I don’t know whether this is your feeling, but I feel if we are honest… that when we leave here玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Wherever we go, we’ll still be together.”

Toole: “Oh yeah.”

Lucas: “And, it’s your decision, uh玆”

Toole: “Sure will, ‘cause I think about you all the time.”

Lucas: “Well, I do too. I’ve got your picture down here in my cell.”

Toole: “Well, I got yours, too.”

Lucas: “So, uh… You missed, uh玆I mean, it’s a friendship Ottis, there’s not, uhh玆”

Toole: “You need to be talkin’ louder, ya keep fadin’ out.”

Lucas: “Uh, it’s the telephone, really. Uh, what I’m tryna say to you, is I want you to be honest.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And I want you to tell the truth… Those things have got to be done... And also, if you want玆like I said玆if you wanna denounce the hands of god, the devil; in other words, it‘s your decision. And that decision, if you wanna do it玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Will cost you your life.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Now, you fully understand that?”

Toole: “Oh yeah.”

Lucas: “Now, like I said: I’ve told them what I’ve done玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And only what I’ve done. And I told the police [1:32 INDECIPHERABLE] that, I told ‘em where we’ve been. And the things that, uh, I’ve done myself, I’ve admitted to it.

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, uh玆”

Toole: “You’re fadin’ out again Henry.”

Lucas: “Ahh… Has, ahh, Terry told you what all the circumstances is?”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “I mean, you know that I wanna make sure you understand.”

Toole: “Well, I ain’t got nothin’ left no more, you know.”

Lucas: “Well, I ain’t either. I mean玆”

Toole: “Well, I didn’t do it, you know.”

Lucas: “Well, you didn’t do any of it?”

Toole: “I said I didn’t do it to certain extents.”

Lucas: “Well, I know that. You see, ahh, if you admitted to something you didn‘t do, it‘s wrong. You understand that. What I want you to do is just to tell the truth. If I was invo玆involved in something, you tell the truth, you understand? Don‘t hold back because of me, and I‘m not gonna hold back because of you.”

Toole: “How many people did you kill, Henry?”

Lucas: “A hundred and fifty.”

Toole: “A hundred and fifty?”

Lucas: “Yeah, between a hundred and fifty, a hundred and sixty.”

Toole: “Between a hundred and fifty, a hundred and sixty?”

Lucas: “Yeah.”

Toole: “By yourself?”

Lucas: “No, not by myself. And, uh…”

Toole: “I was with you on some of them, myself. Wasn’t I?”

Lucas: “If you want to admit to that, yes.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “It’s up to you. Like I said, I haven‘t involved you.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “What I’ve done, what I admitted to… was what I wanted to do.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Y’know? And there’s one person involved玆they’re the only reason that I’ve ever come forward with what I’ve said.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And玆”

Toole: “It gut-bothered you, didn’t it Henry?”

Lucas: “It’s not only got to the botherin’ me, it’s who done it. And, uh… I‘m not gonna rest ‘til I know… what‘s involved and who‘s involved in it.”

Toole: “Well, I’m involved all the way, Henry.”

Lucas: “Then I want to know that.”

Toole: “Huh?”

Lucas: “Then I want to know that.”

Toole: “I am. I was involved玆I was involved all the way with you.”

Lucas: “Alright. And I want you to tell the sheriff the truth. That‘s what I want you to do. I also want you to give out descriptions; as to who and where. And if you k玆if you know where this girl‘s at, I want you to admit to it.”

Toole: “Yeah. You know I was doin‘ lots of that way before I met you.”

Lucas: “Yeah, I know that… I know that.”

Toole: “I been doin’ that since I was about fourteen years old.”

Lucas: “You know you’re on recording now?”

Toole: “I know that, too.”

Lucas: “Alright. So… I’ve been doin’ it for a long time. It’s not just, uh, just that, but it‘s玆”

Toole: “Well, I don’t care what you done, I still care about you, the way玆the way it goes.”

Lucas: “Well, I know that, and, uh玆”

2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEtY6WSFw6I

 

Lucas: “… of course eventually, we’ll probably end up at the same place.”

Toole: “We might.”

Lucas: “Mmm, there ain’t no doubt on that. ‘Cause I know, uh玆”

Toole: “Unless we end up in the electric chair first.”

Lucas: “Well, they’ve always got, ahh玆regardless of what you, you plead guilty to. If you get charged with capital murder, you get charged with it.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “I mean, that’s, uh, understanding before you ever get involved.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, I know I’ve got capital murder on me. I’m facin’ death… and I don’t care… okay玆”

Toole: “Well, I, I… I’m comin’ forward to sayin’ anyone I’ve done that I can remember, though, you know.”

Lucas: “Well, that’s what I want you to do. And…”

Toole: “Well, it don’t make a difference what you say, Henry, I still care about you. The way it goes.”

Lucas: “Well, I know. Uh, there’s somethin’ that I’ve got to ask you.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Now, the organization we belong to玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “You know what, uh玆what the circumstances is there.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Alright. Now, when I start telling’ them full and complete玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “It’s gonna cost me my life.”

Toole: “Y玆”

Lucas: “You understand that?”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And it’s also gonna cost you your life.”

Toole: “Oh yeah.”

Lucas: “So… I just want to know that you are a person, and this has to be Ottis Toole talkin’, not somebody else.”

Toole: “That’s right, it is me.”

Lucas: “So, I just want you to feel that my feelings for you is just like it always been.”

Toole: “You know it’s玆How you know玆How you can tell if it’s me talkin’ or not?”

Lucas: “I can hear you already.”

Toole: “Huh?”

Lucas: “I can hear you already.”

Toole: “Can you?”

Lucas: “Yeah.”

Toole: “You know what you told me that’ll make you madder than anything?”

Lucas: “Yeah I do.”

Toole: “[1:49 INDECIPHERABLE] make you mad, won’t it?”

Lucas: “Yep, it will. And玆”

Toole: “See, I couldn’t remember that, could I?”

Lucas: “No.”

Toole: [laughs]

Lucas: “I just wanted you to know the truth. That‘s what I want you to know.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And… I think that if I can help them in any way to solve what’s been… solved玆”

Toole: “Well, the same thing with me, Henry. Although if you can tell the truth for me about it, go tell  the truth of it. Don’t hold back.”

Lucas: “Well, alright.”

Toole: “Huh?”

Lucas: “I’ll do that, and, uh, I feel that, uh, you can do the same with me.”

Toole: “Yeah, I sure can.”

Lucas: “Because each one of us has donated our lives to one thing, and there ain’t nothin’ in this world gonna change that.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “So, uh… if there’s any information you can give to the sheriff about this girl, or have any idea, I玆”

Toole: “I took [2:51 INDECIPHERABLE] mini-market [INDECIPHERABLE] mini-market.”

Lucas: “Well I guess this is what you call a mi玆mini-market. I don’t know for sure. Uh… it concerns a grey car with a red top on it.”

Toole: “Grey car with a red top…”

Lucas: “Yeah, and, uh玆”

Toole: “That don’t hit my mind, it don’t.”

Lucas: “It, uh… the girl, I think’s about twenty years old. Something like that.”

Toole: “Yeah, you need to talk louder. You’re fadin’ out again.”

Lucas: “I said it’s a girl about twenty years old. And it‘s across from a school. You ever been around one like that? This is on Highway 35玆just off of Highway 35.”

Toole: “And that’s, uh, comin’ from Dallas?”

Lucas: “Yeah.”

Toole: “I can’t picture it in my mind right now. Maybe it’ll come to me later.”

Lucas: “Let’s see: this is what? Uh, June?”

Toole: “Huh?”

Officer in background: “June of ‘82.”

Lucas: “June of ‘82.”

Toole: “June of ‘82?”

Lucas: “Yeah.”

Toole: “… June of ‘82... Well, I‘ve been out of the city several times, you know.”

Lucas: “Yeah, I know you have. Uh, I thought you would know玆”

Toole: “Every time I saw people I would go take off two or three days, I would fly across country, you know.”

Lucas: “Yeah, I know. Well, that’s the same way I done, you know.”

Toole: “Instead of drivin’ the car, I would leave the car, you know, and fly under a different name.”

Lucas: “Yeah.”

Toole: “Sometime I didn’t even need to do that, I’d just buy a ticket and fly.”

Lucas: “Yeah.”

Toole: “But [4:29 INDECIPHERABLE] I just, I just bought the ticket and got on the jet, you know.”

Lucas: “Yeah. Uh… was you ever around, uh… uh, let‘s see: what is it? Around Round Cock玆or around Round Street玆”

Toole: “Round Woods?”

Lucas: “Yeah.”

Toole: “You need to talk louder again, you’re fadin’ out.”

Lucas: “[to officer] Round what?”

Officer: “Round Rock.”

Lucas: “[to Toole] Round Rock.”

Toole: “Maybe, there’s so many of ‘em, you know. I don’t know the name of all them towns, Henry, you know.”

Lucas: “Yeah.”

Toole: “You know, you can take me in circles all day long, and I wouldn’t know which way I’m goin’.”

Lucas: “[laughs] I know that. Uh玆”

Toole: “Just like sometimes you’d tell me you were in another town; well shoot! we still in the same town.”

Lucas: “Ha ha. Yeah.”

Toole: “You would do that to me, too.”

Lucas: “Yeah, I done that.”

Toole: “Take me in circles.”

Lucas: “Well, I had to do it really, because of, uh, certain circumstances, which I’m sure you’ve, uh, been in up in Delaware, and I’m sure you’ve been in when you was up in, uh, uh, by that lake up in uh玆I mean not the lake, but up in玆by that canal up in uh, uh, the edge of Maryland.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Do you remember what happened up there?”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Well, the same thing is liable to happen here that happened there.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Uh玆”

Toole: “We had to玆We had to run off and leave the truck ‘cause somebody, uh, got out on us.”

Lucas: “Yeah, I know it. I just want you to know玆”

Toole: “They started the truck up on us.”

Lucas: “Yeah, I know it. But I just want you to know what the circumstances is.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Because any time we walk out on that street from now on玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “That’s the way it’s gonna be, it‘s玆we’re gonna be known.”

Toole: “What if something does happen to me like that, Henry? I done lived my life, anyhow.”

Lucas: “Well, I have too. And, uh… But I didn’t wanna involve you, unless you personally told me to do it.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “That’s something I didn’t wanna do. So, either you tell me: I go ahead. Then I go ahead.”

Toole: “Yeah. Go ahead and tell them the thing you want to tell them, Henry.”

Lucas: “Alright. But I don’t want玆like I say, now玆I don’t want you to come back ten, ten days later and say ‘well, I didn’t say it’.”

Toole: “No. I want you to go tell ‘em everything you wanna tell ’em and be done with it.”

Lucas: “Alright.”

3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSh4gg1O2Po

 

Lucas: “…And, they treatin’ you alright down there?”

Toole: “Yeah, th玆uh, they treatin’ me alright down here.”

Lucas: “You tell ‘em if they don’t, I’m gonna come down there myself.”

Toole: “You gonna come down here yourself?”

Lucas: “That‘s right. Is Terry around there?”

Toole: “Yeah, he’s sittin’ right here, in front of me.”

Lucas: “You tell him what I said.”

Toole: [laughs]

Terry: “I’m listenin’ to you Henry. Go ahead.”

Lucas: “’Cause I just want玆as long as he’s honest with you, Terry, that’s what I want.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Terry: “There it is. [0:27 INDECIPHERABLE due to technical interference]”

Toole: “I keep holdin’ back ‘cause I don’t want to玆uh, I really don’t want to burn you, Henry.”

Lucas: “You can’t burn me! There ain‘t no way possible you can burn me.”

Toole: “Well, if you cook, I’m gonna cook with you玆”

Lucas: “You know. Because I’ve already got the death penalty. I mean there ain’t no, uh, jokes about that玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And I don’t care. I told the press I don’t care. I’ve told everybody I’ve come into contact with: I don’t care.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “But I want, mainly, to stop other people from doin’ what we’ve done.”

Toole: “You know I still worked for Betty, I did, up ‘til I got put in jail with you, there.”

Lucas: “You did?”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “She’s mad at me.”

Toole: “Well, I can’t help it, I… I’m mad at you a certain extent, you know, but, uh… I just wish that was one thing you didn‘t do, you know.”

Lucas: “Well, when it comes down to that certain party, I didn‘t do it.”

Toole: “Huh?”

Lucas: “When it comes down that one party, I didn’t do it.”

Toole: “You didn’t do it?”

Lucas: “No I didn’t. Now, you know who did, but I can’t, uh, can’t do anything about that玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “’cause my hands are tied. What I’m after is the people themselves.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, uh… I wouldn’t’ve started this whole thing if it wasn’t for that.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, uh… until I find out who did, they’ll be mine. Not somebody else’s.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, uh… I live with it, as I had done it, because I’m responsible, because I brought her here.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “That makes me responsible. But, when it comes down to it I’m gonna get the person that did do it. ‘Cause there ain’t no way out for ‘em.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “You know, as long as we understand each other; as long as we know the truth about each other玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And that’s all I want.”

Toole: “That was pretty玆that was some玆that was something [2:38 INDECIPHERABLE] together too, wasn’t it?”

Lucas: “Well, we’re gonna meet together.”

Toole: “Oh yeah.”

Lucas: “I’ve requested for us to.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “So we can sit down and go over details for ‘em. Give ‘em details.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “That’s my request, and the sheriff’ll tell you the same thing.”

Toole: “You know that I玆”

Lucas: “’Cause I want to do it, because there’s things I know, and things that you know, and that way we can put ‘em together and they can come up with the bodies, and stuff. That‘s what I want.”

Toole: “Yeah, ‘cause they scattered from here玆here, in about forty-eight different states.”

Lucas: “Oh, I know. But, uh. But who’s gonna do it if we don’t? There ain’t nobody who’s gonna do it, unless we do it.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “So玆”

Toole: “I got one down here I wish I could come up with the body’s at, but I can’t come up with the body in my mind.”

Lucas: “Well, I gave ‘em eight that I had done; eight or nine, I don’t know which. In Florida.”

Toole: “You know, it really bothers me, too.”

Lucas: “Yeah, well, don’t let it bother you. That’s what they want it to do, is to bother you. Don‘t let it bother you. If you done something and you wanna confess to that, then you confess to it.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “But don’t depend on other people. Depend on yourself.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And… that way there won’t be no hard feelings between yourself, ‘cause if玆once you get hard feelings on yourself, then you ain’t nothin’”

Toole: “Yeah.”
Lucas: “You gotta face it, and that’s the only person than can face it.”

Toole: “That’s right.”

Lucas: “And if there’s anything that I can do in order to help you find somebody玆if you don’t know where it’s at玆then ask me.”

Toole: “Well, you kept u玆kept up with it more than I did. I didn’t keep up with all that.”

Lucas: “Well, I had to. I’ve tried to give ‘em details玆”

Toole: “You’d take me in circles all day long, and I wouldn’t know where I’m at.”

Lucas: “[laughs] Well, I know that, and…”

Toole: “You know I know road-maps, but I don’t, uh, I don’t know the difference from one city to another city when it’s uh, in another, ’nother county, you know.

Lucas: “Yeah, I know that.”

Toole: “Another state, I mean.”

Lucas: “Yeah. But I think you know Florida as ‘bout as good as anyone around.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And I think that you know that, uh, places that you and I have been in Florida, that玆we know that there’s people there玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “But they’ve never been able to find ‘em.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Just like there’s people here in Texas that they can’t find.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “There’s people in California that they can’t find. There‘s people all over that they can‘t find. And I‘ve tried to give ‘em details; I’ve tried to give ’em descriptions of every person that I can‘t pinpoint, I can‘t put my finger right on and say ‘that’s where she’s at.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, uh… I’ve give up to as high as two hundred descriptions…”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Of, uh, different people, and it’s been awkward; not something that’s make-believe or something that somebody’s said玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, uh, I can’t pinpoint my, uh, my location.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, uh, it’s caused a lot of confusion, uh玆”
Toole: “I wanna ask you somethin’ too, Henry.”

Lucas: “What is it?”

Toole: “How many玆how many niggers did me and you kill.”

Lucas: “Ahh niggers. Ahh, let’s see… that’d be, uh… approximately twelve all together.”

Toole: “About twelve?”

Lucas: “Yeah. Somewhere around that n玆uh, around that area.”

Toole: “Some of ‘em was, ahh…”

Lucas: “Well, what they call niggers, or half niggers and half, uh, white.”

Toole: “Yeah. Some of ‘em was gay and what have you, too, wasn’t they?”

Lucas: “Yeah. They’ve been a mixed breed of people as far as, uh, the killings themselves.”

4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pUYNASfWNM

 

Lucas: “And玆”

Toole: “Well, I liked to [0:00 INDECIPHERABLE] ‘em up, and all that mess, too.”

Lucas: “Yeah. [while laughing] Well, I’ve been through that, too. Uh, I have done it, you know.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Uh, I’m not gonna deny that, and玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “I’ve done it because I’ve had to do it.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “’Cause, uh…”

Toole: “I’ve been tryna block that outta my mind, you know玆”

Lucas: “There玆There is no way you can do it. Blockin’ somethin’ outta your mind is impossible. So, uh… as far as, uh, what you’ve done, what you’ve said, uh, you’re the only one that knows the truth.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, uh, that truth has to be comin’ from you. Just like I have to tell the truth about what I’ve done. I’ve told ‘em one here this morning’ that I’d done, that I forgot about doin’.”

Toole: “Yeah. Are you countin‘ just the ones you killed by yourself, or me and you killed together?”

Lucas: “I’ve only told ‘em ‘bout the ones that I’ve done. Yeah玆”

Toole: “You told ’em a hundred and fifty, didn’t you?”

Lucas: “Yeah, and玆”

Toole: “Huh?”

Lucas: “Yeah, I gave ‘em a hundred and fifty positively identifications on玆on the ones that I’ve done.”

Toole: “I said we m玆I told ‘em with me and you together, maybe ‘b玆umm, ‘bout se玆’bout fifty or sixty, you know.”

Lucas: [laughs] “There’s a lot more than that, boy!”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Mmm. You best, uh玆the only thing I’m askin’ Ottis玆”

Toole: “I killed over a hundred and something by myself.”

Lucas: “Well, that’s玆ha ha, I know that’s a whole lot.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Um. The thing is, uh, when I asked for this call玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “Is I thought that you were doing some things because of me.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “’Cause of what you believe that I have done.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “But I don’t want you to do that. I want you to only tell玆if you done something, I want you to tell what you’ve done, and if I’m involved in it, then you tell ‘em that. Because that’s the only way that I’ll know, definitely玆”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “That you’re gonna be honest.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, uh, I don’t hold anything against anybody.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “If I’ve done something, then I’ve done it. And…”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “I mean, uh Becky has meant more to me than any [2:18 INDECIPHERABLE] part of my life. And I want to know玆”

Toole: “You and her m玆You and her m [2:20 INDECIPHERABLE]”

Lucas: “Well, I know. That’s the same with, uh玆h玆her, because, uh… when she died, I died玆”

Toole: “I know she annoyed you at times, but that was natural, you know.”

Lucas: “Well, that’s always natural. I mean, everybody that runs together, or be’s together anywhere else, is always gonna have arguments, there’s nobody [2:39 INDECIPHERABLE]. And I don‘t wanna let arguments interfere with what has to be done.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And, uh, I didn’t feel right, if I say ‘well yeah, Ottis done so-and-so‘, or ‘I done so-and-so’. I didn’t feel that was right, you know.”

Toole: “Yeah.”

Lucas: “And… I’ve been arguin’ with police officers, I’ve been… practically jumped on top of by police officers up in, uh, Monterey. And, uh玆”

Toole: “I ain’t jumped on nobody.”

Lucas: “Well, they come close with me gettin’ on ‘em, I tell you. And, uh玆”

Toole: “I ain’t jumped on none of ‘em ‘cause I wouldn’t be gettin’ nowhere.”

Lucas: “No you won’t. Um, that’s why I had to hold off, you know: ‘cause I don’t want to do it.”

Toole: “I used to do that when I was younger, you know, I used to bite back at ‘em, but, uh, I got the daylights beat out of me, too.”

Lucas: “[laughs] Well, that’s true, too.”

Toole: “But I cut that out, you know.”

Lucas: “Yeah. But, uh, there‘s another case I was gonna ask you about, but I been told that I‘m not allowed to ask, and, uh, I promised my attorney I wouldn‘t ask.”

Toole: “Huh?”

Lucas: “I promised my attorney I would a玆wouldn’t ask about a certain case, so I won’t ask about it.”

Toole: “Okay.”

Lucas: “And, uh玆”

---

The Story Of Henry Lee Lucas
By Shells Walter
Published In Serial Killer Magazine

Henry Lee Lucas started out in a dark world of physical and mental abuse. His mother often beat him with any type of object she was able to get a hold of including her own hands. The abuse became so severe that it eventually damaged Lucas physically and had a deep emotional impact as well.

Lucas started his murdering habits at the age 15 of a 17 year old girl.  He had at first tried to rape her and knocked her unconscious. She woke back up and fought back somewhat. Lucas then strangled her. Later, when talking Lucas would tell of how he didn't me to kill the girl; that it just happened. It was also at the age of 15 that Lucas had his first time in jail, convicted for breaking and entering. He was discharged a year later to be convicted of the same thing.  He was sentenced to 4 years.

In 1959 he made his way back to Michigan to join his sister. Being here proved to have Lucas commit another murder; this time his mother. An argument had started to get heavy at a bar that later continued. The result was Lucas beating her to the brink of death. He fled. His sister however, found their mother. The mother later died at the hospital.

Lucas stole a car he fled to Va. He was later arrested in Ohio and returned to Michigan where he was later tried for murder. In 1970, Lucas was recommended for parole. However, he warned officials he would kill again if released. The timing of overcrowding and money ignored his warning and he was released. As soon as he was released, his next victim was killed that day right down the road. Soon after he was released he was arrested for kidnapping a 15 year old girl waiting for a school bus.

He was sentenced to prison and released in 1975. In 1979, he went to Jacksonville, Florida. This is where he met his new partner in crime, Ottis Toole. Ottis and Lucas went across the state committing burglaries, hitting gas stations and convince stores. This is when he had met Becky Powell as well. All three of them fled cross country, killing and robbing what was said to be over 100 victims until finally settling in southern California.

In August of 1982, Lucas made his way back to Florida. Becky was with him. Here is where Lucas committed yet another murder, Becky's. They had an argument where Becky was threatening to leave him. He ended up hitting her, striking her so hard that she hit her head. She died. He took off her ring and tried to hide her body after attempting to hack it into pieces. Lucas eventually dragged her body under a desert scrub.

In 1983, Lucas was picked up on a weapons charge. He later confessed to the police about the murders. Lucas was convicted of 11 counts of murder. He received the death sentence for only one of the victims, a hitchhiker named "Orange Socks" that was killed during the time of him and Ottis. After trail evidence came back, it was proven there was no way Lucas could have killed him. 4 days before his lethal injection, Governor Bush commuted his sentence. It was later thought his partner Ottis Toole had committed the murder.

It was later discovered that brain damaged had occurred which stopped him from logically thinking of what was right and wrong. Delusions set in from emotional abuse and from some of the brain damage that was caused.  He was diagnosed as a psychopath through testing later.  It was later thought that some of this may have caused the murders and behavior he held through out his life; including wanting to die in his cell with the several attempts of suicide.

Henry Lee Lucas confessed to over 300 murders at one time to later take that confession back and later to just re-confess.  He died of a heart attack in his cell in March 2001.

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Serial Killers and Transvestism
By Melissa Hogle
Published By Melissa Hogle

Let's first start with a firm and clear statement: transvestites are not a violent group of people as a whole; cross-dressing in itself is not a precursor to deviancy or a sign of mental illness.  It's a personal preference that may or may not have to do with the individual's sexuality.  ...Of course now you're probably asking, with that disclaimer, why am I going to cover the topic at all?  Because, frequently, serial killers have had some experience in transvestism whether they've wanted to or not.  For the serial killer involved in transvestism it's usually a progression of sorts, their earliest, unwanted, encounters in cross-dressing leading them both to their desire to kill and cross-dress later.

Forced Into Frills

The idea of severe childhood abuse contributing in the creating of a serial killer is common because it often is the case.  When child abuse is mentioned in this capacity the images of physical violence, sexual molestation, and extreme verbal abuse occur most frequently.  There is another form of abuse that seems to occur often in the male killer's childhood and that is forced transvestism - being made to wear dresses, being referred to by female names, and even being presented to others under these circumstances.  For this form of cross-dressing it's less about transvestism and more about the utter humiliation caused to the young, developing, male child forced to undergo it.  At its bare bones it's simply a creative form of child abuse perpetrated by the abuser.

Charles Manson had an uncle who sent him to school in a dress; Henry Lee Lucas's mother did the same.  Carroll Edward Cole, a.k.a. "The Barfly Strangler", who murdered 16 people from 1948-1980 (the earliest being when he was just ten and drowned a classmate) in a number of states, also apparently had a mother who forced him to dress like a girl.  According to crime writer Michael Newton, after forcing her son into frilly skirts, petticoats, and the like, Cole's mother would make the boy serve her and her friends at tea parties where they would all mock him, sometimes referring to him as "mama's little girl."  ...It's no wonder the man grew up to despise others (specifically women) enough to kill them without remorse.

Dress-Up Turns Deadly

None of the previously mentioned killers ever continued their cross-dressing into their adult years, however some other killers did.  Hadden Clark was born to two parents of wealth and privilege (his mother could date her family back to the Mayflower and his father helped to invent Saran Wrap); something that is not only rare in the cases of serial killers, but also the only real difference in his childhood from others who grow up to kill like he did.  Despite the money and good name Clark's parents were alcoholics who, when drunk (which was most, if not all, the time), were vicious to each other and their children.  When drinking young Hadden’s mother would dress him as a girl and refer to him as Kristen…As a man, Clark retained the alias of Kristen Bluefin; one can only assume that the alias came directly from his mother's "nickname" for him.

As he grew up Clark was disturbed at best...continuing (now voluntarily) the early forced cross-dressing and frequently identifying himself as female was, in fact, the least of his bizarre adult behaviors.  Clark, who most often worked as a chef, was recorded as urinating in the mashed potatoes of customers he disliked and/or felt had slighted him, chugging down beef's blood, and masturbating in front of his little niece in 1986.  It was as he packed after getting kicked out for the last behavior that his first of two confirmed kills occurred...that of six year old, Michelle Dorr.  The little girl showed up looking for the niece when Clark stabbed and killed her with one of his chef knives.  After failing in his attempt to have sex with the body, he ate some of the flesh before putting the child in a duffle bag and burying the cargo in a shallow grave in a nearby park.

His second kill occurred in 1992 and more closely related to his transvestism as well as his fast deteriorating mental state.  This time he went after the daughter of a woman he was gardening for; a recent college grad named Laura Houghteling.  In the middle of the night Clark, dressed entirely as a woman (wig, blouse, slacks, and even a purse), snuck into the young woman's room with a .22-caliber rifle as a weapon.  He woke the girl up demanding to know what she was doing in his bed and forcing her to admit that he, in fact, was Laura and she was the impostor.  At gunpoint he then made her undress and bathe before covering her face entirely in duct tape, killing her via suffocation in the process.  Once dead Clark then used scissors to cut off the young lady's earlobes, carried her body and bloodied bedding into his truck, and buried her in a shallow grave.

Clark was immediately suspected of the murder of Laura Houghteling and arrested when a bloody pillowcase he'd kept as a souvenir was found with his fingerprints on it.  While in prison for that murder he confessed to killing little Michelle Dorr to his cellmate and then later brought police to her body.  As recently as 2000 Clark agreed to show law enforcement other sites where he claims he's committed murders provided they bought him a woman’s wardrobe at Kmart and he could wear the clothes while helping the officers.  Dressed in an outfit that included bra, panties, wig, and skirt Clark escorted the lawmen around a few states (including Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts) and to land in Cape Cod once owned by his grandfather where a bucket of approximately two hundred pieces of women's jewelry - including some owned by Laura - was found.  Clark claims they were all trophies he’d taken off numerous different victims; whether or not that's the case is debatable though since only the remains of the two kills covered here have ever been found to date.

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The Dangers in Daylight
By Melissa Hogle
Published By Melissa Hogle

Most people are fully aware and prepared for the dangers that come as the sun goes down.  They lock their doors, set their alarms, and stay inside until the next day arrives.  It's understandable; a great deal of crimes do occur at night with all those opportunities the cover of dark gives the criminal that can't be had when the sun's out.  But that doesn't mean one's risk of becoming a victim leaves with the night so here are some tips to keep in mind to remain safe even in the sunlight:

Tip #1: Beware of Dusk and Dawn

These two times of day, where it's still or getting to be light out, frequently give people a false sense of security.  Those early morning and late evening joggers become prime targets for just that reason...with their iPods rocking and concentration set on the run rather than their surroundings they’re ripe for the kill.  It's true that these times of the day are great opportunities to get a workout in without the hassle of other runners, but it's also true that the potential killer simply sees it as a time in which a target is available minus all those pesky witnesses.  ...The tip?  Either push your run times to where there will be more people around than just you (and a potential attacker) or run with some friends.  The calories burned are the same no matter the time of day or the number of people out with you.

Tip #2: Midday Murders Happen

The sun is shining and people are out and about enjoying the fine midday weather.  A guy, his arm in a sling, walks up to a pretty girl and asks if she could help him in unloading a sailboat from his car...he would himself but, well, the busted arm and all makes it hard for him to do all on his own.  The pretty girl agrees and heads off with him...the pretty girl is never seen alive again.  That was the story of both Janice Ott and Denise Naslund from Issaquah, Washington...both victims of serial killer Ted Bundy on July 14, 1974 while at Lake Sammamish State Park.  ...The tip?  No matter the time of day it's deeply unwise to follow a stranger (even a seemingly handsome and somewhat crippled one) off somewhere alone.  Don't be afraid to decline to help and suggest the person go in search of someone better able to help.  If you really do feel the need to help there's always suggesting someone else for them ("I'm not strong enough to help, sorry, but that muscle man over there looks pretty capable") or asking others in the area to go with you and Mr. Sailor-In-Need ("The more the merrier, right?")  If the person in distress moves on or declines your new offers then you're off the hook from the guilt of not helping and all the safer...of course if the guy does turn you down and appears to go off to the next available pretty little thing with the same story you might want to notify the nearest official (lifeguard, park ranger, cop, etc) that there's a guy walking around that might to be in search of more than just a helpful hand.

Tip #3: Secluded is Secluded, No Matter the Time

Yes, I'm sure the national park or a nice country road is lovely to walk down on a beautifully sunny day, but that doesn't mean it has to be walked alone.  Think of it this way, while you can better see the scenery an attacker can better see you, the lack of witnesses, and what he's doing.  ...The tip?  Bring some friends.  None of the natural beauty of where you are will be lost if some friends join you in the appreciation of it; heck having friends along might increase your enjoyment because you're sharing the experience with those you know, care for, and trust.  Remember, what can be enjoyed alone can often be better, and more safely, enjoyed with others.

Tip #4: Go Ahead, Make A Scene

This is something that parents frequently teach their children but forget the importance of themselves; don't be afraid to make a scene.  It's understandable that people fear that, if wrong in the threat assessment (or, even if correct, the threat level isn’t obvious to others), they will look strange, incredibly rude, or even crazy to others nearby...but kidnappers, car-jackers (the ones where they want you to stay in the car with them), and killers likely depend on this fact for their success at times.  Take a tip from yourselves on this one, adults, and don't be afraid to scream, yell, hit, kick, and otherwise make as much noise and fuss as possible if some creep tries to grab or threaten you in attempts to take you somewhere you don't want to go.  Better safe and thought crazy than be remembered fondly by those you loved and left behind.

Tip #5: Always Be Aware!

It would seem this essay is encouraging paranoia or hyper-vigilance, but that's not the case.  The idea isn't to assume every person or circumstance is a threat, it's merely to be more aware in general.  For the most part criminals aren't really all that invested in one specific victim, they're just going for the easiest mark and a good way to keep from being that is to be aware of what's going on.  Look around you, get off the phone (this means talking and texting), keep your headphones off or low enough so that you can still hear around you, and avoid areas that look a little unsafe (i.e. secluded).  Even if you're really not taking in that much look like you are.  Look people in the eye, keep your head up, and give off the vibe of being fully in charge...killers are losers looking for an easy win, if you look like the type to fight they're going to move onto the next person.  Also it never hurts to bring that herding mentality so frequently used in trips to the ladies' room into other aspects of life - smoking breaks, walks to the car (the last two in the group can park next to each other), and even taking the family out to the beach or park (this one gives moms and dads the added bonus of extra babysitters and helps with that whole "it takes a village to raise a child" ideal).  The more aware you are of your surroundings the safer you are, enough said.

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Good Deeds
By Jessica Fairfield 
Published in Serial Killer Magazine

Anyone who's studied serial killers even remotely can tell you many of them wear masks in public and remove it when they kill. The masks they wear are so well made that sometimes even when all the evidence points to one individual, the authorities do not make an arrest because they don’t believe such a friendly person could be a cold-blooded killer. This was the case with Ted Bundy. After a description and composite drawing were released, four different calls came in (one from Ted’s own wife) claiming that a Mr. Theodore Bundy fit the suspect's description perfectly. He was questioned briefly and detectives made judgments and decided to remove him from the suspect list. They felt such a gentleman couldn’t possibly be the serial killer on the loose. Bundy’s genius and ingenuity are the cause behind many unnecessary deaths. His public persona was such a good disguise that he had had everyone who knew him (or thought they did) fooled completely. When Bundy was proven to be the killer these same people were absolutely stunned.

In many cases above and beyond Ted’s the personality killers present to the public represent upstanding, friendly, and well-to -do citizens, leading nothing but an ordinary life. In fact nothing could be farther from the truth. As a result of their alter egos some well-known serial killers have actually portrayed themselves as heroes or good Samaritans when presented with such opportunity.

Before his arrest Ted volunteered for a suicide hotline. While there he worked alongside author Ann Rule who claims Ted saved more lives then he took. During another occasion Ted was witness to a purse snatching and took it upon himself to chase down the thief and retrieve the purse. And there is still another time Ted was able to help out. He pulled a drowning toddler from the water. I’m sure regardless of anything else Ted ever did the parents of the toddler he saved appreciated his help.

John Wayne Gacy, one of the most despicable killers ever, loved to dress as a clown, a well known fact, but what is not so commonly known is the fact that he would perform as Pogo the clown, for free, for children’s hospitals. He’d also host a BBQ in his town every year. He did all the cooking himself on a grill that stood mere feet away from his collection of dead bodies.

Arthur Shawcross, infamous for his string of murders near Genesee River in New York, was also the savior of at least one life. Before he’d ever killed anyone that authorities knew about, he was in jail for setting fire to an old workplace. While there a riot broke out and several prisoners had a guard cornered and would have undoubtedly killed him had it not been for Arthur stepping in and helping the cop out of the situation. It earned him an early release. However it was during another incident when someone needed Shawcross’ help that his switch went and he made his first kill.(according to authorities, but according to Arthur’s records he’d killed several times before while in the army) While wandering the woods one day he came across a young boy stuck in a mud hole. He pulled the boy to safety and then instructed him to go home and clean up. Instead he followed behind Shawcross through a creek and deeper into the wood. Somewhere along the line the boys company became a bitter annoyance for Arthur and he lashed out, leaving a slaughtered little boy in the repulsive aftermath. However he did not stop there. He proceeded to cannibalize the boys heart and genitals as well as raping his corpse. Afterwards the boy was burried in a shallow grave, but this was not the end of his degradation. Arthur later returned and dug up the body for more necrophilia. After this kill he killed a little girl but then changed his victims of choice over to hookers and took up the method of disposing of the bodies in the Genesee River, thus earning him his nickname, the Genesee River Killer.
Robert Berdella was a member of the crime watch in his community in Kansas City, Missouri. He also turned half of his own home into a halfway house for troubled youths. Yet, another room in the same house was reserved especially for the torture and death of seven young men. One man made it out alive by pure luck. His ranges of torture endured had been particularly disturbing; one of Berdella’s cruel methods was to inject his victims with animal tranquilizer to turn them into what he called “playtoys”. All were kept alive for torture until they died from lack of food and water. After death the bodies were dismembered in his tub and thrown out in trash bags. Had it not been for the one victim who did escape, its hard to say how long this hellhole would have been able to carry on. After his arrest Robert claimed he was a decent human being and to back this up he set up trust funds for the families of his victims.

To each and every person are good and bad qualities. The dark side of serial killers is very demented. The fact that they can limbo in and out of personalities however should come as no surprise. We all wear our own masks in public and take them off when we're home. In the world of norms the mask although not shielding murder can be hiding something just as despicable. In any case should a good deed not be a good deed just because of the other actions a person has committed? How would the near-drowned toddler feel had Ted not been there? Would the prison guard have found his own means out of his sticky situation had Shawcross not been there? After Arthur had been convicted of murder, did it change the guard's opinion of him? And, while were at it, I wonder if the victims families ever used the money flowing in from the trust fund arranged by their dead relative's murderer.

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Journey Into the Minds of Serial Killers
by Jessica Fairfield
Published in Serial Killer Magazine

Serial killers have left professionals stunned, officials disgusted, and families devastated. They can be as deadly as a war, plague or natural disaster. Given, the body counts differs drastically, but keep in mind that some 200 serial killers are in operation on any given day since the mid 20th century. Then consider how often a war, plague or natural disaster occur, this may help you even out the odds a little better. The issue of serial murder is one that should be of great importance to everyone. Undeniably, serial murder has been responsible for many inhumane and unnecessary deaths.

The evil perceived to exist inside of serial killers is so great that to anyone who is not a serial killer they are a mystery. To some they may be a fluke, to others, just a bad seed, to some a phenomenon of man. Either way to write them off as accidents made by mother nature is just about the worst way of protecting ourselves from them. It is human nature to question the unknown and the only way to find a solution is through logical thinking. To achieve results we must ask ourselves why, why do serial killers lust to kill, and not answer ourselves with the short justifications we’re comfortable with. To find the appropriate answer we must journey into the minds of serial killers.

Brain damage or defunct is the number one suspect and the most widely accepted explanation for serial murder. In deed, one would have to be at least a little crazy to savagely kill his victims while his family slept around him, as John Wayne Gacy did. Then to go on to bury the bodies in his own crawlspace, any reasonable mind would know that keeping such strong evidence in their own home would be dangerous. The brain is the central life force in anyone’s life and is therefore the first to blame when someone turns up with 33 bodies planted in their crawlspace. Many serial killers are in fact affected by brain damage or defects, but so are many non-serial killers. So clearly, problems with the brain are not the sole creators of serial killers.

Malfunctions of the brain have a strong hold on any affected by them. These malfunctions can be caused or acquired in many different ways. Some may be born with a disorder and others develop problems through life experiences such as injuries or abuse. Injuries are all unique, and so are their affects. Some affects are a direct result of a brain injury, others a side affect, per say feeling self conscious about a scar or deformity left behind by the injury. Emotional trauma is also a leading cause of brain defects. An abused child can experience chemical imbalances or underdevelopment of certain vital sections of the brain as a result of the abuse they experienced. They may also have multiple problems if they are receiving both physical and mental abuse. Sexual abuse can also tug and pull the brain out of shape. But, can brain damage excuse a person from responsibility of murder? Where should the line between full responsibility and diminished responsibility be drawn? Even if a universal line was agreed upon, brain defects are not always easy to see or prove. You may have an X ray in front of you that shows clear damage to the frontal lobe area, a location in the brain responsible for such human tasks as thinking, planning, and problem solving, but who is to say exactly how said damage would affect the person in question and how much the damage would impact an individual. Each head injury or brain defect is unique and its results cannot be predicted or even understood.

To have a better chance of understanding what if any traits of a serial killer are brought about due to a suspected cause, you must compare serial killers with these causes and then compare their outcomes. If a similar trait is found then it can be suggested that this trait of serial killers is brought about by this cause.

For instance, say brain damage. You must take two serial killers affected by brain damage, we’ll use Henry Lee Lucas and Bobby Joe Long, and compare their outcomes.

Henry Lee Lucas was 50% of the dangerous duo that inspired the famous Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies. Bobby Joe Long was known as the Want ad Rapist. Both serial killers had experienced serious head injuries that left clear brain damage. Around the age of 12 Henry was beaten with a 2 by 4 so badly that he was put into a coma for a week. The beating was administered by his mom who also left him where he dropped while he was out cold for a week. Bobby had multiple injuries that could have caused brain damage. At five he fell from a swing and was knocked unconscious, at six he had a bike accident that sent him flying head first into a parked car, at seven he fell off a pony and landed on his head. Then he took a few years off but his worst head injury was still to come. In his 20s, Bobby had a motorcycle accident, his head was smashed into the pavement with such force that it had cracked his helmet. Other then the head injuries and the fact that they were both serial killers, Henry and Bobby seem to have little in common.

Henry was raised by an abusive prostitute mother with some input from her many johns. His father, who had been left legless after dancing with a train one drunken night, died of an pneumonia while Henry was still young. The pneumonia that killed him was acquired when he slept outside in protest of what his wife was doing with herself. Bobby was raised by his mother too, but she was a waitress who struggled with her finances throughout Bobby’s youth. She was only able to provide them with a motel room, and at that it was only a one bedroom. Bobby slept in bed with his mom until the age of 12. By her accounts she was always fully clothed. Bobby does not complain about the living conditions, he complains that his mother was always out on dates until it was morning when he would be leaving for school. Henry’s life had been a downward spiral from the day he was born. As he grew in age he traveled further and further down his downward spiral and eventually landed in jail convicted of serial murder. Aside from what was either clumsiness or just very bad luck Bobby had led a somewhat normal life until that final head injury in the motorcycle accident. He was happily married and living in Florida when it happened and afterwards his sex drive skyrocketed. He excessively demanded sex from his wife two to three times daily. Eventually his outrageous sexual demands led him to rape. His MO, find items for sale in the newspaper, schedule a daytime meeting to go look at the object in question, and then go to the home in hopes of finding a helpless and alone housewife. When he did, the poor unsuspecting women would be tied up and raped. Bobby raped countless times, but always left the victims alive until one day when he began to take more then just their dignity. In the end Bobby was responsible for the deaths of ten women. Henry had been a killer since he was a young boy, but his victims then had been farm animals. He claims he was about 15 or 16 years old when he claimed his first human victim. She had been a 17 year old rape victim of his who fought him off too hard. His next victim would not come for another eight years. This time it was his mom who was killed in the heat of another of many bitter arguments. He stabbed her to death. For this incident he spent 11 years in a hospital for the insane. In 1970 he was paroled and managed to kill a girl only a few blocks from the prison on the day of his release. In 1976 he tied up with killing partner Otis Toole and the duo went on to kill more then could be counted.

There are many differences in their stories. Bobby worked alone, Henry had a partner. Bobby targeted woman specifically and his murders were premeditated very tediously. Henry’s murders were hot blooded, heat of the moment incidents. Bobby was caught because he got careless, Henry confessed when he had a sudden attack of conscious. It seems they have nothing in common, but there actually is a few similarities. Both raped before murder and in both cases rape did eventually lead them to murder, even if Henry did start out on farm animals. But, even more important then this is there similar desire for non-objectionable sex partners. Bobby kept his tied up, Henry killed his off before sex. When questioned as to why he preferred sex with the dead, Henry answered, “I just wanted a little peace and quiet.” Both Bobby and Henry would have left childhood with tainted and promiscuous images of their mothers. Henry’s mother was clearly the worse of the two, she not only had better things to do, but she was out to destroy her own son. Both were left starved for affection from any source. That may explain why both had a need for a completely submissive sex partner and why Henry’s case is more extreme since he goes as far as to prefer a dead sex partner. So while we know that head injuries alone cannot cause a serial killer perhaps the combination of head injuries, and a neglectful and promiscuous mother can lead to a lethal and dominating sex drive that is common among serial killers.

It has also been speculated that adopted children, foster children, and all children raised by someone other then family members have a disadvantage for becoming a serial killer. Some of these unfortunates go through childhood knowing no place as home, never feeling secure or loved while being passed between institutions, foster homes, and other temporary shelters. They never form the social bonds necessary for proper human development. Just as with head trauma and brain effects cannot single handedly mold a serial killer, neither can this type of upbringing. Many have had these disadvantages and have grown to become functioning members of society. However, there have been quite a few cases of serial killers who have been raised in this way and so it merit’s a look into the situation. Charles Manson and Albert Fish are two such examples. In Manson’s case his father was never in the picture and his mother never wanted him. Like Lucas mom, Mrs. Manson was a prostitute who had little time for her son. As a result Charlie became involved with crime at a very young age and so began his juggling between institutions and boys homes. Charlie claims that this upbringing caused him to become dependent upon a government controlled surrounding. The only life he knew was an institutionalized life and in his own words he would be unable to function in a normal society. When the parole board disagreed with his findings, he proved them wrong by concocting a cult and masterminding the slaughter of celebrities.

Albert Fish was placed in an orphanage at the age of five. There discipline was often and fierce. The usual punishment was to be stripped completely naked and whipped. All this was done in front of the other boys for maximum humiliation. Fish found the only way to cope with his harsh surroundings was to learn to love it, which he did. Throughout the duration of his life, Albert mixed pain with pleasure and found pain to be an erotic, sexual thrill, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He was able to maintain a normal life from all outward appearances. He married and had children. His wife left him alone with the children, and he played the role of a caring, loving father to his children. But years into his life, his childhood trauma reappeared with killer force and took over. Fish could no longer cage his demons and began to target, rape, and kill young children. Manson’s victims were selected for their financial and social status for maximum impact on the world, while Fish selected the black boys from the slums as they went unnoticed. Manson had an extensive criminal record while Fish kept a low profile. It seems the only common trait is that they were serial killers, but careful examination will reveal a similarity.

Manson’s yearn to affect the world with his crimes was blunt and obvious. Everyone one knows Manson the hippie cult leader from the 60s. Fish however is not quite as common a name. Although he may never have achieved the notoriety Manson has, his famous letter to a victims mom shows his urge to attract attention to himself and his crimes. Often serial killers, being the uniquely strange individuals that they are, grow pompous and proud of their crimes. They expect to be caught one day at which point they will no longer be able to kill, but will be able to finally take credit for their deviant accomplishments. In his famous letter Fish boasts to the mother of poor Grace Budd of how much joy he had in killing and eating her daughter, how delicious she had tasted and so on. Taking credit for his work seems to be exactly what Fish was looking to achieve. Had he never wrote the letter he may have never been apprehended for any murders. Perhaps that was the last thing Fish wanted. Maybe the years spent in institutions, during their constant search for placement, love, and acceptance left children like Manson and Fish with a lifelong hunger for attention as well as a lack of self development. They may have been trying to confirm their self worth which they felt could only be done by attracting the attention from many. They may have felt a need to leave their mark on the world, that in doing so they made themselves someone. They may have been trying to compensate for what they lacked in childhood. They were always they forgotten one and they wanted to change all that. The demented means by which they went about making names for themselves were molded by their personal life experiences, but their common trait, starved for attention, may have been brought about by their similar childhood dispositions. So while we know that being an unwanted child cannot alone cause a person to kill, perhaps being the unwanted one leads to a desperation for attention, by any means necessary.

There are many subjects of interest aside from the two I focus on that are believed to be causes of serial murder. There is also much speculation about what may be signs of a future serial killer. Many serial killers practiced on animals before moving on to human victims, some wet the bed years after they should have been over the problem, some show sadistic and/or awkward fetish’s. But, signs of serial murder like causes of serial murder all dead end. Many have had similar or even worse problems but do not become serial killers. There is no one cause or sure sign of serial murder. And, vice versa, normally serial killers cannot be classified as simply an adoptee or a mental case. They usually have had multiple disadvantages. While Fish was institutionalized he was also abused and had religion drilled strictly into his head. Henry had his head injuries and the resulting affects, a neglectful, rejectful, and abusive mother and showed famous signs of the serial murderer such as killing and raping animals as well as becoming involved with petty crime at a young age. H H Holmes was physically abused by a strictly religious father, rejected by his peers, and also dabbled in animal torture and killing. Along with all this he also had a backwards and disturbing interest in human anatomy. David Berkowitz was an adoptee who enjoyed setting fires. His mother waited until David was just old enough to have grown very close with her before putting him up for adoption, leaving him with a lifelong feeling of rejection from women. Each serial killer has his or her own unique story. In most cases their life stories can help explain why they did what they did, but the victims are still dead, having had their lives rudely snatched from them prematurely. There is no sure way of detecting a serial killer in the making or of pin pointing one single cause for them or even many. There is only our vast knowledge on what is or isn’t detrimental in the developmental stages of life. Advancements in child service programs is our best bet at avoiding or detecting a problem. They have the power to decide what is or isn’t a stable home and the capability of making a better life for disadvantaged children. Time will bring more knowledge of how to better handle this reoccurring problem.

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Coincidental Catchings
By Jessica Fairfield
Published in Serial Killer Magazine

Just as each individual serial killer has their own unique methods of stalking, killing, and disposing of their victims, they also have their own unique ways of ending their killing sprees. In most cases serial killers carry on killing as long as possible. They take all the precautions they can think of and are usually not stopped until enough detective work and evidence gathering is done. Often times, one does not think they will actually get away with it. Maybe they hope they will but apparently what’s more important to these types is their uncontrollable urges to kill. For one insane reason or another they find the urge to kill simply irresistible. However, when they actually do get away with it they feel invincible and are bound to strike again and again and again. If they are successful too many times they grow bolder, which leads to more killing, more notable victims, and in more public places and times. As a result they sometimes grow careless and begin to leave more and more evidence. Some may feel so invincible that they begin taunting authorities, the public or even sometimes the families of their victims. This can lead to their undoing, as was the case with Albert Fish. He felt it necessary to write a letter to the mother of 12 year old Grace Budd, a girl he’d strangled to death and cannibalized afterwards, to explain in detail the atrocities carried out on her daughter and to let her know how much pleasure he’d gotten out of it. This very letter would prove to be his demise. The foolish old man had a return address simply scribbled out on the envelope he sent it in. A lousy precaution possibly brought about by a feeling of invincibility. In some cases it is pure luck that they are able to get away with any of it and vice versa it is sometimes pure luck that leads to them being caught.

John George Haigh, otherwise known as the Acid Bath Murderer operated in the early 20th century. His victims were anyone he could gain a profit from after death. His weapon of choice varied but his method of disposal was always the same. His victims were kept in 40 gallon vaults of sulfuric acid until they dissolved; afterwards the sludgy remains were dumped down a sewer drain.

He was born in Britain in 1909 and his childhood surrounded by strict religious beliefs. In this particular case the religious upbringing led to a criminal lifestyle, most likely it all started as rebellion. Before he was a murderer he was a scam artist, but apparently not a very good one. He was arrested on fraud charges by the age of 24. He served 15 months for that offense. A little over a year after his release he was in trouble with the law again. This time it was due to a phony solicitors office he’d set up to run stock market scams. He served 4 years this time around. Again it was only about a year after his release that John found himself back to his old tricks. He was back in prison for scamming a young lady friend of his family. He chose to spend his time behind bars wisely (or so he thought) and studied law in an attempt to piece together the perfect crime. It was during these studies that he made the worst misconception of his life. He read in his law books that without a corpus delicti no conviction of murder could be made. The Latin term he believed meant a body actually meant a body of evidence confirming a crime has been committed. So at this point he came to the conclusion that the only thing between him and his riches were human bodies. He set out to find a way to completely destroy human bodies thus leading him to his famous method of disposal, dissolving the people in vaults of sulfuric acid. He was able to practice on field mice while in jail. He calculated how long it took for the mice to be dissolved and figured about how long it would take on a human.

In 1943, at the age of 34 he was released and ready to begin. He reconnected with an old friend named William McSwan who became John’s first unfortunate victim. After being bludgeoned to death with a lead pipe his body was dissolved and dumped in the sewers. John had forged documents which helped him gain power of attorney of his old friend's estate. To avoid Williams's parents from becoming suspicious John sent them a letter telling them their son had left for Scotland to avoid the draft. Yet McSwan’s parents were not persuaded their son would leave without telling them himself. When they pried too far Haigh disposed of them the same way he had their offspring.

He then took out a couple by the name of Henderson, this time shooting both in the head before dissolving their remains. Following the Henderson’s down the sewer was 69 year old widow, Olivia Durand Deacon. Friends missed her and went to authorities. The last they’d heard from her she was headed to John’s workshop, never to be seen again. Police confronted John George Haigh and in his possession was some of Olivia’s jewelry. When faced with this undeniable evidence John grew smug and challenged authorities. Seeing as he’d destroyed all traces of evidence, he claimed, you cannot convict me. He was of course dead wrong. And, had such a law even existed he’d failed in his attempts of destroying everything. In the sewers investigators recovered 28 lbs of human fat, 3 gallstones, 18 bone fragments, a piece of a foot, and Olivia’s dentures. Haigh attempted and failed at an insanity plea, even after taking himself so far into his lie that he drank a cup of his own urine. He was found guilty and hanged Aug 6, 1949.

Fritz Haarman, otherwise known as the Butcher of Hanover was not discovered until he made a careless mistake as well. His killing spree began in 1919, the same year he met his homosexual lover Hans Grans. Hans would select the victims (young boys and men) and Fritz was responsible for killing them. Sometimes he’d disguise himself as a cop to lure his victims in. Once in his clutches they were sexually assaulted before having their throats torn out by Fritz’s teeth. The total amount of men or boys who died at the hands (or teeth) of Fritz Haarman is unknown. As one final insulting atrocity to his victims Fritz would sell the meat from the bodies to the black market. The clothes from the victims were also sold if Fritz or Hans did not want them. The bones were thrown into a lake. On June 22, 1929 Fritz was caught trying to molest a young boy. Besides the fact that a search warrant was soon to be carried out on his home that would turn up much evidence, and the fact that fishermen were pulling up bones instead of fish, Fritz was also discovered when the mother of one of his victims recognized her missing son’s coat on another little boy. The boy was questioned as to where he’d got the coat from and he readily led them to Fritz Haarman. Fritz quickly confessed to his crimes and Hans involvement in them. Hans was given a 12 year sentence and Fritz was put to death by beheading.

Albert Fish, the famous cannibal, targeted children, mostly black or runaways. He killed an undetermined amount of victims during an undetermined amount of time. Had he stuck with the usual blacks or runaways there is no telling if he would ever have been caught or not. However he found the urge to kill a young girl named Grace Budd irresistible. Her case was the only case given a fair amount of detective work out of all his victims, and still her killer could not be found. A manhunt carried on for 6 years to no avail. No amount of detective work was going to solve this one. It would take the careless mistake of a foolish, sick, old man. While Albert sat at home one day he noticed a cockroach in a high corner. When he climbed up to kill it he found a stationery set up on a shelf and suddenly he got a wonderful, awful idea. He decided to write a note to Grace’s mother. Grace had indeed suffered a horrendous death. Then after death her body had been disgraced in many ways. Fish felt it necessary to quote every detail of the horror story in the letter to her mother. Satisfied with his despicable letter he scribbled out the return address on the envelope and sent it along. Once she received the letter, Grace’s horrified mother turned it over to the authorities. They were easily able to read the address that had been scribbled out and shortly thereafter Albert was arrested for Grace’s murder. He confessed to her murder and many more and then claimed that angels and God himself had been telling him to sacrifice children. He had been placed in an orphanage at the age of 5 where the typical punishment was to be stripped naked and beaten in front of the other orphans. He later said the only thing he learned there was to enjoy everything that hurt, a strange fact that was confirmed by the 27 sewing needles found jabbed in and around his crotch area. Fish said that he had jammed them in to help him climax. The jury did find him insane but regardless he was sentenced to death. They felt insane or not he deserved to die for what he’d done. On January 16, 1936 he sat in Sing Sings electric chair and was pronounced dead only minutes later.

Before Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy there was Arnold Karl Sodeman. Like Gacy he was married and had children. He worked and lived in South Yerra district of Melbourne, Australia. He was charismatic, well-known, and well-loved by friends and family. However, when left alone with his victim of choice he transformed into a hideous monster.
On November 9, 1930 Arnold spotted his first victim, 12 year old Mena Griffiths, with two friends playing on a swing set. He sent the two lucky girls off with some coins to buy sweets, keeping Mena behind for a “special errand”. A special errand he had for her indeed. Once alone he gagged the helpless little girl and strangled her to death. Her body was found two days later in an abandoned house. For one reason or another police suspicions took a wrong turn and an innocent man was arrested and convicted of Mena’s murder. Then in January of 1931, 16 year old Hazel Wilson was found murdered in the exact same manner as Mena had been. The innocent man was released. Arnold did not attack again until five years later in January of 1936. Ethal Belshaw’s body was found, her fate, the same as Mena’s and Hazel’s before her. In this case Arnold was questioned and found not to be a suspect. Again an innocent man was charged with the murder, but authorities realized their mistake sooner this time and not quite as much damage was caused. One year later Arnold took out a fourth girl, 6 year old June Rushmer. Witnesses said they’d last seen the girl with a man on a bike. Other than this witness account, there were not many leads. That was the case until one day a man came to the police with what he thought was suspicious behavior he’d observed in a co-worker named Arnold Karl Sodeman. While he and the guys were casually having a lunch break and discussing the current murder of 6 year old June one man said to Sodeman “Hey didn’t I see you walking your bike down the street that day?” In response Arnold turned bright red and answered angrily “No you bloody didn’t! I wasn’t there!” After his outburst he slammed his tea down and stormed off. Only two days later Arnold was in jail with a lynch mob nipping at his heels. Although Sodeman confessed police were a little apprehensive as they’d already falsely arrested and imprisoned two men before him. He proved himself guilty beyond all reasonable doubt when he showed authorities his special method of strangling his victims, explaining the previously unexplainable, unique bruising around the girl's necks. Also, seeing as he had lured his victims with sweets he was able to confirm what the victim's last meal had been. He pleaded insanity, but was convicted and hanged on January 1, 1936.

The Beast of the Black Forrest, otherwise known as Heinrick Pommerencke made the careless mistake of leaving his gun (a murder weapon) behind after leaving a tailor shop. The tailor reported it to police and they were able to trace it back to Heinrick.

Born in Bentwich, Heinrick claims as a child he had no friends. By the age of 15 he’d taken up the habit of hanging outside dance halls trying to pick up women. Those who rejected him were sometimes beaten and/or raped. In 1953 he was forced into voluntary exile to Switzerland where he was arrested anyhow on other charges. By 1957 he’d accumulated quite a criminal record. He was charged in countless rape cases, served a year in jail for robbery, and assaulted two young English women in Austria. In 1959 he attacked Dagmer Klinek who was asleep and alone in a railway carriage. When she resisted he shoved her off the train and then signaled a stop. He hopped off and ran down the track to find Dagmer unconscious lying on the ground. She was first raped then stabbed to death.

Heinrick claimed he felt compelled to kill after watching a movie called the Ten Commandments. He was not stopped until he left his gun behind and there’s no telling how long the killing may have carried on had he not made that mistake. At the age of 23 Pommerencke was sentenced to 6 life terms and 140 years imprisonment.

When Ed Gein killed Bernice Worden he’d waited just long enough to attack. She had been in the process of writing out a receipt for Ed’s purchase when he lunged at her, but she’d had just enough time to get his name on the receipt which led authorities to his home and the discovery of his horror story. Before that day Ed Gein was perceived as just a quiet, if slightly strange sort of guy. Of a very strange sort Ed definitely was, his character molded and formed by the worlds most over-bearing mother. Even though he only killed twice he has become one of the most talked about serial killers. Originally the Gein family consisted of George and Augusta Gein and their two boys Henery and Edward. Edward was born in 1906. In 1940 his father died and in 1944 his brother died leaving 38 year old Ed alone with Augasta. It was the ideal lifestyle as far as Ed was concerned until death came a’knocking a third time, this time in search of his precious mommy. Despite the fact that she criticized him for everything he did, his mother probably was the only person who showed him any type of love. He missed her sorely. The bedrooms of his dead relatives were boarded up and Ed stayed home alone becoming what he is so well-known to be. He led a life of loneliness solved by grave robbing and little hobbies like making lampshades, chair covers, and vests out of human flesh. He had nine heads mounted on his wall, only one of which was one of his victims. The discovery of Ms. Worden’s body (or what remained of it) was by far the worst discovery to be had. It hung upside down, beheaded and gutted, handled much the same as a hunter might a deer. Her head was found under a bed half made ready to be hung on the wall with the others. Gein was for obvious reasons found insane and was institutionalized for the rest of his life. He died of natural causes at the age of 78 and was buried next to his mom.

As a patrolman you are taught to expect the unexpected, but when Randy Kraft (the Scorecard Killer) was pulled over for drunk driving, the officers on duty that night were in for quite a surprise. When they approached his car there was a strangled corpse in the passenger seat. It is all thanks to Krafts irrational driving, and the cops who noticed it, that Randy’s homosexual killing spree came to a halt.

By day Randy was a computer consultant, by night he was a crazed killer who sometimes castrated his victims before death as one of many cruel torture methods. One victim had his eyes burned out with a cigarette lighter. Often times foreign objects were found shoved in the rectum and more then once he had chewed the nipples off of his victims.
He began killing in 1972 and carried on until he was pulled over that night in 1983. He is suspect number one in 67 cases of murder however he was only charged with 16 counts of murder, 9 counts of sexual mutilation and 3 of sodomy. On November 29, 1989 he was sentenced to die in San Quentin’s gas chamber.

Arthur Shawcross (the Genesee River Killer) was caught not once but twice because he could not resist the urge to return to the scene of the crime to relive his heinous killings and relish how really horrible of a person he was.

He grew up in a home where incest ran rampant. His childhood upbringing practically guaranteed he would become a disturbing individual. According to his recollections he was molested by an aunt, sodomized by his mother, raped by a pedophile in grade school, participated in incest with his sister and cousin, forced to give oral sex to a girlfriends brother, and practiced bestiality on many types of animals, some as small as chickens others as large as horses. He’d been fairly nicknamed Oddie by his schoolmates, had problems with bed-wetting well into his teens, and enjoyed starting fires.

At 23 years of age Arthur was drafted and sent to Vietnam. During his time there he claims to have raped, slaughtered, and cannibalized two peasant women. Though likely, there is no evidence to collaborate his story. He also claims to have murdered many prostitutes in Saigon. He was discharged in 1969 after less then a year of service and suffering from a case of posttraumatic stress disorder. He returned to his home in New York where an army psychiatrist recommended he spend some time in a mental hospital. Unfortunately, Shawcross’ wife would hear of no such thing and refused her signature on the commitment papers. As a result Arthur’s bad habits resurfaced. He was back to lighting fires, one of which caused $280.000 worth of damage at a paper factory he used to work at. He was sentenced to five years for that mess, but was released after only two years when he saved the life of a prison guard caught in a sticky situation. Then on June 4, 1972, less then a year after his release Arthur killed for the first time (that he has proof of anyway). While strolling through the woods one day he came across Jack Blake, a ten year old neighbor boy who was stuck waste deep in a mud hole and crying for help. At first Arthur responded as any normal person would and helped Jack out of the pit. Once the boy was on dry land Arthur orders him to go home and clean up. Instead Jack follows Arthur deeper into the wood. When Jack becomes a nuisance Shawcross lashes out at him and throws a fatal blow into the boy's throat. Afterwards he was raped and strangled. Arthur cannibalized his penis, genitals, and heart. Yet Arthur, who never got enough, insisted on returning to the crime scene to relive the kill and commit necrophilia on the corpse. The boy was buried in a degradingly shallow grave.

About three months later in September of 1972 he struck again. This time his victim was 8 year old Karen Ann Hill. The helpless little girl was raped and buried alive. Leaves and wet mud were crammed in her mouth and nose to suffocate her. Later that same day, true to character, Arthur returned to the scene and sat there happily licking an ice cream cone. He was spotted by more then one witness and indicated as a suspect as soon as Karen’s body was found. He confessed to the murder of Karen and Jack and was sentenced to 25 years. Amazingly enough, he was paroled in only 15 years. His parole officer wrote: the writer considers this man to be possibly the most dangerous individual to have been released to the community in many years. Yet, the system released him anyway. As a result 11 more people died at the hands of Arthur Shawcross. In January 1988 he picked up a 27 year old prostitute. She was strangled to death and her body flung into the Genesee River. He targeted hookers mostly, sometimes eating their sex organs and always returning for necrophilia. One of his victims was a slightly retarded woman of 30 he was casually acquainted with. Again his compulsion to return to the kill sight proved to be his demise. In June of 1990 he was spotted by a helicopter, masturbating over the same bridge he threw bodies over. He was convicted and sentenced to 10 consecutive 25 year terms.

The very infamous Son of Sam also damned himself with a stupid and careless mistake. His cowardly method of attack was to approach cars and shoot its occupants suddenly, and then run off like a thief (or murderer) in the night. His first shootings were on July 29, 1976. Donna Lauria was killed, her friend 19 year old Jody Valente was wounded, while they sat in a car outside Donna’s apartment. On October 23 he wounded Carl Denaro and Rosemary Keenan while they sat in a car outside a bar. On November 27 he wounded both Donna Demas and Joanne Lumino while they sat in a car outside Joanne’s home. All victims had been shot with a .44 Bulldog earning him his original nickname the .44 Killer. He struck again on January 30 of 1977. Christine Freund was killed, John Diel was unharmed. Again on March 8 this time the victim was randomly selected and shot dead while she walked along the street. April 14 Valentina Suriani and Alexander Esau were both killed in a car. This time David left a letter in which he scuffed at the nickname the press came up with and suggested his own, Son of Sam. June 26 Salvator Lupo and Judith Plecido were wounded in a car. July 31, Stacy Moscowitz was killed and Robert Violante was blinded. When he returned to his car after this attack he found a parking ticket left on his car and in a fit of rage cursed and threw the ticket on the ground. A woman walking her dog just so happened to see the whole thing. She thought it rather odd and told police about it. A trace of tickets issued the night before in her area brought up the name David Berkowitz. When confronted he confessed willingly. On August 23, 1977 he was sentenced to 365 years in Attica prison, NY.

Dennis Nilsen was born November 23,1945. After a troubled childhood, an awkward time growing up, and years of military service, Dennis took to luring young men back to his apartment and murdering them. Afterwards he’d keep the bodies hidden under some floorboards, taking them out from time to time for company, bathing, or necrophilia. He began killing in1978 and was not caught until 1983 by a stupid yet huge mistake. He thought it might be a good idea to flush the dismembered remains of his victims down the toilet. Shortly thereafter the whole apartment building was having plumbing problems. Plumbers were called and upon inspection of the sewer drain they found what they felt sure were human remains. The plumbers phoned the manager who said he’d come and look at it in the morning. The plumber on duty spoke with Dennis and asked if he ever flushed dog food down his toilet. Dennis shrugged him off. Overnight Dennis went out to the manhole, climbed in, and began to collect, with his bare hands, the chunks of human flesh. He dumped them in bags which he then carried out and dumped them behind a garden hedge. Two of his neighbors had heard him moving about and tampering with the manhole. The next day when the plumber returned with his manager and once in the sewers again he was furious and flabbergasted to find the change. Determined to prove he was not crazy he plunged his hand in and fished through the feces and came up with a hand full of flesh and bone. The plumber questioned neighbors who told him about Dennis toying with the manhole the night before. Immediately police were called. They approached Dennis with their find and he tried to fake surprise and disgust. Then they asked him, “Where’s the rest of the body?” He answered by opening a closet with bags of human remains inside. He confessed to16 murders and was charged with 6 counts of murder and 2 counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to a mandatory life.

Some of the mistakes made were truly careless mistakes. More often then not, after one gets away with murder time and again they feel everything is under control, their control, and fate is on their side. Yet sometimes killers have claimed that they were careless on purpose because they wanted to be caught. Either way it’s a shame the mistakes could not have been made sooner.

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Characteristics of a Serial Killer
By Jessica Robinson
Published in Serial Killer Magazine

When one mentions the word “serial killer,” the first image that generally pops into your mind is that of a white, middle-class man who murders women.  For the most part, that is a pretty typical image.  Serial killers within the United States are generally single, white males.  They have a high IQ, but usually don’t do well in school, and they have a hard time holding down a job.  Most killers come from unstable families, and they are typically abandoned by their fathers and raised by domineering mothers, which leads to a mistrust of their parents.  Their families have a history of criminal activities, psychiatric problems, and alcoholism.  It is not uncommon for a serial killer to have been abused as a child, whether it is psychologically, physically, and/or sexually.  The killers may have spent time in an institution as a child.  Serial killers have high rates of suicide attempts, and from an early age, they are very interested in voyeurism, fetishism, and sadomasochistic pornography.  As children, they have a fascination with fire starting and the sadistic activity or torturing of small animals.
           

Not every serial killer fits nicely into the characteristics.  There are serial killers who are not white, and every continent (with the exception of Antarctica) has had a serial killer.  Some serial killers are female.  Not every serial killer is going to fit nicely into the characteristics that describe them, there are always exceptions to the rules, but the majority of serial killers fit the majority of the characteristics (that is why they were created!).  Even though the characteristics can be applied to serial killers, they are generally not noticed until after the killer has been caught.  Serial killers know how to elude capture; it is part of their character.

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Definition of a Serial Killer
By Jessica Robinson
Published in Serial Killer Magazine

            The term “serial killer” was first coined in the 1970s and is attributed to former FBI Special Agent Robert Ressler.  It is used to define a person who kills two to three or more people over a period of more than 30 days.  The number of victims attributed to serial killers is highly debatable; the FBI insists that a minimum of three is required to constitute a serial killer while others claim that two or more murders on separate occasions is sufficient.  The killer’s motivation for murder is based largely on psychological gratification, and generally, there is a sexual element involved.  Most serial killers are creatures of habit or ritual, and their murders are attempted or completed in a similar fashion.  Sometimes, but not always, the victims will have something in common. 

            The major element that sets serial killers apart from other murderers is that there has to be a “cooling off” period between each murder.  The typical serial killer is controlled, aware of what they are doing, and avoids being arrested.  They are meticulous in choosing their victims and ritualistic in carrying out the murder.  Unlike other murderers, they return to a “normal” life after they kill. 

            Serial killers are addicted to killing.  The first murder, whether it was intentional or accidental, starts an intense cycle that begins with a homicidal sexual fantasy.  They desperately search for victims, murder them brutally, then return to daily life.  Since a “normal” life is full of unbearable stresses, disappointments, and hurts, this leads the serial killer to more homicidal fantasies and the search for more victims.  Like any other addiction, the serial killer discovers that they need to kill more victims more often to sustain the high they felt with their first victim.  This causes them to become more frenzied, and the frequency and brutality of the murders escalates until they are either caught or grow weary of killing.

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The Difference Between Serial Killers and Mass Murderers
By Jessica Robinson
Published in Serial Killer Magazine

At one point in time, serial killers were classified in the same category as mass murderers, but as law enforcement and experts (FBI profilers, psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists) learned more about them, serial killers were moved into their own category.  The major difference between serial killers and mass murderers is that serial killers kill on separate occasions, and they have no intentions of getting caught.  Mass murderers usually kill several people at one time and are either killed by the police or kill themselves.

Mass murder “is the act of murdering a large number of people, typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time.  Mass murder may be committed by individuals or organizations.”  To be classified as a mass murder, the individual or group must kill more than four people during one particular event.

Most mass murderers come from stable, lower-middle-class families.  Unlike serial killers, they are not usually adopted, illegitimate, or institutionalized as children.  Most mass murderers aspire to be more than they can achieve, and when they fail, they blame other people for keeping them down.  This leads to feelings of exclusion, and eventually an irrational hatred develops that leads to homicide.  There are three classes of mass murderers:  the family annihilators, the paramilitary enthusiasts, and the disgruntled workers. 

Although mass murderers are driven by emotion and only go on a rampage after they are fired or break up with a girlfriend, that doesn’t mean they are disorganized.  Those who committed shootings required a lot of ammunition, and the shooters generally had more than one gun.  Those who kill with bombs have to build the device and wire it so that it goes off as planned.  Like serial killers, they claim a lot of victims, they just do it in a shorter amount of time.

Mass murderers are like fireworks:  they go off in spectacular fashion, but they are only good for one show.  Serial killers are like those snakes:  they keep going and going until they are caught or burn out.  Despite the distinctions between the groups, they all have one thing in common:  they leave behind a large body count.

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Types of Serial Killers
By Jessica Robinson
Published in Serial Killer Magazine

The FBI classifies serial killers into three categories:  Organized nonsocial, disorganized asocial, and mixed (individuals who display organized and disorganized characteristics).  Organized nonsocial offenders generally have an above average IQ (mean of 123) and plan their murders methodically.  They usually abduct victims and kill them in one place and dispose of their body in another.  Organized killers maintain a high degree of control over the crime scene.  They follow their crimes in the media, and usually have some knowledge of forensic science, allowing them to cover their tracks.  Organized killers are very socially adept, and usually have friends, lovers, and occasionally a spouse and children.

Ted Bundy was an organized nonsocial killer.  He would often put on a fake cast and ask women to help him carry something to his car.  Once there, he would beat them unconscious with a crow bar and carry them away.  Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, was also an organized killer.  He specifically targeted prostitutes because they would voluntarily go with him under the pretense that he was a customer.  After he strangled the women, he placed their bodies in clusters and would litter the crime scene with evidence that would confuse or lead investigators away from him. 

Disorganized asocial killers have a below average IQ (less than 90), and they usually commit their crimes impulsively.  The disorganized killer murders when the opportunity arises, and usually leaves the body in the same place they found the victim.  It is rare that a disorganized killer will cover their tracks, but that does not mean they are easy to catch.  They evade capture because they have a level of cunning that keeps them on the move, and their erratic behavior makes it difficult for police to narrow down a suspect.  Disorganized killers tend to be introverted with few friends, and they may have a history of mental problems.

An example of a disorganized serial killer is Miguel Rivera.  Known as Charlie Chop-Off to the local children, he would attack young boys in apartment buildings in New York.  He would kill them by stabbing them multiple times before chopping of their genitals.  His victims were found in hallways, on rooftops, and in basements.  When he was apprehended, he exhibited severe signs of mental illness, and claimed that God told him to transform little boys into girls. 

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Average Male Vs Serial Killer
Melissa Hogle
Published in Serial Killer Magazine

Serial killer Vincenz Verzeni confessed, “I had an unspeakable delight in strangling women, experiencing during the act erections and real sexual pleasure.”  A disturbing thought, but a rather accurate statement as many other serial killers (male and female) have described gaining a sexual thrill in their kills.  It seems, for a serial killer, it just might be the norm... their torture frequently comparing to our foreplay and their sex being that moment when they kill their victim, when they have all the power, and when they can believe they are God.

For the purposes of this larger piece sexual homicide will be broken down into stages that relate to the standard sexual interaction, using them to compare the average male to the male who commits sexual homicide (for simplicity's sake we'll stick with heterosexual males throughout the piece).  There's the fantasy, the seduction, the foreplay, the act, and the aftermath.

The Fantasy:

Of course, the average person doesn't suddenly go from normal sexual appetites to macabre ones over night no matter what a serial killer might claim later.  No demon enters their body, nor do they suddenly "snap" and go about getting their jollies killing others.  Ever found yourself suddenly having sex with another person for no particular reason, having never thought about that person sexually before?  Didn't think so.  Serial killers and those committing sexual homicide fantasize beforehand just like everyone else.  Fantasy is a key element to the killer throughout his life...both before, during, and after the kill and during his "cooling-off" phases.

~ In Development ~

Like a person developing a normal (i.e. not a killer's for the purposes of this piece) sexuality it's a slow, steady, process that leads up to their committing sexual homicides.  That, however, is about where the similarities end.  The average child, when very young, may play superhero with their action figures and, when they get a bit older, daydream about being a sports star.  As they grow up and hit puberty, their attentions will likely turn to sex and the desire to be intimate with those they find most attractive.

For the serial killer the fantasy starts early and there is almost always a linkage of sex and violence and those two things forever represent the same thing to them...Power!  Little boys who grow up to be killers frequently recall having early childhood thoughts about violent sex acts.  They dream of dead people or force their siblings into playing death/murder games with them...something their siblings are highly unlikely to be all that excited to play.  As the budding killer gets older his fantasies grow in scope, number, and specificity, as does the amount with which he is aroused by the fantasies.  While the average teenage Johnny is masturbating to thoughts of Jane down the lane coming out of the pool dripping wet, serial-killer-to-be Tommy is masturbating to thoughts of Jane covered in blood weeping for the mercy he won't give her (because he has the power not to).

~ In Action ~

Now the average young man will probably spend a few days thinking and planning before asking a woman out.  He'll debate how to approach her, what to say when he does, and try to figure out all the ways in which he can increase the likelihood of getting her to say yes.   He'll imagine what will happen when he does ask her...Will she smile?  Be flattered?  Say yes, she'd love to, and really always liked him but was too shy to ask him out herself?  Even for those men only aiming to sleep with a woman he met at a club the idea of fantasizing beforehand fits.  The approach, what's said, ways to get her to agree, and her possible reaction are all played out in the guy's mind, there just might not be as prolonged a period between the fantasy and the seduction stages.  The everyday guy will probably go through his fantasy scenario with the woman a fair amount of times, but never as much as a killer.

A serial killer is no different in thinking and planning for his kills.  Bundy might’ve pictured himself walking up to his victims, maybe on a lovely day at the park, imagining what they'd be like…a trusting, young, co-ed from the nearby college, perhaps?   He'd think of possible ways to lower any nerves she might have in going off alone with a stranger and consider every possible reaction she could give – the screaming, the crying – once she realized his true sadistic intentions.  Will she call out for help, for her parents, or beg for her life?  How long can he torture his female victims before she succumbs to blood loss and the life finally leaves her eyes?  In most cases Bundy would’ve had to do some prep work as well and this would go into the fantasy stage – whether it were considering the tools he'd need for his rouse, where the best spot would be to take his victim, or how long he could torture a person before time ran out (he was spotted, the victim died, etc) – the details would need to be thought out ahead of time.  Before he even steps out of his house Bundy, like other serial killers and those who commit sexual homicide, will have gone over every single detail in his mind probably thousands of times.

The Seduction

Let's assume the average Joe has finally worked up the courage to ask out that special girl (and that she’ll say yes).   For the purposes of comparison the interaction from then until the walk to the door that would normally be considered the end of a date all cover the seduction stage.  The seduction starts, at its bare bones, with how the man appears.  He'll be clean, well shaven, and dressed to impress, whether this is in a suit or something else depends on both the girl he's trying to attract and the circumstances of date.  After appropriate appearance comes behavior and interaction.  In wanting to make a good impression a man on a date may do a number of things...open doors, pay for meals, offer his coat, and walk her to her door after.  ...Those more into "picking up" women than dating them may also use pick-up lines, special moves or ploys (like those involving a "wing-man"), or even wear certain clothes to vastly accentuate something they consider a good aspect of themselves and distract from more negative ones (a.k.a. "peacocking").  Whatever tactics are used the goal is ultimately the same, to get the young woman to feel comfortable, even enamored with him, enough to trust and get close to him.

With serial killers the goal of seduction stage is almost disturbingly similar, it's actually pretty much the same.  A serial killer wants to lower a victim’s defenses enough so they can get close.  Like the average gentleman it starts with their appearance.  What they decide to look like depends greatly on what they think will work best to attract the type of victim they wish (assuming they have a preference) and their hunting grounds.  A nice suit will work wonders in trolling for victims around an upscale neighborhood or in a business district where the killer can mix in with those going to and from work.  Going into a lower socioeconomic part of society?  Jeans and a tee shirt might just do the trick.  And, if they want to get fancy, pretending to be disabled or putting on some kind of uniform (police officer, repairman, etc) can work wonders for a killer.  Presuming they're not drooling, staring like a complete psycho, or making a big scene most have the correct behavior down just fine.  After that there's the "pick-up" line, which can usually be any of a number of things including; "Need some help?", "Can you help me?", "Repairman!", and "Hey, wanna see my puppy?"  Once the person falls for whichever ruse the killer has used and gets close enough they're frequently just a knock on the head or chloroform cloth over the mouth away from becoming a victim.

The Foreplay

Ah, foreplay, the beginning of measurable pleasure that can last a few minutes or even hours if paced right.  The main point in foreplay is, naturally, to build up the arousal between (presumably) two people...to get the juices flowing, so to speak.  Which "juices" flow and why depend on if it's two lovers or a killer and his victim.  In this section the average male foreplay will cover from the first kiss to sexual activity for the sole purpose of orgasm (as opposed to arousal).  For the killer it'll cover the moment he reveals his "true self" to the victim and the violent activity done for the sole purpose of orgasm – which is typically the killing of the victim).

~ Average Joe ~

It starts, typically, with a kiss...that first kiss, accompanied by that first moan from his lover, is likely enough to get the heart to start pumping just a little faster than normal.  Kisses, soft and sweet to start, quickly build into something more demanding from both lovers.  Hearts start to pickup their pace and breathing begins to grow heavy with anticipation.  Joe shrugs his jacket from his body as his female companion steps out of her shoes.  By the time they reach the bed shirts have been lost and they fall back onto the mattress together, kissing and letting their hands explore one other’s bodies.  His body heats next to hers and her reactions - the labored breathing, the moaning, that look of pleasure in her eyes - all work together to make Joe's blood pound through his body in excitement.  As both parties shed more clothes and more access to one another's bodies is allowed Joe may begin to feel himself getting further aroused, his member swelling and hardening with desire.  Noting his arousal, seeing it, feeling it, may cause his mate's own to increase to the point where she is sufficiently lubricated enough to allow him to enter her which, in turn, may increase Joe's and thus a cycle begins...a cycle that progresses with penetration and into the next stage, The Act.

Depending on the couple there may also be different methods used to arouse one another or simply to prolong the foreplay.  Roleplaying (with or without costumes), sex toys (vibrators and such), changing pacing or position of the lovers, and even just starting up only to stop, cool down, and start up again during intercourse are all possibilities.  And all these things that work to arouse the lovers fall under the umbrella of foreplay.

~ The Killer ~

It starts, typically, with the killer revealing his true intentions and that first reaction his victim gives when she realizes she's made a terrible mistake in trusting him and her fear begins to show.  Like the first moan for the average guy the first gasp or sob from a victim can be intoxicating to the killer.  The killer's heart begins to pump faster, his breathing can grow labored, and his urge to get more fearful and pained reactions grows.  The victim's heart rate may also increase, her breathing may also labor, though obviously for very different reasons as she's progressing from scared, to terrified, to both terrified and in pain.  If stabbed the victim may begin to scream, cry, and moan in pain, all of which, including her blood flowing and looking up at her attacker in fear, is likely to cause the killer to begin to feel himself start to swell and harden into a full-on erection.  At this point, depending on the killer, he may rape the victim or simply to build up his own lust (and her terror) by torturing her with increasing cruelty and depravity.  ...A word on rape:  it’s really just a means to an end, another way to increase the killer's feeling of power over their victim and to hurt and scare the victim.

Depending on the killer certain techniques and implements might be used (rape, in sexual homicide, falls into this category).  The Zodiac Killer used a number of different things to manipulate, terrorize, and gain control over his victims.  He used a costume of sorts with his black executioner’s mask that likely served to immediately intimidate his victims (which conveniently also was used to avoid potential identification) at Lake Berryessa.  There were at least two weapons he used, a gun and knife, both of which were used for a few purposes during his killer foreplay - increase the fear in his victims, gain control of his victims, and cause his victims pain.  The Zodiac Killer also had his letters to the press and police, which were a way for him to exude power and control and get a rush at the expense of law enforcement and even the public at large.
 
The Act

From the end of the foreplay stage to orgasm really isn't that long, just a moment or so.  But that single moment is one of pure bliss, something that a person will want to experience again and again.  Whether it's with the same person or not is a matter of preference.  So is, exactly, what pushes the person over the edge and into orgasm. For the average male the act as a stage covers the end of foreplay up to, and including, orgasm; for the killer committing the actual murder or whatever specific act pre or post that which brings him to orgasm qualifies as the act stage.  (For those that get their sexual gratification post crime, like David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz, it'll be whatever part of the crime they're thinking about when sexual release occurs.)

~ Average Joe ~

Some men can orgasm through just intercourse with their partner; some simple adjustments in pace and force of thrusts and they're all good.  Others, however, might require something extra or something more specific to push them over the edge.  Frequently these are things that have started during foreplay and are then done with increased frequency (and/or pressure and/or speed depending on what they are) as orgasm gets closer.  For some men it's a phrase or word or even just a sound from their partner and for others it's a certain "move" - stroking or pulling of the hair, soft kiss or bite of the neck, etc - they or their partner makes that sends them over the edge.  Of course it could also just be the look of love, attraction, and arousal in their lover's eyes that causes the man to climax...feeling so good that they gave their partner so much pleasure.  Whatever it is that pushes them to the moment of orgasm, when it occurs, it's an incredible release of pressure that'd been building since the first stage of the fantasy.

~ The Killer ~

Similar to the average male some killers are just fine getting off with the straight up act of killing by whichever method they might prefer (the preference can be part of the fantasy or simply because one method is easier than another for the killer).  Most need a great deal more than that though, probably because they have a richer fantasy stage than any normal person would.  Generally they need to act out a whole scenario, one that's started (in action) in the foreplay stage.  However, like the average Joe, there can still be one thing that really sends them over into ecstasy.  For some it's the look of utter terror in their victims and others it's the blood and/or tears they cause to seep, ooze, or pour out of their victims.  Still others it's actually something that occurs after the murder itself - like the mutilation of the victim's body or a provocative pose they put the body in postmortem, for instance.  No matter what it is that brings the killer to climax it's the power they feel over their victim that's at the core...it’s this feeling of power, of control over another human being, that is so arousing to these killers.  And, like with the typical male, the moment of orgasm is an incredible release of pressure that'd been building since their fantasy phase started in their youth.

The Aftermath

Everything that occurs after sexual release for the average male and the kill for those committing sexual homicide falls under the aftermath and, whether a typical guy or a serial killer, what's felt and done in the aftermath depends a great deal on how the act stage worked out.  Did it live up to the fantasy?  Or was it just a great big disappointment??  (Of course it also depends on logistics as well.)

~ Average Joe ~

Much of what is done during this stage could very well all depend on whether or not the sex was enjoyable for the typical man.  Let's say that it was everything that was fantasized and more...in that case, if able, the man may decide to spend the rest of the night with his lover.  He may engage in sex again later or simply remain content sleeping with his lover in his arms.  Should he have to leave due to logistics he's likely to call and arrange another meeting (whether it be a date or "booty call") at another time.  If sex was not enjoyable he may create an excuse to leave right after or catch a nap (if he's tired and the bed's there, why not?) and then leave.  Rarely, if ever, is the average guy turned off from sex as a whole after a bad experience, instead they're simply turned off from the girl herself and so move on to pursue other women.

~ The Killer ~

Let me first say that no serial killer who commits sexual homicide is completely satisfied with the act stage.  The act itself can never really live up to their elaborate fantasies and this is one of the reasons they kill again and again; they're trying to perfect a fantasy and, as most anyone can tell you, nothing is completely perfect.  That being said they can be reasonably satisfied enough to feel mighty good about themselves after.  However, unless the murder occurred somewhere the killer was ensured privacy and it's his preference, it is highly unlikely he'll just relax by the body afterwards.  Instead he might have a whole lot of practical issues to deal with – clean-up (of both himself and the murder site), body disposal, and getting himself a believable alibi are all top priorities.
 
How killers celebrate their triumph over their victim in a sexual homicide varies; some take souvenirs from their victims, some take pictures of their victims, some return home to remember the crime and get off on it (either again or for the first time, with or without a partner), and some just go out for a nice meal.  Let's focus on the souvenirs, which are usually taken for two reasons.  The first is so the killer can look at them later and relive what he did to his victim in his head, just like the average Joe might buy a souvenir if he went on vacation with a loved one whether it was something for them to display in the house or for the woman to wear some other time.  As an example, a normal man may go to the tropics, buy his beloved a nice necklace from the area, and then get a little rush of excitement remembering that night of love-making on the beach whenever she wears it; meanwhile the killer may kill a woman, take her necklace from the dead body to give to his wife/girlfriend to wear, and then get a little rush remembering the kill whenever she does.  The second reason for souvenirs is to show off, in which case it’s called a trophy.  If the average guy puts in a lot of effort and hard work he might get a trophy for a sports activity or a nice award from his job; the killer feels he puts in the effort to make a successful kill and does a good job he might just take a trophy for himself in the form of something belonging to the victim.  Like average Joe placing his trophies on the mantel or hanging up an award the killer committing sexual homicide might just show off his trophy at his home, job (the one outside his killing, if he has it), or by having his significant other wear it…the killer may also get an added feeling of power and control in having his souvenirs, his trophies, hiding in plain sight, considering himself very clever for openly displaying evidence of his kills with no one the being the wiser about it.

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Pleading Insanity? – You Must be Crazy
By Brad Barrett
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, there's nothing better than taking some time for you. You might want to while away the hours cramming long needles in the space between your anus and scrotum. Or, if that doesn't tempt you, you might want a mouthful of your own crap, washed down with hot, salty urine. Still no takers? Anybody even hear voices? Anybody?

If there's one thing about Albert Fish that seems painfully obvious, it's this: He was nuttier than squirrel shit. What else can you say about a man who was a pedophile, a sadist, and a masochist? What other conclusion can you draw about a man whose obsessions included castration, cannibalism, coprophillia, urophillia and piquerism?

I'll save you the trouble of going to Wikipedia to find out what those last three mean. In short, Albert was obsessed with feces, urine, and stabbing (both himself and others). His favorite method of flagellating his own body involved a paddle filled with nails. He would often beat himself into a bloody mess.

He is well deserving of his nickname. He is the real, honest to goodness Boogeyman.

He first realized he was a few rounds short of a clip when he was still a child. After his father died, his mother put him in an orphanage where he was beaten unmercifully. So were all the other children. The difference was Albert liked the beatings. He enjoyed them so much they gave him erections. This gave the other children hours of entertainment at Albert's expense. It probably did wonders for his self esteem in the process.

It was much later, after his wife had left him, when Albert began to hear "angels" telling him to dash out the brains of children. That would have been cruel enough. Crueler still was what he actually did to them. He beat them for hours. He cut off ears. He extended smiles up the sides of faces. He removed noses, heads, limbs and anything else that would come off. He sucked the blood from their punctured stomachs. Then, he feasted on them for days, taking great pains to make the preparation process long and involved, lengthening the experience.

 Once, for good measure, he wrote a letter to the family of one of his victims.  Grace Budd's mother couldn't read, so her son had to read the letter detailing the awful things Albert had done. This ultimately proved to be his downfall.

 When Albert Fish had his day in court, Captain John Stein asked why he had written the letter. Albert didn't know. He supposed he "just had a mania for writing."

 When asked why he had done such a horrible thing to young Grace, Albert said, "You know, I never could account for it."

His legal defense entered an insanity plea. It seemed like a sure fire way to keep him from being executed. Most normal people wouldn't mind seeing Albert take a nice long dirt nap, but doctors and psychiatrists would likely have wanted the chance to examine him further. He was, after all, a perfect storm of mental illness. A run-of-the-mill psychopath is just plain boring in comparison.

 Quick show of hands, anybody think the Boogeyman isn't crazy?

If you raised your hand, you are of the same opinion as the United States government. That's right, folks. Legally, Albert Fish is perfectly sane and completely responsible for the atrocities he committed.

Confused?

You see, in order to be criminally insane in the U.S.A., you must be unable to distinguish between right and wrong. Note that it doesn't say you have to care. It doesn't say you have to feel guilty about it afterwards. To be sane, you merely need enough competence to know, deep down inside somewhere, that what you're doing will be frowned upon by others, if not yourself. It doesn't matter if your mother abandoned you. It doesn't matter if you were abused. It doesn't matter if the ghost of Adolf Hitler possessed you. It doesn't even matter if the fabric of time tore in half and you were kidnapped by ray gun-wielding slime creatures that hypnotized you and sent you back.  

By its very nature, the legal definition of insanity will exclude nearly every serial killer in history. If you have no idea what you're doing is wrong, you won't take steps to cover it up. Therefore, you won't ever get the chance to become a serial killer.

Allow me to make a few clarifications. Technically, a serial killer has killed more than one victim. Those killings must have occurred at more than one time. A spree killer might have a shot at the insanity plea because their crimes take place all at once. Any sort of premeditation, however, will likely prove their sanity. Their sanity, in turn, will prove their guilt in the eyes of the law.

Upon learning of his verdict and his sentence, a Daily News reporter wrote that Albert's "…watery eyes gleamed at the thought of being burned by a heat more intense than the flames with which he often seared his flesh to gratify his lust." He supposedly thanked the judge for that method of execution. On January 16, 1936, Albert Fish was executed. His final words were, "I don't even know why I'm here."

Crazy as he was, it took the jury less than an hour to determine Albert was sane and guilty. If this man was judged to be sane, there seems to be little hope for anyone relying on an insanity defense. To plead insanity… well, that's just plain crazy. 

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The motives of a serial killer
By Rhiannon Edwards
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

What drives one to kill? It can seem like a simple idea to assess but you will find it goes beyond what the majority can possibly fathom.

There are two categories of ultimate motives which seem to direct further motives of serial killers. A distinction between the psychopathic and the insane, which fosters a common misconception to this day.

Insanity can be defined as an “unsoundness of mind or lack of understanding” leaving one not responsible for their behavior and almost completely helpless. Whereas psychopathic tendencies relate to antisocial personality disorder which is “often manifested in; aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse”. There are differences at hand which are significant and valuable as it is brought to our attention that Psychopathy is an easily attainable nature which often goes undetected or misjudged causing faulty treatment and hindered understanding of the psychopathic mind. Depending on if one is psychopathic or insane, there are significant differences in the further motives spawned from the foundations at hand.

     One who could be seen as insane may suffer delusions which trigger their acts; their motives may be clouded as they themselves don’t always understand what they are doing. If they are capable of realizing what they are doing, their motives may take on an unrealistic tone… rather than an urge to do something, a need to do it due to the fact there is a possible force behind it controlling them. Ed Gein who was considered schizophrenic at the time of his crimes was further motivated by an unhealthy relationship with his mother who brought him to feel conflicted about women and soon develop a particular psychosis leading him to commit the acts he did. Albert Fish being another example motivated initially by insanity, and then further by a religious psychosis enabling him to believe he was a Saint of sorts who had to do what he was doing, reasoning often that if his actions were wrong he would have been punished by an angel. Contrary to popular belief however, serial killers are very rarely insane or guided by these motives.

   Concerning the psychopathically motivated individuals, there are a number of further motives which have been recognized and repeated throughout the years which come into play such as Infamy and Revenge. Criminal psychologists Holmes and DeBurger note categories such as Missionary, Hedonistic, Gain-motivated, and Power/Control.
A simple example of one motivated in a missionary sense could be the mindset of particular infamous dictators like Adolf Hitler, who wanted those exterminated which did not meet the standards of his Aryan race ethic. Aileen Wuornos is considered a missionary killer due to her targetting patrons of prostitution.

Many serial killers are hedonistic, killing for sheer pleasure and often becoming addicted to this pleasure which fuels their continuation of murder, this includes killers such as Dennis Rader (the BTK strangler) who vastly enjoyed the hunt as well as the kill of his victims, and Jeffrey Dahmer who was satisfied with what he could do with the body after his victim was killed.

There are those who are influenced heavily by media depictions of serial killers and who grow to obtain a deep interest in them to an extreme point where they find they would like to achieve the success of a killer they have heard about. They often crave the fame or rather infamy which goes along with the act they commit, and they are motivated by this thoroughly as well as the power they seem to have during the process. Power and control, as mentioned, can take on a level of it’s own concerning types who seek to feel something they may have been restricted from at another time in their lives… or simply for those who dream of obtaining the kind of power others possess regularly in what seems to be an easier form. The power itself can prove an addicting motive and is often cited as one that a high number of killers possess during their “reign of terror”.
The motives of a serial killer vary, and to most they confuse, but it is significant to note that a lot of motivations present are an average phenomenon seen amongst society but often simply expressed in different, more accepted ways. These motives presented, aside from other factors contributing, tend to be the main trigger in what allows any human being to kill.

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Necrophilia: Desiring the Dead
By Melissa Hogle
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

Necrophilia, the cornerstone of every psycho it seems...and a damn creepy idea to the rest of us.  After all who in the world would want to have sex with a dead person?!  Well there are a number of different reasons, some more comprehendible and romanticized and others more ghoulish and, honestly, stomach-turning.  Whatever the reason though it's pretty safe to say that this love/sexual preference/fetish is not the norm and likely (if not certainly) indicates some serious mental, emotional, and social problems in those who have it.

Romancing the Remains

The first category of those with this philia don't so much love the dead as they loved the person so much when he or she was living that they sort of just take that last kiss goodbye too far.  Famed American author, Ralph Waldo Emerson, confessed in his journal to be being so distraught over his young wife, Ellen's, death that shortly after she was buried he dug her back up.  What he did after that is anyone's guess (he never said) but should he have done anything more than another farewell kiss he'd fall into this category.

On the far more grotesque end of love gone beyond the burial service is that of Carl Von Cosel in 1930's Key West, Florida.  The radiologist, who worked at a sanitarium, fell deeply in love with a 22-year-old tuberculosis patient of his, Maria Elena de Hoyos, and his love carried over into her death.  He snatched the young woman from her burial place and brought her back to his place to keep as his love, and lover, for the next seven years or so.  Even as the woman's body began to discompose.  Over the years Cosel was forced to use piano wire to hold her bones together, replace rotting skin with wax and silk, use glass eyes to replace real ones long gone, and even insert a tube between her legs to have a "vagina" to continue having sex with her.  When his activities were finally discovered and what was left of Maria Elena was returned to rest in peace Cosel continued to love, and lust after, her using a personalized sex doll in her place...when he died in 1952 he was found clutching said doll which had a death mask of his dearly departed on it.

Loser Lovin'

The next type of necrophile has a slightly more "open relationship" with the dead...still not violent, but certainly not one to settle down with just one corpse as it were.  It's with these folks that we tend to find those misbehaving morticians and gravediggers who get busy with those they're trusted to care for by loved ones.  These types do love the dead, not because they're dead per say but because they can't say no.  These men (there are some cases of female necrophiliacs, but the vast majority are men) don't do so well with the living ladies - too shy, too weird, etc - and so turn to those that they're certain won't (re. can't) reject them.

Viktor Ardisson was a mortician and gravedigger who supposedly had sex with over a hundred of the dead - or, in some cases, at least parts of them.  He was caught when the smell of a decomposing three-year-old girl, who'd he'd been performing oral sex on since digging her up, alerted neighbors enough to call the police.  Also found at his place of residence was his "bride"...the severed head of a thirteen-year-old girl that he kept on his beside table and was known to kiss from time to time.  (It's important to remember, despite the ages of the two defiled mentioned, Ardisson was not a pedophile - it was the fact they were dead, not their ages, that aroused the man.)

Another such corpse loving creep, Henri Blot, was caught fast asleep after having dug up and had sex with a recently deceased ballerina.  While on trial the judge commented that what he had done was depraved to which Blot was quoted as replying, "How would you have it?  Every man to his own tastes.  Mine is for corpses."

Deadly Desires

The final form of necrophile being covered is the dangerous, violent, killing kind.  At the core these types, necrophiliac killers, are the same in that they use sex with the dead as another form of power over their victims.  Once the victim is dead they want that one last form of "owning" their victim in performing some sort of sexual act upon them whether it be intercourse or giving or receiving sexual pleasure in some other manner.

Some big names in the serial killer world were involved in doing the dirty deed with the dead.  Ed Kemper not only would rape his dead victims but also was said to have done so after decapitating one of them.  The "Sunset Slayer" Douglas Clark (with the help of his girlfriend Carol Bundy) would pick up hookers for oral sex and then shoot them in the head during the act, climaxing with the now dead woman's mouth over his member - he kept one victim's head in the freezer as a morbid sex toy.  And, after strangling his victims (thus leaving them with the common "Angel Lust" erection seen in strangulation cases), Jeffery Dahmer would perform oral sex on his victims...he was also known to cut the bodies open to have sex with the victim's innards.

...While mentioned at the start of this section these killers are the same at the core, there are subtle differences that are to be made.  With those like Dennis Nilsen (who killed 15 men and boys in London) the murders seemed more just a means to an end; the end being a lover to have power over and that will never, ever, leave.  Others, like Ted Bundy and Andrei Chikatilo, the raping of corpses seem to just be an extension of sexual sadism, another way to completely dominate the victims.  It will hardly matter to the victims’ loved ones, of course, but for those in law enforcement these small differences may help in catching the killer and possibly getting them to confess and/or convicting them of their crimes.

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In Search of America’s Most Evil Serial Killer
By Rhiannon Edwards
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

Throughout history, millions have killed. From that we determine categories of killers, there are some who kill at war, and some who kill at random. It is true that killers take on all shapes and sizes, many different demeanors, and have an array of different methods. When you pinpoint serial killers, it’s simple to see all of them the same. We separate them according to their motives but often think that all were equally brutal in their crimes. However, this is not the case. It can be said that there are some killers, who take that extra step… committing acts that bring them from man, to monster. Some killers bring a style to the table that others can’t ignore, that leaves a mark and places them aside from the rest. Some killers are far from troubled or apathetic, looking at what they have managed to do we can say that they are evil incarnate. With that said, who then crosses this line into such depths the farthest? Who can we peg, as the most evil?

 There has been interest in the topic recently, of just how we can determine the most evil serial killer and why they earn their placement.

There are killers I have discovered throughout the world who deserve a placement on this list. However this in particular is a compilation of those few serial killers who; through specific acts of torture, unique hedonistic methods, and brutal reasoning, we can come to the conclusion might just be the most evil serial killers in American History thus far.

It's evil enough to kill another human being, But to kill your loved ones is an incomprehensible act that can't be ignored.

With this, Belle Sorenson Gunness is added to the list at number 5. Mother, lover, and serial killer.

Known as "one of America's most profligate known female serial killers,"
it is said that Belle is estimated to have killed both of her husbands and all of her children. She is known to have killed most of the men she has been involved with, and her two daughters, Myrtle and Lucy. Her apparent motives involved collecting life insurance benefits. This is one of the killers that hit close to home, for the fact that considering your family…it is difficult to think that you might sacrifice them for money in such a way. Belle cared very little for who she killed, regardless of their status in her life. To her, the children and the lovers were worthless unless they could bring her profit.

Reports estimate that she killed more than twenty people over several decades and got away with it, many people claim that her body count may have reached over one hundred. She makes this list for key reasons; One of those reasons being her targets – all supposed “loved ones” who she shamelessly slaughtered for some extra cash, another being the fact that like most serial killers she did not feel any remorse…this presents the fact that her killing was mainly for money and out of annoyance, she also grew to care nothing about what she had to do in order to keep herself content. This of course is only one example of cases where mothers have killed those closest to them, and fathers as well. It is a longstanding trend. What is unique about this case in comparison to the others is that Belle was not mentally unstable, just plain ruthless. In many situations where the mother has killed, it was out of instants of delusion and misguided thinking. Belle’s murders were a landmark concerning one who would be so bold as to willfully and proudly make family just for the chance to kill them off.

Topping the brutality of Belle, we come to our number 4 placement, filled by none other than the infamous Dennis Rader, also known as the BTK strangler.

Bind, torture, kill. With torture in his name you couldn’t have expected him not to be on this list. Dennis Rader is well known for his acts of torture on his victims, and one serial killer who enjoyed this method to an extreme, making it one of the pillars of what he stood for.  Rader bound, tortured, and killed his victims, making sure to cover all aspects of his art. He would strangle his victims until they lost consciousness, but it never ended there. Rader would then let them revive, and promptly strangle them again. He would repeat this pattern many times, forcing them into a near-death state all the while becoming sexually aroused at the visual created of their struggles. Often the final step of his killings would include Rader strangling them to death, which would be followed with masturbation where he would ejaculate into an article of their clothing to end things off, usually their underwear. BTK’s idea of a step by step process to putting his victims through hell before he finally ended their lives is something that was an influence to many killers later on, being something he prided himself on and something that set him apart from other murderers of the time. Aside from being influential, his methods were extremely sadistic and applied to a hedonistic mindset. All of this was very much a game, some work involved of course, but resulting ultimately in enjoyment and successful completion of his desires which he would blatantly throw in the faces of law enforcement. When you look at it that way, you can see that Rader went a step further in his indifference towards human beings and chose to deal with ending their lives in a lighthearted and so, grizzly fashion.

“[I c]ut one of my belts in half, slit these halves in six strips about 8 inches long. I whipped his bare behind till the blood ran from his legs. I cut off his ears, nose, slit his mouth from ear to ear. Gouged out his eyes. He was dead then.” The words of number 3 on the list, Albert Fish. What else did he do to this victim? He engaged in continuing the knifing of this boy, and ultimately “made a stew out of his ears, nose, pieces of his face and belly.” Albert Fish is best known for the intricate and unbelievable murders of children. Just how many children he had killed, no one can know for sure. He was quite literally a stereotype of the “boogeyman”. For quite a long time he got away with it, due to his silent and gentle exterior to people around him. Who would ever think that this man was capable of so nonchalantly killing two birds with one stone, play time and dinner. His acts have been heavily publicized since the day he was found to have murdered, and for good reason. Fish, through his psychotic religious delusions, took hold of his human ability to kill and used it on one of the more innocent creatures on this earth, children. Unlike Belle Gunness who took the number 5 spot, these were not his own kin. That however, does not make the killings at hand any less gruesome. What stands out about his crimes is the way he killed, the disturbing reasons behind the killings, and also what he did with the bodies. The astonishing revelations we make about him can turn up from reading or hearing his descriptions of the murders and how he reacted towards them. He salivated with the thought of his actions, no true remorse found, and despite what he claimed to have forced him to commit these acts – the glory was often in what he was able to make of young bodies.

 “At frequent intervals I basted his behind with a wooden spoon. So the meat would be nice and juicy. In about 2 hours, it was nice and brown, cooked through. I never ate any roast turkey that tasted half as good as his sweet fat little behind did.”

What do we make of this? When one not only enjoys the torture of fellow human beings, but the torture of children, and then not only that aspect, but the ability to physically consume those he has tortured – cooking them proudly as if he had discovered the most expensive of roasts on sale. To most cannibals, human meat makes an increasingly better meal than that of what you can purchase at the store.

 Albert Fish enjoyed his work, he would never regret one moment of it. Making a sadistic lifestyle look easy to incorporate into his daily schedule, he is by far one of the most evil serial killers in America for blatantly ruling out of his mind what makes his acts so cruel and unusual to us, allowing a mindset that sees the torture of an innocent as a necessity in order to satisfy his common needs.

As we reach the penultimate spot on the list, number 2, we must now really consider aspects of all prior killers mentioned on this list and somehow come up with who can possibly top all of them as well as accommodate all of their methods in one. Who could get away with killing more people than the others mentioned? Who could possess the ability to find even more unique ways of torture and murder…and therefore the charm to lure victims into such a trap?

The answer is in who is depicted to be the first true serial killer in American History, Herman Mudgett, better known under the alias of “Dr. Henry Howard Holmes”.

Very rarely would his lovers and hotel guests leave his presence alive, and if they ever had they would leave seriously and indefinitely scarred for life. Holmes would torture, and kill his victims. One way of doing this would be to lock them in soundproof bedrooms which were fitted with gas lines that allowed him the luxury of asphyxiating them at any given time. Others were locked in a huge bank vault which was near his office, where he could sit back comfortably and listen as they screamed, panicked, and then eventually suffocated from their struggles. His killing extended to “patients” who died as a result of his abortion procedures, no doubt intended to lead them to their demise. The whimsy of his obscure and indecent methods do not end there. With little respect for the lives of the humans he was able to take without much trouble, he used their dead bodies to strange extents not often dealt with by many other killers you will have heard of. These bodies went by a secret chute to the basement, and afterwards some were meticulously dissected, stripped of flesh, crafted into skeleton models, and then actually sold to medical schools – this includes the corpses of the women dying of their abortions, which were processed and also sold. There were some bodies cremated, and some placed in lime pits for destruction. Holmes also possessed two giant furnaces, as well as pits of acid, and various poisons to use at his leisure. One of the most alarming gadgets of torture and death which he owned was a stretching rack, allegedly in order to create a race of “giants” and other such experimentation. Medical school proved beneficial to him, allowing him to sell off his left over skeletons and the organs of victims with minimal difficulty. The existence of Holmes and his slayings is a mysterious one, we can estimate the number of his victims to be between 20 to 100, and some say even higher, which can only be based upon missing persons reports of the time and testimony of neighbors who reported seeing unusual events as well as young women accompanying Holmes into his hotel who never exited. The single verified number is 27, which is still an amazing amount to get away with – police however, had commented that “some of the bodies in the basement were so badly dismembered and decomposed, that it was difficult to tell how many bodies there actually were”. Again, counting the charm of this man, women were easiest to bring in, but this never stopped him from getting his hands on men and also children. What is so significant of these murders may not even be the ways in which they were tortured, or how their bodies were disposed of, but perhaps how dignified Holmes was able to act…and the composure kept during the entire process. This can signify that potentially, Holmes could have continued with his ways for years with ease. It is a disturbing thought that he had medical connections, and also that due to this it made killing and getting rid of bodies all the more simpler. These days although creative minds like that of his exist, they can never truly amount to the extent that brought all of this to be. It is obvious that, realizing what this man was capable of including the nature of his simply activity seeking induced crimes, he is a true candidate for one whom we may always see as one of the most evil human beings from the start that could be dealt with…

But not quite the most evil, not on this list anyway, because there is one more spot to be filled which is the number 1 placement.

The serial killer most intensely bonded with his torture seeking methods and body count, is none other than one that to this day surprisingly not a lot of people are familiar with. His crimes are questionable, and often debated over in terms of accuracy and capability. What this man is proven to have done reveals a depravity so potent that it would be difficult to keep him off of this list from any angle you approach. This man is Donald "Pee wee" Gaskins, said to be the most prolific serial killer in South Carolina history.

Donald’s victims were both male and female, child and adult. His acts included cannibalism, various acts of torture, and ultimately killing of these victims. Anyone could have been a potential target for his brutalities. Saying this seems a vague and average thing amongst the ranks of serial killers, unless you know the details.

As a child Gaskins was treated with disdain by his family, and not well liked by his peers as he grew older. Often teased and punished, he quickly developed an intense hatred towards those around him and battled this on a daily basis. As time passed and the hatred stayed with him, Gaskins took part in criminal activities and as a result was punished in many ways including jail time and reform school. However, punishment could not control what had been unleashed within Gaskins so long ago. Something had been deeply rooted within him and could easily be provoked at any given time, which became most apparent when he was confronted on an undesirable subject and acted out by taking a hammer to the head of a girl, which split her skull. For this he was charged for attempted murder. If he was capable of this, what else could he wind up involved in?

Donald Gaskins was just beginning his reign of terror. To build a persona that others would fear, he shed the face value of his small stature and learned to intimidate through his actions, which started violent and increased in violence as time went on. Although he had followed through with an array of disturbing acts, there were specific instances that pegged him as infamous for the monster he was.

His “vision” into “bothersome feelings” as he described it, led him to his most well known crimes. One instance of these inclusions can be noted as his tendency to keep his mutilated victims alive for days. Perfecting his torture methods, he would sometimes also cannibalize their severed parts as they watched, or were forced to participate in the consumption of their own flesh. This rarity and horrific experiment in torture was committed without a second thought on Gaskins’ part, as he allowed himself the luxury to do whatever was necessary in order to satisfy his visions of cruelty.

Continuing with his sadistic rampage, he identified his highway murders as recreational killings whereas his serious murders were reserved for those he knew personally. A chilling look into how he dissected his habit of homicide. Although his acquaintances often found him to be mentally disturbed and so distanced themselves from him, there were those who were friendlier to Gaskins – which sadly did not protect them from meeting the fate he had conducted. A prime example of this being that of Doreen Dempsey, who was pregnant at the time. Accepting a ride from Gaskins, he had taken her on an unexpected route to an isolated area of the woods in order to inflict his plans upon her. After raping and killing Dempsey, he also managed to sodomize her baby which Gaskins would later sickeningly describe as the best sex of his life.

His massacre truly did not stop at merely women and men, as he had not only violated and taken the life of this child, but many others; crushing their necks, cutting their throats, stabbing them, poisoning, drowning, beating them to death and even shooting them execution style. All of this a picture of how worthless and objectified he was able to render an innocent soul in his mind.

Gaskins had absolutely no regard and no consideration for any human life, other than his own, inflating his status in order to appreciate himself and committing acts which made him feel more powerful in his individual view. Having been possibly connected to over 100 murders, the few we have detailed stories on are enough to reveal this man’s nature and so enough to have him perceived as intensely evil in the eyes of those who see through his crimes. There’s a reason that Gaskins is sometimes referred to as the “Meanest Man in America”, from what I can see, he certainly fits the position. His unfathomable crimes stand notorious amongst serial killings due to their highly violent and unrelenting status, proving surreal and shocking to those who take the time to immerse themselves momentarily in his existence. Donald Gaskins is more than a maniac, and more than a sadist, he is America’s most evil serial killer.

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Hiding Bodies
by Chris Bartholomew
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

The FBI estimates that there are currently 500 serial killers at large. Other estimates are much lower, around 35 - 100 serial killers currently committing crimes. In 1983, they estimated that 5000 Americans or 15 people a day were killed by strangers. Every year, between 3500 - 5000 people in America are the victims of serial killers. In the past 20 years, 160 serial killers have been identified or captured, and 120 of them were in the United States.

Sometimes in the profile of a serial killer, authorities will use the dump sites as a guide in that profile, an example would be that if the body is dumped in a wooded area, the killer might be a hunter or fisherman who is comfortable in the woods. Studies have been done showing that in most cases where the serial killer wasn't traveling, such as a truck driver covering a lot of territory, serial killers go a certain distance within a triangle space when dumping the body.

Sometimes the serial killer will go back to the dumping grounds to spend more time with the victim, or to relive the experience. Sometimes they will go back to make sure they didn't leave any evidence behind, or in some cases, when they've integrated themselves to the local police, to help in the investigation, or to taunt the police and leave clues. Gary Ridgway didn't chew gum or smoke, but he did leave chewing gum and cigarette butts at dump sites. Once he even scattered airport motel pamphlets and car rental papers to imply that the killer was a traveling salesman. Sometimes (also Ridgway) they go back to the dump site to have sex with the remains.

There are studies which suggest that the average serial killer travels about a half an hour from home to dispose of a body. Unless work or some other activity puts them further away, they likely live more or less than thirty minutes from the site.

Maurice Godwin, a former police officer from North Carolina, conducted research into geographical profiling involving 54 American serial killers. An analysis of the crimes of the 54 killers, who had each murdered at least ten victims, disclosed that the average distance between the killers' home and his chosen dumping ground was 14.3 miles while the abduction area was only 1.4 miles away.

Here is what 150 Serial Killers did about the question of hiding bodies:

Put in Trash Bags (along highways):
Patrick Kearney and David Douglas Hill (The trash bag murders), Belgium's Butcher of Mons, Bob Berdella (Put remains in can for collection by trash collectors), Jeffery Dahmer, Richard W. Rogers, Grim Sleeper (victims covered by trash bags, found near dumpsters), Bruce Mendenhall, Larry Eyler (The Interstate Killer), Jefferson Davis Parish Louisiana serial killings (unsolved), Robert Pickton, Unknown serial killer in Seoul, The Family murders (Adelaide, Australia), Jeffrey S. Mailho, Vlado Tanevski, Jeffrey S. Mailhot,

Fed them to Animals
Joe Ball - The Alligator Man, Ottis Toole, Robert Pickton, Belle Gunness, Carl Panzram

Sold them as food
Fritz Haarmann, George Karl Grossman

Under houses, crawlspaces, basements
John Wayne Gacy, Kendall Francois, Jesse Harding Pomeroy, David Maust, Jeffery Dahmer

Rivers or other bodies of water
John Wayne Gacy, California Astrology Murderer, Gary Ridgeway, Sean Vincent Gillis, Lewiston Valley Killer, Amelia “The Baby Farmer” Dyer, Fritz Haarmann, The Atlanta Child Killer,

Shed
Dean Corll

In or around Dumpsters in Alleyways
Daytona Beach SK (unsolved), George Russell, Eight Street Killer (Miami unsolved, 31 victims),

In the woods or fields
Gary Ridgeway, Ted Bundy, The I-45 Killer or Killer(s),east Texas and Montrose Killer(s), "killing fields" murders, Fort Myers killer, Gary G. Grant, James Edward Ruzicka, Gary A. Shaw, The 1969 Parkway Murders (Both Gerald Eugene Stano and Ted Bundy claimed credit for the Parkway Murders but were cleared), Ted Bundy (ditches and parks)

Rural Locations
Robert Lee Yates, Edmonton Canada missing women (unsolved)

Didn't bother
Dennis Radar, Angel Maturino Reséndiz, Zodiac Killer, Richard Ramirez, Jack the Ripper, Jesse Harding Pomeroy, Herbert Mullin, Aileen Wuornos

Under the bed
Jeffery Dahmer, Earl Nelson

Left them 'posed'
Albert Desalvo, Danny Rolling, the Grim Sleeper, George Russell

Dismemberment, cannibalism, hid some remains
Albert Fish, Jeffery Dahmer, Joachim Kroll, Arthur Shawcross, Henry Lee Lucas & Ottis Toole, Bob Berdella, Edmund Kemper III, Richard Trenton Chase, Douglas Clark & Carol Bundy, Andrei Chikatilo, Alfred Packer, Mark Sappington, Surender Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher

In house or apartment
Fritz Honka, Jose Luis Calva, John Christie, Charles Albright, Harrison Graham, Yang Xinhai, Moses Sithole, Tommy Lynn Sells, Dennis Radar, Richard Ramirez

Never found the Victims'
Gert van Rooyen and Joey Haarhof,

Burried them
Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo, Juan Corona, Gilles de Rais, The Bloody Benders, Delfina and Maria de Jesus Gonzales, Pedro Alonso Lopez, Dorothea Puente, Reginald Christie, Fred West and Rosemary West, Gordon Northcott

Just dumped the bodies
Kenneth Alessio Bianchi and Angelo Buono

Burned
Gilles de Rais, Steven Avery, Sudhakar Gajare, Uresh Warik, Ravi Poojary, Charles Sobhraj, Nicolae Bonner, Thomas Svekla, Jeremy Bryan Jones, John Childs, Ohio Cincinnati killer (unsolved), Dr. Marcel Petiot, Herman Webster Mudgett (H. H. Holms), Countess Erszebet Bathory, Gilles de Rais, The Alberta Serial Killer, Larry Bright

Dissolved in acid (or kept hidden in vats or drums)
John George Haigh, Javed Iqbal Mughal, Nuevo Laredo, Santiago Meza López, Jeffery Dahmer

Dumped near highways (and deserted roads – vacant lots)
Rory Conde, Last Call Killer, Robert Lee Yates, Jr., James Ruzicka, Randy Kraft, The I-5 Killer: Randy Woodfield, Dewayne Lee Harris, California Occult Murders (unsolved), Gary Michael Hilton, Donald E. Younge Jr, Edmund Kemper, Derrick Todd Lee, Highway of Tears Killer (unsolved), Ortega Highway, (The 44-mile stretch of highway, officially part of California Route 74, where many bodies have been found, William Bonin threw one here, so did Randy Kraft, Patrick Kearney did too), Mack Ray Edwards, Clifford Olson, Larry Eyler, New Bedford Highway killer (unsolved)

Flushed them
Dennis Nilsen, Surender Koli, Joachim Kroll,

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SERIAL KILLERS AND INSANITY
By:  Jessica Robinson
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

In a perfect world, serial killers would be insane.  This would allow the public to understand why they did what they did, and it would give them the chance to be treated.  Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, and most serial killers are not insane.  What does it mean to be insane?  Surely anyone who kills another, eats their body parts, or has sex with a headless corpse can’t be in their right mind.  Insanity, as defined by the Law Dictionary, reads as follows:  “mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior.”  The definition continues for criminal insanity:
In criminal cases, a plea of ‘not guilty by reason of insanity’ will require a trial on the issue of the defendant’s insanity (or sanity) at the time the crime was committed.  In these cases the defendant usually claims ‘temporary insanity’ (crazy then, but okay now).  The traditional test of insanity in criminal cases is whether the accused knew ‘the difference between right and wrong,’ following the ‘M’Naughten rule’ from 19th century England.  Most states require more sophisticated tests based on psychiatric and/or psychological testimony evaluated by a jury of laypersons or a judge without psychiatric training.  A claim by a criminal defendant of his/her insanity at the time of trial requires a separate hearing to determine if a defendant is sufficiently sane to understand the nature of a trial and participate in his/her own defense.  If found to be insane, the defendant will be ordered to a mental facility, and the trial will be held only if sanity returns.1

The M’Naghten Rule, which was the earliest and most common test for criminal insanity, was based on a man named Daniel M’Naghten.  He believed that he was personally being threatened by Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel.  He went to defend himself, and accidentally shot and killed Peel’s private secretary.  He was acquitted on the grounds of insanity because he was not aware of his actions or the difference between right and wrong.
          

 The only serial killer who has used the insanity plea successfully was Ed Gein.  At the time of his arrest, he was found to be mentally incompetent, so he was considered unfit to stand trial.  Instead of prison, he was sent to Central State Hospital in Waupun, Wisconsin.  When this hospital was converted into a prison, Gein was sent to Mendota State Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin.  His doctors determined he was sane enough to stand trial in 1968.  He was found guilty of first-degree murder, but since he was already declared legally insane, he spent the remainder of his life in a mental institution.
           

Several other serial killers have attempted to convince the courts and the public that they are insane, but usually to no avail.  One of the most common ruses is to create an alter ego.  The hope here is that the killer will appear to have multiple personalities, making them less culpable for their actions.  Multiple personality disorder, now referred to as dissociative identity disorder (DID), is defined as:
a mental illness that involves the sufferer experiencing at least two clear identities or personality states, each of which has a fairly consistent way of viewing and relating to the world...This disorder was formerly called multiple personality disorder (MPD) and is often referred to as split personality disorder.  Although statistics regarding this disorder indicate that the incidence of DID is about 3% of patients in psychiatric hospitals and is described as occurring in females nine times more often than in males, this may be due to difficulty identifying the disorder in males.  Also, disagreement among mental-health professionals about how this illness appears clinically, and if DID even exists, adds to the difficulty of estimating how often it occurs.

Some professionals continue to be of the opinion that DID does not exist...[A] concern about the diagnosis of DID involves having to rely on the traumatic memories of those who suffer from this disorder.  That DID is significantly more often assessed in individuals in North America compared to the rest of the world, for the most part, leads some practitioners to believe that DID is a culture-based myth rather than a true disorder...Research on individuals with DID that have little to no media exposure to information on the illness lends further credibility to the reliability of this diagnosis.

If professionals can’t agree on how to diagnose it or if it even exists, then it must be easy to fake.  H.H. Holmes created “Edward Hatch,” who he claimed was the evil mastermind behind the Pietzel children murder.  (It should be noted that this in itself is an interesting defense considering “H.H. Holmes” was an alias created by Herman Webster Mudgett.)  William Heirens created “George Murman,” John Gacy created “Jack Hanley,” and Kenneth Bianchi created “Steve Walker.”  These alter egos fall apart under scrutiny because actual cases of DID are extremely rare.  In the case of Kenneth Bianchi’s Steve, it was discovered that Bianchi had seen the movie “Sybil” days before his psychiatric evaluation.
           

These men tried to manipulate the system into thinking they were insane.  One of the reasons they might have done it was so they wouldn’t get the death penalty, but then again, they might have just done it because it is their nature (I will expand upon this idea later).  Serial killers aren’t stupid.  That is evident in the fact that they can get away with multiple murders before finally being caught.  Some of them are even able to hold together families.  They know how to appear “normal.”  So why would it be so hard to believe that they would want to appear insane?  One of the most famous cases of attempting to be insane is Edmund Kemper.
           

After Kemper murdered his grandparents, he was sent to the criminally insane unit at Atascadero State Hospital.  Kemper learned to manipulate the system.  He “was such an endearing model prisoner and so intelligent that the staff trained him to administer psychiatric tests to other prisoners.  Kemper later admitted that being able to understand how these test functioned allowed him to manipulate his psychiatrists.”  He stayed in the hospital for 5 years before he was declared cured; he was no longer a danger to the public.  He continued to see his probation psychiatrist, all the while fantasizing about murdering women.  On one occasion, he even went to his session with a victim’s head in the trunk of his car.  Because of his ability to appear “normal,” his psychiatrists believed that he was a well-adjusted individual.

But that is not to say that there are no instances of insanity among serial killers.  One of the most common diagnoses for serial killers is schizophrenia, which is defined as:
A psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality.  Distortions in perception affect all five senses, including sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, but most commonly manifest as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking with significant social or occupational dysfunction.  Onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood, with approximately 0.4-0.6% of the population affected…Studies suggest that genetics, early environment, neurobiology, psychological and social processes are important contributory factors; some recreational and prescription drugs appear to cause or worsen symptoms.

During Albert Fish’s trial, he claimed that he heard voices from God telling him to kill children.  His family had a history of mental illness, including a family member who suffered from religious mania.  Several experts took the stand, including several psychiatrists and his own 17-year old step-daughter.  Nevertheless, he was found sane, and sentenced to death.

Peter Sutcliffe, The Yorkshire Ripper, pleaded not guilty on the grounds of diminished responsibility at his trail, but he was found sane and found guilty of murder on all counts.  He was sentenced to life imprisonment.  Later, he was diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia.  In March 1984, he was sent to Broadmoor Hospital.

Herbert Mullin murdered thirteen people because voices in his head told him to do it to prevent an earthquake.  He confessed to his crimes, so his trial focused on whether or not he was culpable for his actions.  Despite the fact that he was in and out of mental institutions since the age of 21, he burned himself with cigarettes, and was evicted from an apartment because he repeatedly pounded on the floor and shouted at people who weren’t there, he was found guilty of first-degree murder for two of his victims and second-degree murder for eight.  It was FBI profiler Robert K. Ressler who asserted that Mullin was schizophrenic.  He claimed that it manifested as early as his senior year of high school and was accelerated by the use of marijuana, LSD, or amphetamines.

It is interesting to note that Mullin was claiming victims at the same time as Kemper, and they spent some time in the same prison.  According to Peter Vronsky:
Kemper and Mullin were incarcerated in the same prison block, and Kemper tormented Mullin by calling him ‘Herbie,’ a diminutive Mullin hated.  ‘He had a habit of singing and bothering people when somebody tried to watch TV.  So I threw water on him to shut him up.  Then, when he was a good boy, I’d give him peanuts.  Herbie liked peanuts.  That was effective, because pretty soon he asked permission to sing.  That’s called behavior modification treatment.’

Asked if Kemper thought Mullin was insane, he replied, ‘Yes, judging from my years in Atascadero, I would say he is mentally ill.’3

Just because a serial killer is diagnosed as schizophrenic, that does not mean the disease was the cause of their murders.  Whether or not violence is a symptom of schizophrenia is a very contentious issue.  “Studies have indicated that 5% to 10% of those charged with murder in Western countries have a schizophrenia spectrum disorder.”4  Yet, there are also statistics that claim “Individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia are often the victims of violent crime—at least 14 times more often than they are perpetrators.”4
Most individuals who are diagnosed with schizophrenia tend to shy away from social situations because of their hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized and unusual thinking and speech.  Since the disease usually manifests in late adolescence or early adulthood, the person’s social and vocational development can be severely disrupted.  According to Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, a well known researcher, psychiatrist, and author in the field of schizophrenia:

There appear to be three primary predictors of violence and three other less well-defined predictors.  The most important one is a history of past violence; this is the most significant predictor of violence no matter whether a person is mentally ill or not.  In trying to predict future violent behavior, the person’s history is the single most critical piece of information.

The second important predictor is drug and alcohol abuse, and this is also valid whether the person is mentally ill or not.  In 1994, Jeanette Smith and Stephen Hucker reviewed studies of substance abuse in persons with schizophrenia and noted ‘a growing body of research suggesting a significant link between schizophrenia, substance abuse, and violence.’

The third important predictor is the failure to take medication...Those who do not take prescribed medication appear to be much more likely to commit violent acts.

Albert Fish was born on May 19, 1870, in Washington D.C.  His father was 43 years older than his mother and worked as a river boat captain and a fertilizer manufacturer.  Fish’s father died of a heart attack, and his mother was forced to find work.  She was unable to care for her son, so she placed him in an orphanage where he was frequently whipped and beaten.  He discovered that he enjoyed the physical pain, and would get an erection from the abuse, which led the other kids to tease him.  His mother eventually got a job with the government and was able to take him back.  In 1882, Fish began a relationship with a telegraph boy who introduced him to drinking urine and coprophagia (which in itself might seem crazy, but the court did not find that his fetishes were caused by insanity).  Perhaps if Fish had not been subjected to this abuse, he wouldn’t have murdered kids.  Since violence was enacted on him, he felt he needed to enact it on others, which is very common in the cycle of abuse.
           

Herbert Mullin decided to stop taking drugs in January 1973, after he had murdered three people.  He blamed his friend Jim Gianera from high school, who had sold him marijuana.  But his spree did not end after he stopped taking drugs.  He went on to murder ten more people.
           

The only known treatment for schizophrenia is antipsychotic medication.  But, like all medications, they are only effective if taken regularly.  It is unknown if any serial killers were prescribed antipsychotics or if they took them on a regular basis.
           

Schizophrenia describes the actions of some serial killers.  Most experts (Peter Vronsky [an investigative journalist and author] and Dr. J. Reid Meloy [author of The Psychopathic Mind:  Origins, Dynamics, and Treatment]) agree that serial killers can be classified as psychopathic, which is commonly known as antisocial personality disorder.  As I mentioned earlier, serial killers may do what they do because it is in their nature.  Vronsky claims:

Psychologists theorize that psychopaths have a diminished capacity to experience fear and anxiety, which are the roots to the normal development of conscience.  Psychopaths are often very charismatic and very able at manipulating people.  They are highly talented in feigning emotions while inside feeling nothing.  They have no remorse for their victims and have highly developed psychological defense mechanisms such as rationalization (‘She should have known better than to hitchike’), projection (‘She was a heartless manipulating slut’), and disassociation (‘I don’t remember killing her’).  They have a very weak realization of self and compensate for that with grandiosity and an inflated notion of entitlement—meaning that they feel that they are special and ‘entitled’ to act above the law or morality.  Most notable, psychopaths lack any sense of empathy with the feeling of others.3

The list of serial killers who fit this profile seems endless.  Ted Bundy calls himself the “most cold-blooded sonofabitch you’ll every meet.  I just like to kill, I wanted to kill.”  John Gacy never showed remorse, and called his victims “worthless little queers and punks.”  Sutcliffe believed he was “cleaning up the streets.” 

Dr. Meloy asserts that the psychopath’s relationships are based on power, not attachment.  He believes that it starts in early childhood development.  There is a split between the “soft me,” which is the vulnerable inside, and the “hard not-me,” which is the punishing outside.  The child goes through neglectful or painful experiences, and expects that all outside experiences are going to be painful, so he turns inward.  He distrusts everything and everyone outside, and refuses to allow anyone in.  Because of this distrust, the child cannot identify with the parents, and soon, the child has no empathy for anyone.
The majority of serial killers came from rough childhoods.  Many of them grew up with abusive parents and suffered horrible forms of torture.  It’s possible that the reason Fish murdered children was because he held animosity toward those who made fun of him in the orphanage.  He could exert his power over those who were younger and weaker than he was.

Kemper murdered women he believed he could never possess.  His mother was overbearing and abusive.  She constantly blamed her troubles on her son.  She constantly belittled him and made him feel worthless.  Kemper mainly murdered coeds because they were easy prey.  Kemper’s mother worked at the University of California in Santa Cruz, so she gave him a parking sticker so he could pick her up from work.  Even though students were warned not to take rides from strangers, the sticker in the window made them feel more at ease.  He had power over the women, which was more than he could say with his mother.

The pattern continues with other serial killers.  Those who suffered abuse from the hands of their mothers generally wound up killing women.  Gacy, who suffered abuse from his father, wound up killing adolescent boys and men.  The killers feel a sense of helplessness, a sense of worthlessness, so they kill those who are weaker to provide themselves with power and meaning. 

Not every psychopath becomes a serial killer.  Vronsky explains:
While not all psychopaths are violent, they are prone to violence more than average.  It is estimated that 20 to 30 percent of prison populations consist of psychopaths.  But the same might be said for the populations of corporate CEOs, performing artists, and certainly for politicians.  Being a psychopath alone does not make one a serial killer.3

Kemper’s first profession of choice was to be a cop.  At 6 feet 9 inches and weighing 280 pounds, Kemper tried out for the California Highway Patrol, but he was rejected because of his size.  That did not stop him from hanging out with the police and becoming friends with them.  After he started killing, he received inside information on the course of the investigation.  He was so liked by the Santa Cruz police that when he called to confess to the murders of eight women, no one believed him. 

There is no indication why Kemper went from wanting to be a cop to killing women.  Perhaps it is because he wanted to be in a position where his lack of fear and anxiety would be put to good use, but since he couldn’t use that to help people, he used it to harm.  There is a clear distinction between cops and criminals, between good and bad, and since Kemper couldn’t be good, his only other option was to be bad. 

No one really knows why some psychopaths become violent and others don’t.  It is theorized that the violence emerges out of personal social conditions and biological and genetic factors.  There also seems to be an imbalance of chemicals that are linked to depression and compulsive behavior.  There are a myriad of theories out there.  But the truth is:  no one really knows why serial killers kill. 

The prevailing theory is that there is a delicate balance between a chaotic or abusive childhood and biochemical factors that can trigger murderous psychopathic behavior.  Healthy social factors can prevent a biochemically unstable individual from committing criminal acts; healthy biochemistry can protect a person with a turbulent childhood from growing up to be a killer.  Violent offenders emerge when both elements are out of balance.  This theory goes a long way to explain why some children with difficult childhoods do not become serial killers and not everyone with a head injury behave criminally.3 

Unfortunately, there is no treatment or cure for psychopaths.  It cannot be traced to a single chemical, viral, or organic agent.  Psychiatric facilities have no influence on a psychopath, with the exception of giving them more ways to manipulate the populace (see Edmund Kemper).  Fortunately, it seems that psychopaths cure themselves as they age.  For whatever reason, “Starting from age twenty-one, approximately 2 percent of all psychopaths go into remission every year.  The older the psychopath becomes, the more likely that he will become adjusted to society—especially in his midforties.”3  This may explain why most serial killers kill in their mid-20s, and perhaps why Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac Killer disappeared without being apprehended.

While it is possible for a serial killer to have a serious mental illness, most of them are diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder.  They are not legally insane because they know the difference between right and wrong; why else would they try to hide their actions from the public?  On the one hand, this can be comforting.  If serial killers are declared criminally insane, they cannot be given the death penalty.  On the other hand, it is very frightening.  If there is no treatment or cure, there is no way to stop it from occurring in future generations.

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How Serial Killers are Caught
by Chris Bartholomew
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

It is said that most Serial Killers are caught while being arrested for other things, traffic stops, speeding, stealing, etc.  Here is a list of how some were caught. 

Albert Desalvo - In 1960 De Salvo was arrested by police responding to a breaking and entering call.  He was arrested him after a short foot pursuit in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Albert Fish – He wrote a letter about a murder to the victim's parents in which the paper was able to be traced back to him.

Andrei Chikatilo - The Butcher of Rostov - caught when trying to approach young children while under police surveillance.

Angel Resendiz - The Railroad Killer – turned himself in after relatives, who had knowledge of his whereabouts, contacted authorities who then began secret negotiations to win the suspect's surrender.

Angelo Buono Jr. Kenneth Bianchi  - the Hillside Stranglers - an eyewitness caught sight of two men forcing a young woman into their car. 

Anna Maria Zwanziger - At the urging of his servants (who had survived poisoning) Judge Gebhard (her former employer) had their food analyzed. Traces of arsenic were found after Anna had already escaped. Before her getaway she filled every salt shaker and sugar container in the household with generous doses of arsenic. On October 18, 1809 Anna was arrested after she had sent several letters to the Gebhard household extolling her love for the dead baby and saying the she was willing to forget the wrongs she had suffered and was ready to resume her duties. After six months of questioning, Anna finally broke down confessed.

Anthony Hardy - "trail of blood" led the police to Hardy's flat located a short distance from where the bodies were discovered. They promptly obtained a warrant and searched his ground floor apartment, where they found a great deal of incriminating evidence. At the time of the search Hardy was nowhere to be found. CCTV video surveillance camera caught him on tape on January 1 trying to fill a prescription for his diabetic medication at a London hospital.

Arthur Gary Bishop - He was caught in July of 1983 after killing a 13 year old who he was scheduled to chaperone on a camping trip.

Author Shawcross - caught in 1990 when police intentionally left the body of this final victim where they found it with the idea that a criminal will always return the scene of the crime. The police were right and serial killer Arthur Shawcross was caught

Beverly Allitt - When deaths were so common police saw the pattern, she was the nurse in every death.

Bruce Lee – (Peter Dinsdale) –arrested for arson, he confessed to other fatal fires.

Bruce Mendenhall – Police found his truck, followed it to where the last woman Nicole Hulbert was killed (his truck description being given as being seen around the victim), when police opened his door, they saw blood stains and at that point police said they apprehended Mendenhall and transported him to police headquarters, where he admitted to being responsible for Hulbert’s death, police said.

Bruno Ludke - on January 29, 1943, the cops, while doing routine investigating stumbled upon Bruno, who went crazy on them, assaulting them, before being arrested.

Carl Panzram - In 1928, Panzram was arrested for burglary and held in Washington, D.C.. During his interrogation and jail time he voluntarily confessed to killing two boys.

Carl Stayner - When a fourth body was found in the park (Yosemite National Park) in July, he was questioned and arrested by the FBI. His truck yielded evidence linking him to the victim. He eventually confessed to all four murders.

CarltonGary - His fingerprints were found at four of the crime scenes.

Charles Cullen - Somerset Medical Center fired Cullen on October 31, 2003, for lying on his job application. Police kept him under surveillance for several weeks until they had finished their investigation.

Clifford Olson- arrested on suspicion to abduct 2 girls.

Coral Eugene Watts – The Sunday Morning Slasher - Watts was picked out in a line-up and arrested on assault and battery charges. He admitted to attacking 15 females.

Danny Rolling - was arrested for an armed robbery

David Berkowitz - eventually caught after receiving a parking ticket at the time and near the place of the Moskowitz murder.

David Gore - On July 26, 1983, Vero Beach authorities received an emergency report of a nude man firing shots at a naked girl on a residential street. Surrounding the suspect house, owned by relatives of Gore, officers found a car in the driveway with fresh blood dripping from its trunk. Inside, the body of 17-year-old Lynn Elliott lay dead with a bullet in her skull. Outnumbered by the police, Gore surrendered, directing officers to the attic where a naked 14-year-old girl was tied to the rafters.

Dennis Nilsen - a neighbor arranged to have the drains unblocked -and the remains of the victims were discovered.

Derrick Todd Lee - linked by DNA

Dorothea Puente - On November 11, 1988, police found a body buried in the lawn at 1426 F Street. Seven bodies were eventually found, and Puente was charged with a total of nine murders, convicted of three, and is now serving two life sentences. She came under suspicion when neighbors noticed people went missing.

Earle Nelson - When Nelson stopped in a general store to buy food, he was recognized by the storeowner and a patron who knew of the $1,500 reward and notified the law.

Ed Gein – arrested when there were so many clues to who killed his last victim.

Eddie Leonski - Confessed to three murders after being picked out of a line of American servicemen by witnesses.

Efren Saldivar - In March 1997, about a year before Michael Swango was arrested on federal charges pertaining to his forged medical credentials, a hospital worker at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center in Glendale, California, told a supervisor that a respiratory therapist named Efren Saldivar had killed an elderly patient by injecting a muscle relaxing drug called Pavulon into the patient’s I.V.  This one was ignored, but evidentially, others reported leading authorities to arrest.

Elizabeth Bathory -  The King of Hungary ordered her arrest when she began murdering nobels instead of peasant girls.

Eric Edgar Cooke - He was caught when the gun used to murder one of his victims, Shirley McLeod, was found, and police waited for Cooke to collect it.

Emile Louis -  caught almost two decades later when his daughter found items in his house belonging to several of the victims.

Fritz Haarmann - A woman who had purchased one of his black-market "steaks" became convinced it was human flesh and turned it over to the police. In the summer of 1924, several skulls and a sackful of bones were found on the banks of the canal. Searching Haarmann's rooms, detectives found bundles of boys' clothing. The landlady's son was wearing a coat--given to him by Haarmann--that belonged to one of the missing boys.

Fritz Honka - In January 1975, he torched his flat, but firemen noticed mummified remains among the ashes and police were called.

Gary M. Heidnik - On March 24 Heidnik loosened the reins on Rivera (he kept his victims in the basement) a bit too much and the woman fled while on an unsupervised trip outside of the house. She notified police who apprehended Heidnik and searched the house, discovering the remaining women huddled in the dank basement.

Gary Ridgeway - On September 10, 2001, almost twenty years after the first known Green River murder, there was a match found between semen samples taken from the victims and Ridgway.
Gerald Schaefer – On July 21, 1972, Schaefer, while on patrol, picked up two teenage girls who were hitchhiking. He abducted them, took them to some remote woods and tied them to trees where he threatened to kill them or sell them into prostitution.  However, when he got a call on his police radio, Schaefer had to go, leaving the girls tied up. He vowed that he would return. The two girls, who were aged 18 and 17, escaped their bonds and went to the nearest police station, which was actually their kidnapper's own station.
Harvey Glatman - Lorraine Vigil, a first time model, agreed to pose for him at a studio. He claimed that Lorraine was getting on his nerves, so he tried to tie her up, but she fought. She finally kicked the door of his car open. She ran to the light and much to her
relief, two police officers were found. They began questioning him about the other victims. They insisted that he was the one who killed the other girls. Harvey finally confessed that he had indeed killed them.

Henri Desire Landru - In 1919, the sister of one of Landru's victims, Madame Buisson, attempted to track down her missing sibling. She did not know Landru's real name but she knew his appearance and where he lived, and she eventually persuaded the police to arrest him.

Henry Lee Lucas - Lucas was desperate for money and called an ex-employer named Ruben Moore who lured Lucas with $100.00 to work on the Moore Ranch. The police arrived the next morning. They could only hold him for left of a vehicle in Maryland. He was released again but later came back into the authorities hands to be captured for the final time.
H. H. Holmes - there are three different versions as to how the police caught up with Holmes. The first is that detectives traced Mudgett through his mother who told them the whereabouts of her son, the second is that while Jailed in Missouri, Holmes shared a cell with the infamous train robber Marion C. Hedgepeth, "The Handsome Bandit", perhaps wanting to brag about his own criminal prowess, Dr. Holmes told Mr. Hedgepeth about the Pitezel scam,and Hedgepeth squealed. And the third is that, aided by Mrs. Pitezel, the police captured Holmes.
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley - Myra's brother-in-law phoned police, directing them to Brady's address. The raiders caught Ian and Myra at home, retrieving a fresh corpse from the bedroom, along with the bloody hatchet and Brady's library of volumes on perversion and sadism.
Irene Leidolf (with Maria Gruber, Irene Leidolf, Stephanija Meyer, and Waltraud Wagner) They were caught after they were overheard bragging about their latest murder at a local tavern. They confessed to 49 murders, but may have been responsible for as many as 200.

Jeffery Dahmer - caught on 22nd July 1991, when 31 year old Tracy Edwards managed to escape from him. He found two policemen sitting in a police car and explained how he had been assaulted by Dahmer.

Jeffery Gorton - DNA evidence from a slaying matched his.

Jesse Pomeroy - When Pomeroy's mother moved out of her house , laborers working on the flooring found the decomposing remains of Katie Curran buried in the basement's floor.

Joe Ball - A joke circulated around that Joe Ball must have fed a missing waitresses to his pet alligators. The police took this joke seriously enough to investigate, especially when a neighbor of Ball's complained about a foul-smelling barrel that he had dumped nearby. On September 24, 1938, the deputies came to arrest Joe Ball, who took a swig of beer, hit the NO SALE button on his cash register, grabbed a .45 from the drawer, and shot himself through the heart.

Joel Rifkin - caught after a high-speed police chase, police inspected Rifkin's truck and discovered the corpse of his seventeenth and last victim.
John George Haigh - a jeweler from nearby Horsham called to say that a man had pawned a victim's jewelry the day after she went missing. He identified Haigh and that was enough for police to arrest him.
John Wayne Gacy - Robert Piest was the last boy to be killed by Gacy. Piest had been at work at the local pharmacy and Gacy had offered him a construction job, as he ran his own construction business. At the end of his shift, Piest was picked up by his mother, and told her he was just popping back inside to speak to a man about a job. He never returned and she left to go home. When he didn't return home at all that night the family contacted the police and started to search for him. They discovered that the construction man was John Wayne Gacy.

Joseph Duncan II – caught when he walked with victim Shasta Groene into a Denny's.

Joseph Paul Franklin - a nurse in Florida taking the blood he was selling recognized a bald eagle tattoo on his arm.

Juan Corona – A neighboring farmer noticed a fresh grave and called the police.

Jurgen Bartsch - was arrested after an unsuccessful attempt to torture, kill and dismember a young boy.

Kenneth Erskine - police found a handprint at the scene of one of the crimes, and it matched one on their files.

Larry Eyler - On September 30, 1983, an Indiana highway patrolman spotted a pickup truck parked along Interstate 65, with two men moving toward a nearby stand of trees. One appeared to be bound, and the officer went to investigate, identifying Larry Eyler as the owner of the truck.

LeonardLake - When the vise Leonard Lake and Charles Ng  had been using in their victims' torture broke, they needed a new one. A clerk spotted Ng hiding the vise under his coat and called the police. Ng fled the scene, but Lake was arrested when police saw that he had a gun in his car, was using false license plates and had identification that seemed to belong to someone else. Lake gave up his partner's name and his own, announced that he was running from the FBI—then swallowed two cyanide capsules and passed out, dying a short time later.

Mack Ray Edwards - walked into the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill station on March 6, 1970, and said he wanted to clear his conscience.

Manuela Ruda (with husband Daniel) - arrested at a gas station.

Marc Dutroux - an eyewitness remembered part of a license plate which matched Dutroux's.

Marcel Petiot - He was recognized and arrested at a Paris metro station. He carried a pistol, F31,700 in cash, and 50 documents in six different names.

Mary Ann Cotton – caught when a post mortem examination on one of her children revealed arsenic poisoning as the cause of death.

Marywbeth Tinning - Tami Lynne was Marybeth's ninth and last child. She was born in August 1985 but lived only four months. She was found dead in her cot and blood was spotted on her pillow. This aroused suspicion and an investigation was carried out. An autopsy revealed that Tami Lynne had died from suffocation.

Michael Ross - witnesses recalled seeing a blue sub-compact car near a murder scene.
Police began working their way through a computer listing of 2,000 sub-compact drivers, and they caught up with Ross.

Michael Swango - rrested and convicted of falsifying statements and documents related to a previous application for a position at a Veterans Administration hospital in New York.

Michel Fourniret - caught in 2003, when a Belgian would-be victim, 13, broke free after being kidnapped.

Patrick Kearney – (and David Hill) - July 5, 1977 the couple walked into the Sheriff's In formation Center in Riverside, saw a wanted poster of themselves and surrendered.

Paul Denyer - A piece of skin, possibly from a finger, was found on the neck of a dead girl. And the sighting of a yellow Toyota Corona on a road near the bike track at 3 p.m., the time the coroner estimated that the vicitm had been murdered. The observant police officer had written down its number from its registration label because the car had no plates.

Randall Woodfield - In March 1981, police investigating a shooting death in Beaverton, Oregon encountered Woodfield, who was a casual acquaintance of the victim. Citing his history of sexual assault, police searched his home and found evidence linking him to the murder, as well as the attempted murders of two young women.

Randy Steven Kraft - Arrested by Sterling for driving while intoxicated, the patrolman found the strangled body of a boy in the car.

Richard Angelo - One patient, Gerolamo Kucich, caught him.   Kucich saw a bearded man put something into his IV, and he managed to reach for his call button before he succumbed. 

Richard Chase – After his final kill, he left perfect hand prints and foot prints in blood and was apprehended.

Richard Ramirez – After a his mug shots were broadcast on national television and printed on the cover of every major newspaper in California he was caught by angry residents and the police were called.

Robert Berdella - April 2, 1988, a man jumped from the second floor window of Berdella's house wearing nothing but a dog collar. Police were called, the house searched, he was arrested.

Robert Black - caught July 1990, after he abducted a six-year-old girl. A man recognized the van and called police. The girl was found bound and gagged in the back of the van.

Robert Hansen – was caught when a woman he was trying to capture ran right into the police.

Robert Lee Yates - Caught after he tried to abduct a boy from a Camas movie theater.
 
Robert Picton - On February 5, 2002, the police executed a search warrant for illegal firearms at the property owned by Robert Pickton and his two siblings. He was taken into custody, and the police then obtained a second court order to search the farm once they discovered personal items belonging to one of the missing women.

Sante Kimes – (and her son Kenney)Kimes and her son, Kenneth, were arrested on a warrant for using a bad check to buy a car.

Ted Bundy - Bundy's Volkswagen car aroused suspicion in Salt Lake City and on August 16, 1976 a police stop found a number of suspect items in the vehicle's trunk. Among the things found were an ice-pick, ski mask, crowbar and a large number of tools. At first, investigators believed they had captured a burglar, but a subsequent search of Bundy's apartment found brochures and maps for places in Colorado where victims had been murdered. A test revealed a match between hairs in Bundy's apartment and hairs found at the murder scene of Melissa Smith. A witness who saw Bundy's photograph then came forward to put him near the scene of a crime in Snowmass, Colorado the previous year.

Thomas Neill Cream – A doctor, he was caught when he tried to frame innocent doctors for his crimes.

Vaclav  Mrazek – Caught in March 1957 during a house inspection following a theft in the Libusin mine, where he was working as a spa staff attendant.

Vincent Johnson - fingered by another homeless man who was suspected of being the killer. The man was cleared because his DNA did not match, but he identified Johnson as a possible suspect and called officers when he saw him crossing the Williamsburg bridge.

Wayne Adam Ford – turned himself in.

Westley Allan Dodd - the law finally caught up with him after he botched an attempt to abduct another unnamed boy.

William Bonin - a young man in custody for car theft told the police he would give them the Freeway Killer if they would give him a break on the car theft.

William Suff – arrested after a routine traffic stop.

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Serial killers in Pop culture
by Stephen W. Roberts
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

Serial killers in contemporary American culture is namely inspired by the convergence of two basic desires, that being violence and stardom. We as people desire notoriety, though most often this concept is unattainable. There lies a certain need within all of us to be noticed; be it by those whom we love and admire or by the world as a whole. This is a concept that every successful actor, musician, novelist, artist and serial killer have in common. They all longed to smile for the camera.
           

The elusive creature known as the serial killer has captured the attention of American culture. With the popular press churning out dozens of books and movies centered around the serial killer each year, the term has almost become a catch-phrase, replacing earlier terms such as 'homicidal maniac.' Fiction writers and the movie industry use 'serial killer' in such casual manners that it’s almost as if serial killers were either foreign to the American lifestyle or in fact fictitious themselves.
           

Serial killers do exist and Americans have perfected the art.
It cannot be denied that the serial killer kills. Killing, however, integrates a variety of meanings. A mere slip of the hand on the steering wheel can turn a normal person into a killer. And it is conceivable that a second such happening could turn an otherwise normal person into a serial killer of sorts.

I, for one do not recommend becoming a serial killer as to obtain some sort of celebrity status, but is it unconceivable that some may have already done this in history?
Perhaps it wasn’t forethought, but did most of them not bask in the glory of the hunt; knowing that the news would report on them, knowing cops could come for them and knowing reporters would take their pictures upon capture?

Just think of the book deals, movie deals and admiration from your peers and fans alike as you become the next flavor of the month in Hollywood. It’s enough to make a person sick, though perhaps it’s also enough to make a person kill.

If you’re a fan of pop culture then you’ll likely believe these all to be true or at least have heard of these clichés from time to time:
·    Most Serial killers are white males in their late 20s to early 30s.
·    Serial killers are always sexually motivated and always hunt the same kind of victim and murder them symbolically in the same fashion.
·    All serial killers are methodical outside-of-the-box thinkers and require a special kind of person to track them.
·    Serial killers are immoral and often are loners.
·    Serial killers like to torture animals in their young age as they fantasize about the acts they’ll commit later in life.
·    All serial killers wet the bed as children.
·    Serial killers are pyromaniacs.
·    They always follow the investigation and even taunt the police.
·    Serial killers target veteran detectives to play cat and mouse with throughout the investigation.
·    They always leave a signature
·    Serial killers kill alone
·    They prefer to kill up close and personal
·    There are less active today than in the 80s and 90s
·    Jack the ripper is the oldest documented serial killer
·    Aileen Wuornos is the first female serial killer
·    The green river killer holds the record for most slain by one individual
·    The zodiac killer was never identified
·    Movies like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre are based ENTIRELY on actual events.
·    All serial killers are psychopaths
·    They all possess some deep seeded motive linked to their unhappy childhoods
·    All serial killers want to be caught for publicity, though never feel remorse

Now though some of this may be true some of the time, none of it is factually flawless 100% of the time. Serial killers come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. They make birth on every continent and can even be children.
Regarding motives, they can be placed into five different categories, although there may be some serial killers that seem to have characteristics of more than one type.

Visionary
Contrary to popular opinion, serial killers are rarely insane or motivated by hallucinations and/or voices in their heads. Many claim to be, usually as a way of trying to get acquitted by reason of insanity. There are, however, a few genuine cases of serial killers who were compelled by such delusions.

Herbert Mullin killed 13 people after voices told him that murder was necessary to prevent California from suffering an earthquake. Mullin went to great pains to point out that California did indeed avoid an earthquake during his murder spree.

Ed Gein claimed that by eating the corpses of women who looked like his deceased mother, he could preserve his mother's soul inside his body. He killed two women who bore passing resemblances to his mother, eating one and being apprehended while in the process of preparing the second woman's body for consumption. He also used the flesh of exhumed female corpses to fashion a "woman suit" (as well as various other household adornments, such as curtains and lamp shades) for himself so that he could "become" his mother. After his arrest he was placed in a mental facility for the remainder of his life.

Missionary
So-called missionary killers believe that their acts are justified on the basis that they are getting rid of a certain type of person (often prostitutes or members of a certain ethnicity), and thus doing society a favor. Gary Ridgway and Aileen Wuornos are often described as missionary killers. In Wuornos' case, the victims were not prostitutes, but their patrons. Missionary killers differ from other types of serial killer in that their motive is generally non-sexual.
 
Hedonistic
This type kills for the sheer pleasure of it, although what aspect they enjoy varies. Yang Xinhai's post-capture statement is typical of such killers' attitudes: "When I killed people I had a desire sexual excitement. This inspired me to kill more. I don't care whether they deserve to live or not. It is none of my concern"
Some killers may enjoy the actual "chase" of hunting down a victim more than anything, while others may be primarily motivated by the act of torturing and abusing the victim while they are alive. Yet others, like Jeffrey Dahmer, may kill the victim quickly, almost as if it were a chore, and then indulge in necrophilia or cannibalism with the body. Usually there is a strong sexual aspect to the crimes, even if it may not be immediately obvious, but some killers obtain a surge of excitement that is not necessarily sexual, such as David Berkowitz, who got a thrill out of shooting young couples in cars at random and then running away without ever physically touching the victims.
 
Gain motivated
Most criminals who commit multiple murders for material ends (such as mob hit men) are not classed as serial killers, because they are motivated by economic gain rather than psychopathological compulsion. There is a fine line separating such killers, however. For example, Marcel Petiot, who operated in Nazi-occupied France, could be classified as a serial killer. He posed as a member of the French Resistance and lured wealthy Jewish people to his home, claiming he could smuggle them out of the country. Instead he murdered them and stole their belongings, killing 63 people before he was finally caught. Although Petiot's primary motivation was materialistic, few would deny that a man willing to kill so many people simply to acquire a few dozen suitcases of clothes and jewelry was a compulsive killer and psychopath.

Power and control
This is the most common serial killer. Their main objective for killing is to gain and exert power over their victim. Such killers are sometimes abused as children, which means they feel powerless and inadequate, and often they indulge in rituals that are linked, often very specifically, to forms of abuse they suffered themselves. Many power/control-motivated killers sexually abuse their victims, but they differ from hedonistic killers in that rape is not motivated by lust but as simply another form of dominating the victim.
The above seems to cover the basics of motives for a serial killer, though it’s important for one to recognize that the fantasies involved could call for one or many variations of the above options.

No researcher, or writer, or even the FBI, however, has managed to make what now seems like a simple connection in the serial killer. It is well known that fantasy plays a large role in the life and motivation of the serial killer. And it is also widely accepted that the serial killer uses fantasy as a crutch, as a coping mechanism for day-to-day life. No researcher, however, has synthesized these two facts into a far more intriguing thesis. The serial killer, much like the chronic gambler and problem drinker, is addicted to the use of fantasy. So strong is this compulsion that the serial killer murders to preserve the addiction, in essence preserving his only remaining coping mechanism.

If being a serial killer is an addiction to fantasy, then what sets them apart from actors and fiction writers?

Do they not all live for the next fictitious thrill?

If this simplistic addiction is the cause of a serial killer, then why is one person able to pursue a live of addiction and gain fame and fortune, when others falls victim to their victims and go to prison…the answer is a choice. Serial killers may be compelled to act upon their addiction, but they alone make the choice to commit murder. Murderers decide to commit murder. So then, if by this recognition of a serial killer could we not be reading the next best seller written by Theodore Bundy about a serial killer named Stephen King?

In my opinion, this is true.

Every living being possesses the ability to commit evil acts and even though some of us are addicts, not all of us decide to commit murder to secure the continual existence of our fantasies.

In closing, I’d like to add that I DO NOT advocate any actions neither by or in interest of serial killers, nor do I suggest that anybody reading this should go out and become a serial killer for the fame, though I’m also not suggesting you become an actor or a novelist to maintain an addiction. Take from this what you will, acknowledge that the media has built up the serial killer as high as they have the rock star to sell merchandise and know that your life is solely in your hands…at least most of the time.

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Why Serial Killers Kill – Some Theories
by Chris Bartholomew
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

When considering the question of why, we have to consider that some serial killers do kill just because they want to.  In most cases, there isn't a clear cut reason, and so I haven't delved into the reasons of, wanting to kill, power and thrill as a motivation, criminal enterprise, ideology (one who would kill to further the goals and ideas of an individual or group, terrorist groups).

From the Behavioral Analysis Unit-2, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, Critical Incident Response Group, Federal Bureau of Investigation:Serial Murder — Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators:

• Predisposition to serial killing, much like other violent offenses, is biological, social, and psychological in nature, and it is not limited to any specific characteristic or trait.
 
• The development of a serial killer involves a combination of these factors, which exist together in a rare confluence in certain individuals. They have the appropriate biological predisposition, molded by their psychological makeup, which is present at a critical time in their social development.

• There are no specific combinations of traits or characteristics shown to differentiate serial killers from other violent offenders.

• There is no generic template for a serial killer.

• Serial killers are driven by their own unique motives or reasons.

• Serial killers are not limited to any specific demographic group, such as their sex,
age, race, or religion.

• The majority of serial killers who are sexually motivated erotized violence during development. For them, violence and sexual gratification are inexplicably intertwined
in their psyche.

• More research is needed to identify specific pathways of development that produce serial killers.

Attendees at the Serial Murder Symposium agreed that there is no generic profile of a serial murderer. Serial killers differ in many ways, including their motivations for killing and their behavior at the crime scene. However, attendees did identify certain traits common to some serial murderers, including sensation seeking, a lack of remorse or guilt, impulsivity, the need for control, and predatory behavior. These traits and behaviors are consistent with the psychopathic personality disorder. Attendees felt it was very important for law enforcement and other professionals in the criminal justice system to understand psychopathy and its relationship to serial murder.

Psychopathy is a personality disorder manifested in people who use a mixture of charm, manipulation, intimidation, and occasionally violence to control others, in order to satisfy their own selfish needs. Although the concept of psychopathy has been known for centuries, Dr. Robert Hare led the modern research effort to develop a series of assessment tools, to evaluate the personality traits and behaviors attributable to psychopaths.

Why Serial killers kill is the question most people want to know, and it's also the reason that there are so many theories.  We want a logical explanation of a thing that is completely illogical.  Add to that the fact that we use actual serial killer interviews to try and get the answer, and well, you get the point, we don't know why but, as I pointed out, there are theories.

Abuse and Neglect

If you have read a lot of serial killer bios, then these terms have to be very familiar to you. This tells us that the FBI is right about childhood, and something lacking there very well may be most of the 'why' answer.  Many children grow up neglected and abused, but do not become violent criminals or serial killers.  Many serial killers came from normal families.  Not everyone will fall under this umbrella.

I could say the above and leave it at that, because I know everyone reading this knows what a 'normal' childhood is, right?  Probably not.  From the list below, you can see what abnormal is:

Child Abuse

Gary Heidnik, 3 years old, didn't clean his room properly; Father hung him by his feet out of a 3rd story window

7 years old Henry Lee Lucas, mother made him go to school dressed like a girl.  Mother's lover beat him when his teacher gave him a pair of shoes and at 10 years old showed him how to kill animals and then have sex with them

Danny Rolling was 6 months old when his father kicked him into a wall, 1 year old when his father beat him when he crawled funny, 6-8 years old father beat him twice a week, 13 years old; father handcuffed him to his brother, beat them and left them outside.

1 year old Robert Garrow's father made him kneel for hours in the corner, 2 years old his mother split his head open with a crowbar during a beating, 5 years old he was knocked unconscious when mother hit him in the head with a piece of wood. 6 years old when he was beaten unconscious by his father, and made to wear his sister's bloomers out to play.

Joel Rifkin's father committed suicide in 1987 and the killing spree started two years after that. 

Albert DeSalvo was sold into slavery by his father.

Ed Kemper's mother locked him in the closet numerous times.

Bobby Jo Long's mother had frequent sex with men in the same room that Bobby Jo slept in and then the men were abusive to him.

Gary Ridgway had a domineering mother who constantly yelled at their father and controlled Ted completely, and was never pleased with what he did.

Albert Fish - several of his family members had mental health problems. After his father’s death, he was put in an orphanage by his mother and he was whipped at the orphanage frequently

Herman Webster Mudgett – Dr. H. H. Holmes father was very strict and often bullied his son. He had a well-known fear of the local doctor’s office and due to this; other students in his school would often force him to touch human skeletons. What was meant to be a scare turned out to be a fascination, which led to him stealing corpses while in medical school.

Andrei Chikatilo He shared a bed with his mother and Chikatilo and often wet said bed, for which he was beaten. His mother told her children that his brother was eaten by starving villagers.

Bruce George Peter Lee - The son of a prostitute, Lee was brought up in children’s homes and suffered from congenital spastic disabilities in his right limbs, which left him with a limp in his right leg and a compulsion to hold his right arm across his chest.

Ted Bundy - born to an unwed mother, who later moved in with her parents, and assumed the role of sister to her son.

Michael Wayne McGray's father was a violent alcoholic and used to beat animals and encourage his son to do the same.

Peter Kurten, when his father was drunk used to force his wife to have sex in front of their children.

Cary Stayner - his younger brother, Steven, was kidnapped by a child molester Kenneth Parnell in 1972 and held captive for more than seven years before escaping and being reunited with his family. Stayner would later say he felt neglected as his parents grieved over the loss of Steven.

Carlton Gary was malnourished and abused.

Cayetano Santos Godino's father was an alcoholic physical abuser who suffered from syphilis. Cayetano attended several child-care organizations when he was between five and ten but always ended up ousted.

Charles Ng as a child was harshly disciplined by his father at every opportunity.

Danny Rolling - father, a police officer, was abusive to both him and his mother, and later his brother, Kevin. Claudia Rolling made repeated attempts to leave her husband, but always returned.

David Koresh described his early childhood as lonely, saying that the other kids teased him and called him "Vernie". As a young boy, he was abused by his stepfather. A poor student because of dyslexia, Koresh dropped out of high school.

Dennis Nilsen father was an alcoholic and his parents divorced when he was four years old. His mother remarried and sent her son to his grandparents, but after a couple of years he was sent back to his mother again.

Dorothea Puente - both parents abused her, and she often had to scavenge for food. Puente's father died when she was four.

Ed Gein's father was a violent alcoholic who was frequently unemployed. His mother blocked any attempt he made to pursue friendships. Besides school, he spent most of his time doing chores on the farm. Augusta, who was fanatically religious, drummed into her boys the innate immorality of the world, the evil of drink, and the belief that all women (herself excluded) were whores. According to Augusta, the only acceptable form of sex was solely for procreation.

Gerald Eugene Stano - His natural mother neglected him to such an extent that when she finally gave him up for adoption when he was six months old, county doctors declared him unadoptable because he was functioning at what they described as "an animalistic level". He was eventually adopted, however, by Norma Stano, a nurse, who renamed him Gerald Eugene Stano.

Henry Lee Lucas described his mother, Viola Lucas, as a violent prostitute. His father, Anderson Lucas, was an alcoholic and former railroad employee who had lost his legs in a train accident, and who suffered from Viola's wrath as often as his son. She regularly beat him and his half-brother. He once spent three days in a coma when his mother hit his head with a plank of wood, and on many occasions he was forced by his mother to watch her have sex with men. Lucas described an incident when he was given a mule as a gift by his father's friends, only to see his mother shoot and kill it.

Jerry Brudos - His mother had wanted a girl, and often ignored and belittled him.

Jesse Pomeroy, his father was extremely abusive to him and his brother, often taking them to their wood shed where he stripped them naked and beat them severely.

John Reginald Halliday Christie was abused by his father and dominated by his mother and sisters.

John George Haigh parents, John and Emily, were members of the Plymouth Brethren. He was confined to living within a 10ft fence that his father put up around their garden to lock out the outside world. Haigh would later claim he suffered from recurring religious nightmares in his childhood.

John Wayne Gacy - His father was an alcoholic who described Gacy as a "sissy" and who physically abused Gacy's mother.

Joseph Paul Franklin is believed to have suffered an abusive childhood at the hands of both his violent parents.

Jurgen Bartsch's adoptive mother, who suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, was fixated on cleanliness. He was not permitted to play with other children, lest he became dirty. This continued into adulthood - his mother personally bathed him until he was 19.

Mary Bell's mother Betty was a prostitute who was often absent from the family home, traveling to Glasgow to work. Accounts from family members suggest strongly that Betty had attempted to kill Mary and make her death look accidental more than once during the first few years of her life. Mary herself says she was subject to repeated sexual abuse, her mother forcing her to engage in sex acts with men from the age of five.

Michael Ross - his mother, who had abandoned the family at least once and had been institutionalized, beat all four of her children, saving the worst for him. Some family and friends have suggested that he was also molested by his teenaged uncle, who committed suicide when Ross was six.

Myra Hindley - She was believed to have been beaten by her alcoholic father, Bob Hindley, a paratrooper in the RAF during World War II, who was also alleged to have been violent towards her mother Nellie.

Ottis Elwood Toole - his father left the family when Toole was young. He claimed his mother was a religious fanatic, and that his sister dressed him in girl's clothes. Toole also claimed his grandmother was a Satanist who exposed him to various practices and rituals in his youth.

Patrick Kearney, a thin and sickly child, became a target for bullies at school. In his teens, he became withdrawn and fantasized about killing people. His mother, a prostitute with 13 children, caught him fondling his younger sister in 1957 when he was eight years old.

Richard Chase - An apparent victim of abuse at the hands of his mother, Chase exhibited by the age of 10 what is known in psychiatric circles as the "triad" of the early signs of a serial killer: He wet the bed, he started fires, and he tortured animals.

Richard Ramirez - his father, Julian, brought his children up with strict Catholic beliefs. Not shy of physical punishment, Julian Ramirez would beat his kids if they got into trouble as a way of discipline. Richard usually escaped, spending nights at a nearby cemetery. His father's temper was so bad that he once hit himself over the head with a hammer until he bled.

Robert Hansen as a child was small and sickly with perpetual acne and a severe stutter and spent much of his early life as a loner and a target for bullying from his peers and his strict, domineering father.

Robert Lee Yates - As a six-year old boy, Yates was allegedly molested repeatedly by an older neighbor boy. His father later described him as being "moody and violent" as a teenager.

Rod Ferrell - his grandfather raped him when he was 5. Rod also claimed that as a young child, he was exposed to occult rituals and human sacrifices, and was introduced to the "Dungeons & Dragons" role-playing game.

Robert Black - Locals and neighbors report that Black was often frequently and heavily bruised during his childhood, and acquaintances from primary school say he was "a bit of a loner but with a tendency to be bullied".

William Bonin - His father was a compulsive gambler and alcoholic, and his mother frequently left Bonin and his brother in the care of their grandfather, a convicted child molester.

Stewart Wilken alias ‘Boetie Boer'. He had been sexually abused during his childhood.
Henry Louis Wallace – They forced him and his sister to beat each other with a switch. His mother and sister would parade him around the neighborhood dressed as a girl.  He witnessed a gang rape at the age of seven.

Joseph Kallinger was adopted by sadistic parents, who disciplined the young boy with hammers and cat-o'-nine tails. After a hernia operation his stepmother told the 6-year-old that the surgery was to keep his penis from growing. She would also hold his open hand over a flame until his skin began to smolder.

Jeffery Dahmers mother was a hysterical hypochondriac who spent most of her life in bed popping pills.

Brain Damage perhaps caused by head injuries

The prefrontal cortex is 29% of the brain and acts as a controlling mechanism for anger and aggression. The trademark of all social primates is a highly developed frontal brain, and human beings have the largest one of all. Damage causes this to stop working, perhaps allowing people to become murderers and cannibals.

Serial killers who had head injuries:

Paul Charles Denyer
Bobby Joe Long
Leonard Lake
David Berkowitz
Kenneth Bianchi
John Gacy
Carl Panzram
Earle Leonard Nelson
Arthur Shawcross
Fred West
Gary Heidnik
Henry Lee Lucas
Albert Fish
William Burke and William Hare

For Profit Serial Killers

The Motives of Female Serial Killers
Money (74%)
Control (13%)
Enjoyment (11%)
Sex (10%)
Drugs, cult involvement, cover up, or feelings of inadequacy (24%)
Belle Sorenson Gunness
Elfriede Blauensteiner
K D Kempamma alias Mallika
Aileen Carol Wuornos
Mary Ann Cotton
Dorothea Puente
Dr. Harold Shipman
Maria Catherina Swanenburg
Blanche Taylor Moore
Margie Velma Barfield
Waneta Hoyt
Belle Gunness
Sue Basso
Lydia Trueblood
Henry Louis Wallace

Mother Hate

Although it's hard to put everyone who had a domineering mother into a category that says they killed because of the relationship that they had with the mother, there are a lot of them that did have strange relationships with that parent.  Many of the mothers of serial killers were highly controlling, overbearing or overprotective of their sons.  Since some serial killers kill women who have more than just a passing resemblance to their mother, this theory is very popular.

In the 1980's, a study was done of convicted sex-murderers by the FBI.  In that study they found that 47% didn't have a father present throughout most or all of their childhood, and of those that did have fathers present, 71% reported that their mother was the dominant parent.

Some of those serial killers who had obvious strange relationships include:

Ed Gein – he might have actually killed his brother to be more alone with his mother.
Edmund Kemper – mother was domineering, he preyed on women who looked like her. He killed his mother.
Henry Lee Lucas killed his mother.
Joseph Kallinger (he's in the abuse list above)
Kenneth Bianchi (he's in the abuse list above)
Peter Sutcliffe
Jerry Brudos
Arthur Shawcross was obsessed with pleasing his critical mother
Jeffery Dahmers mother was a hysterical hypochondriac who spent most of her life in bed popping pills.
Bobby Jo Long (he's in the abuse list above)
Gary Ridgway (he's in the abuse list above)
Andrei Chikatilo
Ted Bundy
Dorothea Puente
Gerald Eugene Stano
Jerry Brudos
John Reginald Halliday Christie
Joseph Paul Franklin
Jurgen Bartsch
Mary Bell
Michael Ross
Ottis Elwood Toole
Patrick Kearney
Richard Chase
William Bonin
Henry Louis
Wallace Joseph Kallinger

Killer Fantasies

A list of names that fall into this category of theory isn't' even required for this theory, just saying that all serial killers have fantasies that they are trying to fulfill when they kill will suffice.  In a study of 36 serial killers, 28 of them started daydreaming in early childhood.  While daydreaming in itself isn't a harmful thing as everyone has done it, cultivating those dreams and fantasies and reliving them over and over again before going out and murdering people is. For a serial killer in the making, it is often like an addiction. He fantasizes his crimes over and over before he actually commits it. Those fantasies are also used as a coping mechanism for a day-to-day-life. As soon as they are no any longer sufficient to satisfy his needs, he will start living them out.

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Murderabilia Mania
By Keimi Yamagata
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

While beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, art may very well be too. Obsession with serial killers and psychotic behavior seems to grow each year so it’s not entirely surprising when art collectors pay thousands for a painting or everyday Americans go out in droves to buy novels all because serial killers were the creators. Despite it being a controversial practice, the phenomena of serial killers in the art world seems to have a long life ahead of it. From Manson’s sock puppets to Charles Ng’s origami, murderabilia never lacks in contribution.
           

Where else to begin than with “the killer clown” himself: John Wayne Gacy? Perhaps the most successful serial killer turned artist, one of Gacy’s paintings depicting baseball playing dwarfs competing against the Chicago Cubs once went for an unbelievable $9,500, but what Gacy is most famous for are his clown drawings and paintings. The alter ego of the clown stayed with Gacy from his murders through his art and the face of red, white and blue clown makeup would be the one to make Gacy so integrated in popular culture. On his alter ego, Gacy once said, “A clown can get away with murder” and while that may not have been the case for him; a clown certainly can rake in dollars from art collectors and all around macabre individuals. Cult director John Waters himself owns a piece which hangs in his guestroom and lead singer of metal band Cradle of Filth, Dani Filth, owns another.  Not everyone is a fan of Gacy’s art, as would be expected. In June of 1994 a group purchased 25 of Gacy’s paintings for a bonfire they had planned. Nine victim’s family members attended to watch the blaze, along with 300 or so other spectators.  
           

Protests range in size from killer to killer, but are always present. A not so overjoyed 1998 crowd in Texas stood outside an exhibit of Elmer Wayne Henley’s work with signs that read, “"Hang Henley, not his art."  But when faced with the fact that so much backlash results from the sale of  killers’ artwork or literature, many wonder why the prison’s themselves allow it to occur at all, but the answer is simple: art therapy. Many officials believe it’s a form of mental rehabilitation for serial killers and at the very least, prison guards would rather see once violent criminals painting as supposed to harassing and causing trouble. But many serial killers haven’t helped instill faith in that idea and many a clever criminal have found ways to use their art to cheat the system.
           

Jack Unterweger of Australia is a prime example of a man who “wrote his way” out of prison. Unterweger harbored a deep hatred of prostitutes springing from his resentment of his mother for her being one and assaulted many local prostitutes in his younger years. In 1976 he killed Margaret Schäfer, an 18 year old woman, with her own bra and was sentenced to life in prison. But it was in prison that Unterweger, who was illiterate entering, learned to read and write and published many short stories, plays, poems and ultimately an autobiography. After only 14 years of his sentence was served, the prison was impressed with his works and signs of improvement, also many prominent Australians asked for him to be pardoned, including Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek, so on May 30th of 1990, the prison released him.

A free man again, Unterweger went on to do television shows and in 1991, an Australian magazine hired him to write about crime and prostitution. He was also asked by the local police to comment on crime scenes and even go along on patrols with them through red light districts. During this time, Unterweger would go on to murder 11 more women, 6 being in his first year released alone, and managed to deter the police from sensing it was him. But despite his ability to cover up the new murders so long, his trademark killing style was something he couldn’t always resist and eventually caught up with him. When police noticed that three recent murders were of women hung with there own bras, they finally woke up to the fact that Unterweger was one of the many who never truly had recovered. Unterweger eventually killed himself to avoid being taken to trial again and due to his timing, is still innocent on the books. But the allure of serial killer bodies of work was ever present in Unterweger’s case because even though the evidence was insurmountable, many supporters and fans of his work were adamant he was innocent and was no serial killer.

Another man by the name of Gary Gilmore was granted freedom through his art, but also squandered it. Most notable for his not appealing to the death penalty and welcoming it for his killing of two young men, Gilmore was a sad case in that he showed true talent in art and was given an opportunity he didn’t take. At an early age, despite having an IQ of 130, he didn’t do well in school and was in and out of prison on numerous car theft charges. In 1964 at 21 years old, Gilmore was given a 15 year prison sentence for robbery and assault for being a repeat offender. In prison, Gilmore began to use his artistic talents and the prison itself was so impressed with him, they granted him an early release in 1972 to a halfway house in Eugene, Oregon with the understanding he would enroll in the local community college and study art. Unfortunately, whether it was his inner need to kill or nerves and lack of confidence to register, he never enrolled and within a month of his conditional release had committed armed robbery and was brought back to prison. Whatever Gilmore could have been died along with him in 1978 when he was executed by firing squad in Utah.
In yet another failed attempt at recovery, Jack Abbott gained major celebrity after his best selling and popular book, In The Belly of The Beast, was released. The basis of the book had sprung from a relationship he had with author Norman Mailer throughout the 1970s. The letters he had written to Mailer and Mailer had written back served as inspiration and Mailer himself not only helped Abbott publish the novel, but stood before the parole board and got Abbott eventually released in 1981. Abbott had been in since 1965 for forgery when he stabbed an inmate to death and received a harsher sentence, which only increased with an additional 19 year sentence after he escaped and robbed a bank.
Once released, he did the local television circuit, including “Good Morning America.” But only 6 days after he had reclaimed freedom, he stabbed a waiter, Richard Adnan, to death. Obviously taken back to prison, he showed no remorse, but supporters who loved his novel were heartbroken. Abbott eventually published another book ridden with self pity entitled My Return, which was widely unsuccessful and in 2002, hung himself in his prison cell.

At this point one might ask if all hope is lost in art therapy, but successes have risen in ways prisons weren’t hoping for. Gerard Schaefer was able to vent, but in a troubling way. In his novel, Killer Fiction: Tales of an Accused Serial Killer, Schaefer writes of numerous gruesome murders in detail and while they all sound reminiscent of his killing style and possibly could be his own, he assures that they are only “the characters in my fiction.”  Schaefer himself was in prison for murdering, raping, and abducting Susan Place, 17, and Georgia Jessup, 16. He previously had kidnapped two young female hitchhikers and tied them to trees to rape and most likely kill them but was called away through his radio because he was a police officer. When the two girls escaped and reported him, Schaefer told the chief he only meant to do it as a lesson to the girls so they wouldn’t hitchhike, but the chief saw through him, fired him and charged him with false imprisonment and assault. Schaefer eventually pled guilty to the charges and received only one year, which he served and was released to commit the two murders that gained him his two life sentences. Most troubling about his “venting” in the novel is that police are near certain he committed murder numerous other times and the events described in the novel could be real. When searching his bedroom they found journals of violent and hateful rants about women, jewelry, and human teeth from at least 8 different women or young girls who had gone missing over the years. In many cases its clear that art imitating life can certainly be a disturbing event.

Another “recovered” killer is Elmer Wayne Henley who vowed art had saved him and brought him close to God. Henley, assisting Dean Corl with fellow murderer David Brooks, murdered and brutally raped 27 boys across Texas in the early 70s. Vowing to never murder again, his recovery is questionable in that he admits he must look at photographs of naked young boys every now and then to get by.

Another trend is visible in serial killer art aside from a one way ticket to fame or freedom, the material that makes the world go round: money. To try and obtain the riches fellow serial killers seemed to make, Keith Jesperson, who murdered 8 people across 6 states, decided he lacked any talent and to borrow someone else’s to turn a profit.  Jesperson used color pencils to trace and draw over photographs taken by a professional and wound up making $1,000 from a few in 2002. This naturally caught the eye of the original artist and also the prison superintendent who never gave him permission. Jesperson was then disciplined and is still in Oregon State Penitentiary today.

Not the only serial killer turned plagiarist, Donald Henry Gaskins has openly laughed at and admitted that he simply traced Disney characters he found in books or magazines, slightly changed them and had his lawyer see if they would sell, and they definitely did. The fact that Gaskins, once dubbed “The Meanest Man In America” for killing another inmate and reputedly 100 other people, drew Disney figures is, in itself, ironic.

But, perhaps the entire idea of collecting art by so-called monsters exposes the irony in its collectors. The things made from those we fear welcomed into our home. But does art therapy work for criminals? Did author R. A. Lafferty have it right when saying of literature and art that, “The monstrous and wonderful archetypes are not inside you, not inside your consciousness; you are inside them, trapped and howling to get out”  in that serial killers can release their inner demons through art, climb out of it, and be reborn? Or is it that narcissistic element present in most serial killers that clamors for the fame and subsequent fortune? The answer is infinitely debatable and so the debate continues along side the ever present fascination with the things that go bump the night and their art. Those intrigued by monsters will never disappear and as obvious with one sitting and watching of the local news, there is no shortage of monsters in the world to intrigue them, so the art front known as murderabilia isn’t dying anytime soon.

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The Collectors
By Keimi Yamagata
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

If art is said to be subject to interpretation, then those doing the interpreting are subject to controversy over what they consider art. A stroll along a wall in any art museum will undoubtedly show depictions of violent war battles, suicides, and numerous scenes of bloodshed in various shades of red paint. Gracing the walls of the wealthy around the world are such artworks to which fellow members of the elite compliment and ogle when invited into their homes. But, not all walls are created equal. Someone’s Monet is another’s Manson. The question is, who are these “someone”s who invite artworks or memorabilia of those whom we fear into their homes?

            Perhaps the most well-known collector of murderabilia to date is Joe Coleman. An artist himself and once dubbed “America's premier portraitist of sociopathic murderers”, Coleman owns numerous pieces of highly desired  items in the crime art world, including the infamous letter written by sadist and child rapist Albert Fish to victim Grace Budd’s mother. Coleman states that he creates and collects “outsider art” that deals with subject matter or people themselves that are outside the norm. Just some of the subjects Coleman has integrated into his own artwork include: Jeffery Dahmer, Harry Houdini, Edgar Allen Poe, and Carl Panzram, who Coleman made a comic strip of. Even as a child, Coleman’s first paintings were of saints bleeding to death or stabbings due to his devout Catholic mother routinely taking him to church and him taking in the surrounding imaginary. This theme carried on into the artwork he currently creates that has been sought after have people across the world, including celebrities Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio.

            When once asked why he finds the entire practice of serial killer art so appealing, Coleman said, “That's the stuff I can relate to and understand because that's the stuff where the feelings are everything, where the person is everything... They're not concerned with trends, or with sales in the art world, or making a sophisticated statement in our history... They're desperate to put these things down on paper.”

            Whatever reasons a collector may have, its clear that once hooked, a person’s hunt to gather more murderabilia never ends. Coleman is considered an aficionado on the subject now and recently lent his commentary to a documentary based on fellow crime art enthusiasts by Julian P. Hobbes called “Collectors.”  Appearing in the film are Richard Staton and his companion and business partner Tobias Allen, the creator of the widely controversial serial killer board game that is banned in Canada.  The documentary follows both men as they travel to Elmer Wayne Henley’s art show in Houston, Texas and covers the uproar from buyers and protestors alike. Henley, along with partner Deal Corll, murdered and raped 27 children in the early 1970s and currently serves multiple life sentences, but was prompted by Staton himself to take up painting. In the documentary, both men conduct a rare interview with Henley, visit various crime scenes and both spend time with Henley’s mother. The art show would prove to be a tumultuous event with a large turnout of protestors carrying signs that read “Hang Henley, Not His Art.” Nonetheless, the documentary itself has gone on to do well with Jack Anderson of Newsday saying, “Its effect is coolly appalling” and Frank Schreck of The Hollywood Reporter states, “As distasteful as it is compulsively to watch.”

            But before the documentary, Richard Staton, a mortician, hadn’t been absent from the spotlight in the crime art world. Responsible for three “Death Row Art Shows” and dealers for numerous killers such as Henley and Henry Lee Lucas, Staton is said to have made the murderabilia industry what it is today, for better or worse. Beginning in the late 1980s, Staton wrote to various criminals in prison and would build up considerable correspondence with them. “It was really great for a while -- Manson and (Richard) Ramirez would call and leave messages on the answering machine. Gacy called about 80 times a day . . . but in the end, they're losers who live in a little cell and try to titillate guys like me on the outside. They're game-players, very evil sociopaths." Yet despite labeling them all as such, Staton began a business relationship with Gacy as Gacy’s exclusive art dealer. Although Illnois, the state where Gacy was incarcerated, halted Gacy’s right to sell his art, Staton helped him get around the law by visting Gacy in prison and then taking the paintings as “gifts.” Once on the outside with the artwork, Staton would sell them and drop off another so-called “gift” into Gacy’s prison account. Staton says on the relationship, “I got a third of the profit and Gacy got the rest. I guess I made about $3,500, all put together."

            Nowadays, Staton considers himself retired from the industry and active trading with now over 1,500 crime art artifacts in his possession including pieces by Richard Speck, Ottis Toole, Lucas, Gacy, and Manson. Staton is now comfortable in his native Baton Rouge, Louisiana as a husband, father and bassist’s for his church’s choir. When asked about his murderabilia collecting in retrospect, Staton says, “Victims' families must think I'm the worst creature who ever breathed air, and maybe in that sense I am. I am not ashamed of it nor am I proud of (collecting). But I certainly wouldn't do it again. I remain haunted about it to this day."

            Collector and art dealer Zachary Godwin is not as remorseful as Staton. An avid collector with numerous autographed photographs and letters from various serial killers including Charles Ng, Godwin recently became the proud dealer to jailed murderer Wayne Lo. Lo is in prison for the murdering two and injuring four people on a 1992 college campus shooting. A website created and managed by Godwin, skidlo.net, sells artwork and embroidered t-shirts handmade by Lo to any interested parties. As of now, the earnings stand at $300 and all the proceeds go to a scholarship in the name of Galen Gibson, one of Lo’s victims. Lo acknowledges how the industry can be insulting to grieving families of victim’s. “Victims' families have the right to be offended, but we are not trying to intentionally harm them in any way.”

            The clash between families of victims and the crime art collectors is continuous. But sometimes realizing that there are indeed families of victims out there can be enough to shake a person. Knowing this firsthand is creator and front man of American band Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor. Reznor purchased the home where the infamous 1969 Tate LeBianca murders took place at the hands of Manson Family members as a place to record his new album at the time, The Downward Spiral, which went on to be the most successful selling album in Reznor’s career. At the time of purchasing the home, Reznor says he wasn’t even aware or certain of the house’s history until he and a friend researched it after it looked similar to photographs. After Reznor moved out, the house was soon demolished, but Reznor salvaged the front door that still had the faint impression of Susan Atkin’s scrawling of “Le Pig” in Tate’s blood from the night of the murder. The door currently resides in Reznor’s Nothing Studios in a converted funeral parlor in New Orleans. But Reznor’s murderabilia collecting will most likely stop there after a deeply moving encounter he had with Sharon Tate’s sister.  

“While I was working on Downward Spiral, I was living in the house where Sharon Tate was killed. Then one day I met her sister. It was a random thing, just a brief encounter. And she said: 'Are you exploiting my sister's death by living in her house? 'For the first time, the whole thing kind of slapped me in the face. I said, 'No, it's just sort of my own interest in American folklore. I'm in this place where a weird part of history occurred. I guess it never really struck me before, but it did then. She lost her sister from a senseless, ignorant situation that I don't want to support. When she was talking to me, I realized for the first time, 'What if it was my sister?' I thought, 'F**k Charlie Manson.' I went home and cried that night. It made me see there's another side to things, you know?”

Along with Reznor, Jonathon Davis had his walk on the dark side and collection of murderabilia. Being the frontman of multi-platinum alternative band Korn, one would think Davis’s musical honors would be the items he treasured most, but that isn’t the case. “I really caught the bug of collecting serial killer artifacts” says Davis and that would certainly appear so. In his current possession, Davis owns numerous paintings by Richard Ramirez and Gacy, both Pogo and Patches clown suits originally worn by Gacy himself, the 1928 letter of detailed confession by Albert Fish, and a signed legal document and VW Bug belonging to Ted Bundy.

It is this VW, however, that has brought Davis under legal fire. A fellow collector of crime artifacts, Arthur Rosenblatt, sued Davis in June of 2004 for $4 million dollars for a breach of contract. Rosenblatt claimed he had set out to create a museum of criminal justice artifacts called the Museum Of Justice & Odditorium (MOJO MUSEUM) and in 2001, Davis approached him with the want to be involved and contribute $250,000 to the museum.  But, Rosenblatt says he only received intimidation and two-timing from Davis. He alleges that between 2001 and 2003, Rosenblatt left his job to move out to Los Angeles to get the museum started with the aid of Davis, but wound up only loaning Davis over $20,000 worth of artifacts including Ted Bundy’s Bug that he never had returned to him. Rosenblatt claims that Davis did once agree to give the car back to him only if Rosenblatt didn’t sue him. Moreover, the museum idea itself was taken from him, Rosenblatt states, when Davis started appearing on local TV and radio shows stating it was a ‘serial killer museum’ and other contradictory terms to what Rosenblatt had set out to create.

 The two managed to come to an agreement in December of 2005, but before the ink could dry, Davis said a few less than kind words about Rosenblatt in an interview, which Rosenblatt claims violated the terms of the contract, and Rosenblatt took Davis back to court in 2006 for Breach of Contract and Fraud by False Promise in the amount of $250,000.

Despite all the warring and the years of collecting, Davis has started to sell off his collection. Perhaps having the same epiphany Trent Reznor underwent, Davis says collecting has only filled his life with negativity and he can’t bear to be around them anymore. Davis states, “There is definitely a vibe and weird s**t attached to those things. I really don't want to glorify these people and what they did and display the s**t...I wasn't thinking straight when I bought that stuff. I was sucked into it because it was so dark, and I'm like, 'This is cool.'…When I started to think about it, I was like, 'What about those 70 girls' parents — their babies got killed in that car, and I wanna display it! That is f**ked up.'"

But regardless of the changes of heart felt by Trent Reznor and Jonathon Davis, numerous other celebrities continue to collect including shock rocker Marilyn Manson and cult film director John Waters who both own paintings by the killer clown himself, Gacy.

And so the industry goes on. A director of the mayor's Crime Victims Office in Houston, Texas named Andy Kahan did extensive research into the ever booming macabre branch of the art world and estimates that criminal artwork and artifacts have created an over $250,000 a year revenue. So it’s evident that as long as there are crime art collectors, incarcerated murderers or rapists will keep the murderabilia front filled with things to collect. Collectors’ walls will still accumulate the works of serial killers as long as morbid curiosity inhabits the human brain, while angered victim’s families hope for a form of conscience to take it over. And despite numerous states having put a ban on criminal’s selling their artwork, eager buyers will manipulate ways just as Richard Staton did. Perhaps a statement given from entertainment writer and reviewer Tom Joad on Staton’s documentary is in fact the most applicable to not only viewing the film, but when analyzing the collectors themselves. He writes, “You'll be left both enlightened by the macabre world of these collectors as well as mortified by their audacity.”

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Making a Living
by Chris Bartholomew
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

Even serial killers have to eat, pay bills, and live somewhere.  Here is a list of some serial killers and what they did to support their 'habit'.

Herbert Richard "Herb" Baumeister

Herbert Richard "Herb" Baumeister (April 7, 1947 - July 3, 1996) was the founder of the thrift store chain Sav-a-Lot and an alleged serial killer from suburban Westfield, Indiana.

In 1988 Baumeister founded the Sav-a-lot chain. The chain was a success and Baumeister became very rich. He also began spending a lot of time in homosexual bars in Indianapolis. He would bring men he picked up back to his mansion where he would strangle them and dispose of their bones in the woods behind his home.
Baumeister fled to Toronto and killed himself.

A search of his property uncovered the bones of 11 men. Baumeister was also suspected of killing nine more men and disposing of the bodies in rural areas between Indianapolis and Columbus.

Dr Marcel Petiot - The Butcher of Paris; Dr Satan

Dr Petiot was a respected doctor in Paris during the Second World War.
He was charged with the murder of 27 people, including Joachim Guschinow, M. and Mme Kneller, their son Rene Kneller, and Paul Braunberger between 1941 and 1944. Other sources suggest he killed 63 people, or even 150, and that the 86 dissected bodies pulled out of the Seine between 1941 and 1943 were also his handiwork.

Lured to his premises under the promise of a route out of German occupied France, his mostly Jewish victims would then be given a lethal injection, which he told them was to ward off foreign diseases on their travels. They would then be put into a small triangular room with extra thick walls, where Dr Petiot would watch them die through a small hole in the wall. Their bodies were then stored in a quick lime pit and later burned in a furnace.

Petiot was guillotined on 26th may 1946 in the Paris Sante Prison.

 

John Reginald Halliday Christie

John Reginald Halliday Christie was a 54 year old serial murderer and sexual psychopath who murdered at least 6 women. He also gave evidence at the trial of Timothy Evans, who was executed (later posthumously pardoned), for crimes almost certainly committed by Christie (who had served in the Army during World War One and been a Special Police Constable during the Second World War).

On the outbreak of World War II, he applied to join the police force and was accepted despite previous convictions.

He was arrested, tried, and hanged for murder in 1953.

Denis Nilsen

A British serial killer who lived in London. He is known to have killed at least 15 men between 1978 and 1983, when he was eventually caught after his disposal of a body blocked his household drains and drew the attention of the police.

In 1961, Nilsen left school and enlisted in the British Army where he became a cook. He served in the army for 11 years before leaving in 1972 and served briefly as a police officer. From the mid 1970s, Nilsen worked as a civil servant. He was active in the trade union movement.

Paul Kenneth Bernardo

Bernardo committed multiple sexual assaults, escalating in viciousness, in and around Ontario. Most of the assaults were on young women whom he had stalked after they had exited buses late in the evening.

Bernardo worked for Amway, whose sales culture had a deep effect on him. He bought the books and tapes of famous motivational get-rich-and-famous experts. Bernardo and his friends practiced their techniques on young women they met in bars.

Karla Leanne Homolka

Homolka is a Canadian serial killer who was convicted of manslaughter in the rape-murders of two teenaged girls; her husband, Paul Bernardo, was convicted of their murders and admitted having raped numerous women. Homolka and Bernardo also were responsible for the rape and death of her sister Tammy.

She worked part-time in a pet shop at a nearby mall. After receiving her grade 12 diploma in 1989, she was hired as a veterinary assistant a Veterinary Clinic, which asked her to leave after she was suspected of stealing drugs. She then found a similar job at the Martindale Animal Clinic.

Dr. Thomas Neill Cream

He was a Scotish-born serial killer, who claimed his first proven victims in the US and the rest in England. Cream, who poisoned his victims, was executed after his attempts to frame others for his crimes brought him to the attention of London police.

Cream went to Chicago and set up a medical practice not far from the red-light district, offering illegal abortions to prostitutes.

Unsubstantiated rumors suggested his last words as he was being hanged were confession that he was Jack the Ripper, even though he was in jail at the time of the Ripper murders.

William Patrick Fyfe

A Canadian serial killer convicted of killing five women in the Montreal area of Quebec, although he claims to have killed four others. He allegedly killed his first victim in 1979 at age of 24. He was raised by an aunt and moved from Western Canada to Montreal in 1958. As an adult, he worked as a handyman.

Robert William "Willie" Pickton

Pickton is a Canadian pig farmer and serial killer convicted of the second-degree murders of six women. He is also charged in the deaths of an additional twenty women, many of them prostitutes and drug users from Vancouver's Downtown.

He confessed to forty-nine murders to an undercover police officer posing as a cell mate. The Crown reported that Pickton told the officer that he wanted to kill another woman to make it an even 50, and that he was caught because he was "sloppy.

Pickton and his brother, David Francis Pickton, ran a registered charity called the Piggy Palace Good Times Society, a non-profit society whose official mandate was to organize, co-ordinate, manage and operate special events, functions, dances, shows and exhibitions on behalf of service organizations, sports organizations and other worthy groups.

Karl Denke

Denke was born in German. As an adult, he was well liked in his community, and worked as an organ player at the local church.

Denke was arrested after attacking a man at his house with an axe. Police searched Denke's home and found human flesh in huge jars of curing salts. A ledger contained the details of 40 people Denke had murdered and cannibalized over the years. It is thought he even sold the flesh of his victims at the market.

He hung himself in his jail cell.

He owned a rooming house and played an organ at his church.

Gwendolyn Graham & Cathy Wood

Both Gwendolyn Graham and Cathy Wood were Nurses aids at a retirement home. They are attributed five victims, and imprisoned for life.
John George Haigh

He Lived in Great Brittan. Haigh was an Accountant at an engineering firm, and hanged for his crimes, he is attributed six victims, but there were possibly nine.

Edmund Kemper

An American serial killer who lived in California, with 10 victims to his name.  He is serving a life sentence.  He was a Highway Department worker

Anna Maria Zwanziger

Zwangiger was a German serial killer with four victims.  She was a domestic servant.  She was beheaded for her crimes.

Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo - Butcher of Rostov, The Red Ripper or The Rostov Ripper.

A notorious Russian serial killer, he was convicted of the murders of 52 women and children. He completed a degree in Russian literature by a correspondence course and tried a career as a teacher in. There were several complaints of him perpetrating child sexual abuse on his students that were usually handled quietly and without police involvement, thus he was able to move from school to school. He eventually took a job as a clerk for a factory, using his many business trips around the Soviet Union to carry out his killings.

John R. Gasser

Gasser was a student and state employee in Seattle.

Gasser raped and strangled a 22-year-old carhop and dumped her body near the Sand Point Naval Station. Years after his release from prison, he raped and strangled a 49-year-old woman and dumped her body in a ditch outside Olympia in 1982. He is in prison in Washington.

Harvy L. Carignan - The Want Ad Killer

He was a gas station manager is Seattle and Minneapolis.

Suspected in dozens of sex-slayings spanning four decades and several Western states and provinces, Carignan is thought to have killed at least two women in Washington. He was convicted of two murders in Minnesota. He met some victims by placing newspaper help wanted ads. A map found in his Minnesota home had at least 180 areas circled -- including 18 in Washington -- where some bodies have been found.

He is in prison in Minnesota.

James Dwight Canady

City water department employee, in Seattle

He abducted, raped and strangled two women, and then dumped their bodies near Stevens Pass. Canady later attacked two other women and was being held in King County Jail on rape, assault and kidnapping charges when he confessed to the murders, leading detectives to one body. He is in prison in Washington.

Warren Forrest

Clark County parks employee, in Vancouver.

Forrest is suspected of kidnapping, raping and strangling six women near Vancouver. He was convicted of killing one and abducting, raping and attempting to kill two others, after serving seven years in a state mental hospital. He is in prison in Washington.

Gary G. Grant

Navy enlistee, Renton

He confessed to four sex-slayings, including the murders of two 6-year-old boys and two teenage girls. All victims stabbed, strangled or both, then dumped in wooded areas near a Renton trailer park where he lived with his parents. He is in prison in Washington.

Ted Bundy

Law student, Tacoma

One of the most infamous serial killers of modern time, the former Tacoma man and University of Washington law student is thought to have killed at least 36 young women and girls in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Colorado and Florida.

He was executed in Florida in 1989.

James Elledg

Part-time church janitor 

He attacked at least four women over 33-year span, killing two. Crimes include a 1966 robbery/kidnapping in Albuquerque, N.M.; a 1974 bludgeoning murder in Seattle; and the1998 fatal stabbing of one woman and sexual assault of another in a Lynnwood church.

He was executed in Washington in 2001.

James Edward Ruzicka

Stable cleaner, Redmond

Deemed a sexual psychopath after attacking two Seattle women, he escaped Western State Hospital, then raped and strangled two teenagers in West Seattle. He hung the body of one victim from a tree and hid the other in a field. He was arrested in Oregon after raping a 13-year-old girl. He is in prison in Washington.

William Batten

Car lot worker, Aberdeen

He was committed to state psychiatric hospital as a sexual psychopath following child molestations in 1967. He stabbed two teenage hitchhikers to death near Moclips in 1975. He remains a suspect in the 1969 disappearance of a woman he had dated.

He is in prison in Washington.

Robert Lee Yates Jr.

Aluminum plant worker and Army Reserve helicopter pilot, Spokane.

He killed a string of prostitutes in Spokane and Pierce County since 1996. Admitted to 16 murders, convicted of 15. He would pick up prostitutes, shoot them and engage in post-mortem sex. Grew up on Whidbey Island and lived in several Washington cities.
He is on death row in Washington.

Kenneth Bianchi - The Hillside Strangler:

Security-alarm installer, Bellingham

Strangled at least seven women and left their bodies on hillsides in Los Angeles. He killed two Western Washington University students in Bellingham in 1979. He worked with an adopted "cousin" convicted of nine similar murders in Los Angeles.

He is in prison in Washington.

Morris Frampton

Sprinkler system installer, Seattle

He beat to death a Seattle prostitute, and then dumped her body near the South Park marina. Also convicted of assaulting two other Seattle prostitutes and acquitted of killing another. 

He is in prison in Washington.

Stanley Bernson

Produce salesman, Spokane

Suspected of killing up to 30 Northwest women, Bernson stabbed a 15-year-old girl to death and buried her in a shallow grave in Richland. Authorities in Oregon also charged him for the 1978 murder of a Umatilla teenager, whose body was found in 1985.
He is In prison in Washington.

Randy Woodfield - The I-5 Killer:

Bartender, Eugene/Portland, Ore.

Suspect in at least 13 homicides, including three in Washington. Best known for robbing, raping and killing women in communities along Interstate 5 from Bellevue to Redding, Calif. he often wore a false beard and hooded sweat shirt during his attacks.
He is in prison in Oregon.

Martin Lee Sanders

Long-haul trucker, Spokane

He was convicted of raping and killing two teenagers in Spokane in 1983. He also killed two teenage female hitchhikers in Grant County in 1980. He avoided prosecution in those murders by later pleading guilty to the Spokane homicides. He is in prison in Washington.

Dwayne Elton

Army sergeant, Fort Lewis.

Shot and killed one prostitute, strangled and sliced the throat of another. Elton dumped his victims near Madigan Army Hospital in 1984. The Seattle native later pleaded guilty to the killings in military court to avoid a death sentence.
He is in a military prison in Kansas.

William Scott Smith

Cook, Salem, Ore.

He was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder for the sex slayings of two young Salem women in separate attacks in the spring of 1984. Smith was also questioned in the 1983 unsolved murder of a 14-year-old girl in Idaho. Although not officially a suspect in any Washington murders, Green River investigators at one time looked at him in relation to serial killings in this state. Smith also has family ties to Pierce County. He is in prison in Oregon.

Billy Ray Ballard Jr.

Truck driver, Plains, Mont.

He confessed to killing a Seattle couple who disappeared while sightseeing in the Columbia River Gorge. Their bodies were recovered at different times, dumped 30 miles apart, in rural Grant County. Ballard's arrest for the abduction, rape and torture of two women in Wyoming months later helped investigators match his fingerprint to one left on the Washington couple's abandoned car.
Status: In prison in Wyoming.

Joe Kondro

Laborer, mill worker, Longview

He admits to raping and strangling two young girls in Southwest Washington -- killings more than 11 years apart. Convicted of two other rapes, he also admits to abducting a teenage store clerk at knifepoint. Suspect in dozens of disappearances, rapes and murders since 1982.  He is in prison in Washington.

Westley Allan Dodd

Shipping clerk

Raped, tortured and killed three boys in Vancouver-Portland area. Caught after he tried to abduct a boy from a Camas movie theater. Admitted to molesting about 30 children.
He was executed in Washington in 1993.

Scott William Cox

Long-haul trucker, Newberg, Ore.  

He stabbed one prostitute and strangled another in Portland. Suspected in more than 20 other murders, including the 1988 homicide of Snohomish County transient Hazel Gelnett and the 1990 murder of Tia Hicks, a Seattle woman whose body was found in Montlake Terrace. Also suspected of raping and trying to kill a Seattle prostitute in May 1991. He is in prison in Oregon.

Keith Jesperson - Happy Face Killer

Long-haul trucker, Yakima Valley/Portland

He confessed to eight murders in five states. Jesperson typically raped, beat and strangled truck-stop prostitutes and transients, then dumped bodies along wooded roadsides. Sent taunting letters to media and authorities, signed with a "happy face." Caught after killing his girlfriend near Camas. He is in prison in Oregon.

John Eric Armstrong

U.S. Navy, Bremerton/Detroit, Mich.

Armstrong claims to have killed two women and a transsexual man in Seattle while stationed on the Bremerton-based USS Nimitz from 1993 to 1999, plus eight others worldwide. He was convicted of five Detroit-area prostitute murders. Police discount many of his claims. In prison in Michigan.

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Psychological Phases
by Chris Bartholomew
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

There are seven psychological phases a serial killer goes through in his mind. They were identified and described by psychologist Joel Norris in 1988. Norris worked on the defense teams of several convicted killers from Georgia and completed 500 interviews with such individuals, during which he identified the following phases.

1. Aura Phase

He hasn't killed yet, but he starts to withdraw from family and friends, isolating himself more and more.  He is like a person addicted to television, all he wants to do is to continue watching it, but the 'television' that he is watching is a fantasy in his head.  People he comes in contact with might not even notice that there is a difference, but at this aura phase, he won't be trying to make any contact with other people that he isn't already obligated to talk to and interact with.  It is here that he might start abusing alcohol or drugs, which usually leads to the fantasies intensification and after awhile these fantasies have to be acted upon.  This phase can last from a few minutes to a few months.  This is the time when he is getting up his nerve to put action to his fantasies, he's building himself up.

2. Trolling Phase

The killer has decided that he is ready, and he is looking for a victim. He's usually going to be looking in a place where he's been before, so that being familiar with the surroundings, he knows where he will most likely succeed in finding someone he won't be caught with. He has to find a good place to kill the victim.  He also has to take into consideration where he will leave or dump the body.  This phase takes as long as it takes, sometimes a day, sometimes months.  He is looking for the perfect victim to act out those fantasies that have grown in his mind.  By this phase, he has an idea of how he will approach the victim.

3. Wooing Phase

Note that the disorganized killer wouldn't be here at this phase, as the organized killer is more confident and has better social skills.  He will try to socialize with the victim and gain their trust.  Once he has their trust, he will get them to a secluded area that he picked out during the Trolling phase and move on to the next phase. 

4. Capture Phase

This is where he betrays the trust he has gained.  The capture.  He somehow got the victim into the car (or knocks them out and puts them there) and he goes to the secluded area that he already picked out.  He might pretend to need help with something to get them to the car.  He gets pleasure out of the capture phase; he is in complete control and loves this. Once he's sure his victim cannot get away, he goes to the next phase. Note that some people have actually escaped or talked the killer into letting them go during this phase.  It seems as though there is a way to interrupt the fantasy here, maybe mentioning children, somehow in begging for their life, some victims have been let go, sometimes the killer just walks away or drops them off on the side of the road or at a hospital.

5.  Murder Phase

A disorganized killer is likely to kill the victim quickly, raping and mutilating after death.  With the organized killer, time will be taken to act out his fantasy, usually raping and mutilating while the victim is still alive.  The most organized serial killer will keep the person alive as long as possible to get the most enjoyment out of the act and make it last, because he is not really there for the kill, he is there to live out the fantasy.

6.  Totem Phase

The fantasy is over, and the excitement is gone. He gets depressed because it's over and it didn't last.  This is why some serial killers will take what we call 'trophies' away with them, so that they have something that will help them reenact the kill over and over in his mind.  This helps him remember the power he had over the victim, it reminds him that he actually did it.

7.  Depression Phase

This is the last phase before he starts again.  He's emotionally let down.  This can last for days or weeks, sometimes even months.  This is the time that they might try to commit suicide, or even confess to the police before he kills again.  Now that the victim is dead, they don't represent what the thought they did and the fantasy is still there.  It never gets finished with a satisfactory ending.  It's like an incomplete story. In every subsequent murder, he tries to make the scene of the crime the same as the fantasy, which is why there are almost always patterns to a serial killers kills. Serial killing is an addiction, and the killing patterns will be continued.

To date, there is not a way to stop a serial killer from killing but the catch them and put them in prison.  The above phases help to explain this, as they did it, got away with it, still need to satisfy that fantasy, and will continue becuase there is no satisfactory end.

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Serial Killers and the Media
by Chris Bartholomew
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

You pick up the paper and read the headlines: Killer Strikes Again.  You are going to read the article, and every other article, and you'll keep reading until you know all about it because you live there and you want to know who he's killing, where he's killing, when he's killing, so that you can prepare to stay away from the places at that time of day or night, and you try to think of ways that you are different from his victims.  The media has given you a chance to protect yourself by giving you information.

Human nature.

It's also human nature to be enamored by all of our feelings, especially fear.  Most of us have had nightmares, and we will admit that while we don't like the images, we do like the feeling of being afraid.  It makes us feel alive. It's why we read mysteries, and horror stories.  It's why Steven King is such a hit.  The love of the feeling is also why rollercoaster's always have the longest lines.  We like to be afraid.

We also want to be known, we want people to know that we do our jobs well, that we treat our families well, that we are who we are.  Worlds within worlds, we all have our places where we are known and appreciated.  Some people want to be famous – actors, writers, singers, dancers... and serial killers. 

Now that our nature is out of the way we can examine how media coverage might influence the serial killer, beginning with nicknames.  As writers, we have to come up with super titles, a great lead-in to a story – and that's whether we are writing a book, story, or an article, a good lead-in is a must.  Media gives nicknames to a serial killer because they don't know who he or she is.  Plain and simple, it's easier for us to write, 'The Pink Panther Killer' than it is to keep saying, 'whoever killed the Keller woman has done it again', 'whoever the killer is', etc. 

We can't say that all serial killer nicknames are sensational, or super-hero like, but some of them are.  Some of them are named after the area, as in 'Highway Killer', or for how they might have killed as in 'The Cleveland Axe Murderer.' 

The Zodiac Killer named himself, and so did Dennis Radar of the BTK (bind, torture, kill) murders in Kansas.  Fearing the paper wouldn't publish his letter, the Zodiac Killer threatened to kill a school bus full of children.  He was certainly after publicity. After years of keeping quiet, Dennis Radar sent the police a computer disk with a message that they were able to trace to the church where he did work.  His want for attention got him caught.

"The Lipstick Killer" of Chicago; "Zodiac Killer" of San Francisco; "BTK" of Wichita; "Weepy-Voice Killer" of Minnesota; "Happy Face Killer" of Oregon; and "Zodiac Killer" of New York, are just a few of the serial killers who communicated with the media while they killed.  They obviously wanted to be known for what they were doing.

There are always similarities in serial killings, but another bid for fame and the attention that it brings the killer are signatures.  A signature killer has something that he does every time he kills, letting the authorities know that it's him.  When you read an article where the killer left the bodies in a certain position, this is a signature, if he takes away with him a body part, it's a signature. Something that ties all of the victims together can also be called a 'signature' and this is communication with the media.  While all serial killers may leave signs, not all of them leave signatures.  Signatures are proof that one person did the deed.  Who do they want to know that it's 'their signature'? The media so they will let the rest of the world know.

Does media coverage make a serial killer kill more people?  Certainly it can be suggested that it does create copycat murders.  If it weren't for media coverage, it's not likely that the average citizen could put the numbers and likelihood (similarities) together to figure out a serial activity.  Only the media puts it all out there for everyone to read. No one can be a copycat without all of the information. 

Not all serial killers set out to be famous.  Some of them don't even know that they like notoriety until they experience it when they read a story about themselves in the paper. Once they read the story though, it has to have an effect.  We don't know but that some serial killers might actually stop killing for fear of being caught after media coverage. 

Bud Richards hated his nickname given by the media.  "Nicknames are everything in the States," complained Richards. "If you haven't got a cool handle, you're like, nobody. I was hoping to be named something clever like 'The LA Clipper'or perhaps even 'The Nail Ripper', but instead I’ll go down in the annals of American criminology as ‘TheManicure Murderer’How gay is that?”

Why is the above quote included in this article?  Because everyone knows that Americans have a fascination with serial killers, even serial killers know that.  We read them like entertainment, and they are happy to keep us so entertained.  Yes, they do get greedy for publicity, for the writer to get it right, for their name to keep coming out in the articles, in the movies, in the books.  They want to be known. 

But we are back to the question - does media coverage make the serial killer kill more people, or accelerate their work?  You would have to agree that it does.
Serial killers have been featured in novels, movies, songs, comic books, true crime, video games and other media  Films such as The Silence of the Lambs, Psycho, Scream, and the Halloween series, have featured serial killers as villains, antiheros, and even protagonists. Serial killers such as Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates, Carnage, Michael Meyers, Patrick Bateman, and Dexter Morgan have become some of the most famous; popular characters in modern culture.
America has proven that stardom can be obtained by a serial killer. 
Before a killer is named a serial killer, he/she has to kill at least three people.  Media doesn't 'make' a serial killer, they find them.  Police are not willing to release information that there is a possible serial killer on the loose until the media makes it almost impossible to ignore in most cases.  

Media is a necessary evil.  On the one hand the writer wants to be known for their investigative work, the public wants to know what this 'mysterious' person is up to, and the serial killer wants their name in lights.  They want fame.  Media coverage is continued inspiration for them to live up to what's being written about them.  They feel like they are super human, able to kill without being caught, sometimes for years.

The organized killer is considered to be socially competent, intelligent, a planner, generally targets strangers, someone who uses restraints, has sex with their victims and uses a vehicle. Typical characteristics would include living with a partner, follows the crime in the media, plans the killing, the victim’s body is hidden; evidence is often absent, may return to the crime scene and anticipates police.

In every serial killing, there are three participants: the killer, the victim(s), and the audience: the police, the media, or the public. The killer actively seeks recognition and acknowledgement of his killings, proof by acclaim and mention of his deeds. He preserves mementos, records his actions in detail, and preserves and revisits the crime scene. His feelings of influence and invulnerability to the consequences of his actions increase the more victims he rapes, mutilates, and murders.

Many killers enjoy media and law-enforcement attention, and when apprehended, not only confess to their crimes but sometimes even exaggerate how many murders they have committed.

Thinking logically, knowing that a serial killer is in your area, walking at night feels creepier.  When people know that there is a serial killer in certain areas tourism is down.  The media has an effect on everyone.  It's just not logical to believe that a serial killer wouldn't be affected by the media.

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Serial killers and Astrology
by Chris Bartholomew
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

I'm a Virgo, what sign are you?  Chances are that you know your birth sign.  The Zodiac Signs are all part of astrology, which is the study of the different astral bodies and how they influence human life on earth, or rather, how the position of these planets influence us.

Some people believe in astrology so far as reading their own horoscope to see what kind of day they will have.  Some people don't believe in it at all, and some think it's a tool of the devil. 

The horoscope is a map that appears as a two dimensional chart. It shows the position of the Sun, the Moon, and planets at the precise moment of your birth. The planets are frozen in their position at the initial moment of birth. That is why this type of horoscope is known as the birth chart or the natal chart.

In the 1980's several different people did studies, not scientific, but studies nonetheless, where they'd give an astrologer names, birth dates, and times of birth of serial killers, with their own name instead of the killers name to see if the results would show that serial killer's traits or life.  It didn't work out; in fact, one teacher did this same thing, using the student's names and serial killer's information, handing out the findings to the students asking them to rate the reading. Most of the students rated this experiment high in the 'right' list, thinking the astrologer hit the nail on the head as far as their own lives were concerned.

A skeptic in Kansas City went to five professional astrologers giving as his own the birth data and computer-calculated birth chart of John Gacy. They described him as having a "well rounded personality", that he could "offer a good role model" and that he would "be excellent for working around young people" (which is the group that Gacy specialized in murdering).

On the other hand, astrologers have done studies on serial killers, using their name, date and time of birth, to see if their charts will tell anything that Serial Killers have in common, as in the position of certain planets, and to see if a reading of their lives would be correct using astrology.

Studies and readings have been done on many Serial Killers, among them:

Edmund Kemper (Sagittarius), Jeffrey Dahmer (Gemini), David Berkowitz (Gemini), Richard Ramirez, (Pisces) Dennis Radar (Pisces), Ed Gein (Leo), Marcel Petiot (Capricorn), Ian Brady (Capricorn), Myra Hindley (Cancer), Charles Manson, (Scorpio), John Wayne Gacy, (Pisces) Ted Bundy (Sagittarius),  Bob Berdella (Aquarius), Dean Corll (Capricorn), Dennis Nilsen (Sagittarius), Arthur Shawcross (Gemini), Randall Woodfield (Capricorn).

An astrologer sent the FBI an astrological profile of the killer in the Atlanta Child Murders (which turns out was way off), and some police in different places have called on an astrologer to try to find a suspected serial killer, or to see if the chart would show something of significance between the suspected killer and the killings.

An episode of the television program, Unsolved Mysteries, profiled a segment concerning an experiment in astrology. The producers of the show had twenty astrological birth charts from people at random. Included with the twenty astrological charts, the producers put the charts of four serial killers: Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz, Richard Ramirez, and Ed Kemper. These astrological charts were given to Carolyn Reynolds, a well-known astrologer, to see if she could glean any information from them. Without knowing the identity of the people whose charts she was analyzing, she successfully identified the four people as possible serial killers. She was also able to give other specific information about these serial killers that proved correct. She was able to do all this just by analyzing their astrological birth chart.

There is a lot of talk about what sign most of the serial killers were born under, but in my searching, I got different results, but it doesn't really matter what the sign is, whether they have that in common or not, the key is what date, time, and place they were born –whether certain planets were in the same places of most of the killers or not, and it turns out that they were.

In understanding charts, I thought it would be interesting to see what my own would look like.  You can do this free online, and there are places where you can go to find the meaning - the chart is a circle with the 12 zodiac signs, divided into 12 houses which are 30° each.  The sun, moon and planets are then put into the places where they were at a birth time and place.  Then there are lines going here and there. While it is interesting to look at, it means nothing unless you can figure it out.  I did one of my own so that I could understand those of others. 

After doing my own chart, which turned out pretty much right, I decided to pick a killer, get the chart and figure out what it would read.  I decided to do someone everyone is not only interested in, but knows a lot about, Charles Manson. Here are some of the results:

Very intense and non-committal, primary motivation is unlikely to be prestige, or even authority, its real power. His power can absolutely be of the "behind the scenes" variety, just as long as he has it. He isn't afraid of getting his hands (or body or mind) dirty. He likes the darker side of life. It intrigues him, and he's always ready to investigate.

He never gives up. He has tremendous staying power. He's not in the slightest intimidated by anybody or anything. Confrontations are not a problem. Everyone would probably be in awe at all he's gone through. Trauma seems to follow him wherever he goes. When he learns optimism, instead of expecting the worst, he'll find that he possess amazing regenerative powers -- the power to heal, create, and transform.

Weaknesses: He is suspicious, defiant, and extremist: he is sometimes vindictive.

Social relationships are extremely important. He is generally charming with an easy-going manner. It is generally quite important that he is personally popular, and to be liked and appreciated. Sometimes, vanity is part of the package. He is diplomatic and a veritable expert at smoothing over (and sometimes glossing over) problems. He is openhanded with others, tolerant and accepting. When expressed negatively, he can be superficial and two-faced, and be very much tied up with appearances – his own, and sometimes others'.  He is most attracted to people who express interest in him, or who respond well to his charms. He works his charms and draws people to him. His ability to attract others is very much tied up with ego.
 
He has faced a fair number of challenges in his life, especially in the first half, in which his attempts to express his will were often thwarted. There can be a persistent feeling that he doesn't get what he wants in comparison to others. He can feel unlucky at times. Attempts to control the environment, and sometimes others, may be frequent.

He wants to be considered an accomplished and important person, and when he faces obstacles, he doesn't always see that he is his own worst enemy. He may long to be considered important in the eyes of the world, yet he harbors fear of success at the same time. He takes failures and minor setbacks to heart, and may even practically beat himself up over them. Self-awareness to the point of real self-consciousness is a possibility.  

He is not much scared of anything. He enjoys and embraces growth, especially of the psychological kind. He loves a good mystery, and is adept at solving it. He readily assigns meaning to what others might consider "ordinary" events. He looks for symbols, and reads between the lines in most any situation. The physical vitality is generally strong, and the body is usually able to heal quickly. He is not afraid of the "dark side" of human nature, and he will bend the rules from time to time if he feels the need to do so.

He is sociable, intelligent and lucid. Thanks to great sociability, he has many friends. He is modern, original, inventive, and non-conformist and brings new life to everything he does.

Weaknesses: he is eccentric, with sharp mood swings. Complex love life.

There is a conflict here between the head and the heart. His emotions tell him one thing and the mind tells him something else. The result is a see-saw effect: he can be emotional to the point of irrationality at one moment and logical the next. He has a tendency to misrepresent himself with what he says from time to time, but he is a charming, if a little kooky, friend.

He is sometimes indifferent to others, to those who surround him: he is, without thinking, negligent and indecisive. He may "feed" inner restlessness with excesses in gambling, shopping, or other comforts, and his honesty is sometimes a bit elastic. This aspect does not help professional success, especially as he tends to spend more than he earns. Sometimes enthusiastic and gung-ho, and other times indifferent, it can be challenging for others to understand him. He needs to find constructive avenues for his inner restlessness.

He has a feverish, non-constructive restlessness. He is too susceptible. His life is full of change. He is irritable and stubborn at times due to an inner restlessness that is hard to satisfy. He has difficulty concentrating on a job. His friendships are like his professional and love life - sometimes unstable. There is a strong need for closeness, but when people get too close, he gets cagey, as he values personal freedom just as much.

He has intense emotions and passionate feelings. He fears the loss of control of emotional and domestic matters, and fears change. At the same time, he attracts change and disruptions. The love life or marital life may be riddled with emotional scenes, jealousy, and possessiveness because he attracts intense partners.

He is extremely observant and astute, always reading between the lines and looking for the real meaning behind things. He is passionate in speech, and excellent at strategy. Natural psychologist.

He likes polemic, to criticize and, above all, to contradict. He lacks diplomacy and tends to dissipate his energy. He cannot stay in the same place, likes change even if it means a backward step.

He possesses people, and somehow makes it seem attractive to be possessed. He has a strong need to control his partner, although this won't be immediately apparent, and he may not ever admit to this.

He attracts the best fortune when he puts his "all" into a project or undertaking, and uses his magnetic powers to heal others.

He is too independent and his liberty is all-important. He lacks diplomacy, and his extravagance is shocking. He likes verbal battles and espouses extremist ideas in order to shock his companions. He has a number of internal tensions.

Weaknesses: bad luck, adversity, problems and disappointed hopes. Narrow-minded, violent, sectarian, and probably has psychosomatic illnesses. He pollutes the family atmosphere, and is destructive.

I thought that was a pretty interestingly correct view of the man's life, though of course some if it isn't true to how things worked out for him.  Because society is so interested in serial killers, their lives are pretty well mapped out so astrologers can look at their chart and compare it with real life. 

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Profiling – A Closer Look
by Chris Bartholomew
Published in The Serial Killer Magazine

Profiling a serial killer is a fascinating thing. It takes more than just hearing about a murder.  It actually takes more than one murder, because you have to have something to compare.  A profile is an investigative tool.  It is not exact science.  A criminal profiler takes all of the information the police have about a particular case, they talk to all of the officers and investigators that work on the case, and look at similar cases that have been solved; all of this together makes a profile.  The profiler's education and experience with these types of crimes also are a very significant part of the profile.

I've chosen the unsolved case from California to compare the actual case with a profile done by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Miami Regional Operations Center.  Keep in mind that the profile made that I have included at the end of the article was made when there were only five victims at three different places.  In this article, there are two different cases (Original Night Stalker, and the East Area Rapist) that were found linked to one person through DNA evidence, at the time of the profile, this was not the case, they were only looking at the first murders that they knew about at the time.  If you look at the names below, within the article, you can see where it was merged.
 
1) Lyman Smith, W/M 43 March 13, 1980
Charlene Smith, W/F 33 March 13, 1980
2) Keith Harrington, W/M 24 August 19, 1980
Patrice Harrington, W/F 28 August 19, 1980
3) Manuela Witthuhn, W/F 28 February 6, 1981

It is helpful to look at the profile with this newer information to see, when this case developed into the unsolved case that it is today, whether or not the profile could still possibly be right. It's also useful to note that the profiler had some information that the public was/is not necessarily privy to with this case (blades of grass in bed, etc.).

The first thing you have to know is the case:

Original Night Stalker/East Area Rapist = the Diamond Knot Killer

In 2001 criminologists matched the DNA of a suspect in 10 Southern California murders committed between 1980 and 1986 with 50 rapes committed in Northern California from 1976 to 1979.  Combining the Original Night Stalker, and the East Area Rapist, we now call the suspect the Diamond Knot Killer.  The identity of this rapist/killer remains unknown.  This suspect showed proficiency in tying ornate knots including the 'diamond knot', or 'Chinese knot'. (This evidence was shown only in the first two killings, not every one.)

The serial killer is thought to have begun his criminal career as a rapist in Sacramento in 1976, earning himself the name East Area Rapist because many of his attacks occurred in the Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights and Orangevale areas east of Sacramento.
The man would later become known as the Original Night Stalker, because his crimes started before those of convicted serial murderer Richard Ramirez, known as the Night Stalker.

He stalked his victims. Sometimes there would be reports of prowlers for days before he attacked.   Originally, he attacked single women, often after prying open sliding glass doors or windows of their homes with a screwdriver. He haunted upper-middle-class neighborhoods, prowling at night looking for unlocked doors.  There were reports of screens missing from windows of houses other than where he struck - evidence that someone was sneaking around at night, looking for ways into houses.

His victims weren't just women.  He started targeting couples in Southern California coastal communities in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Orange counties in 1977. He wasn't picky about his weapons and would shoot, stab or bludgeon his victims -- both men and women. The rapist frequently held a knife to his victims' throats.

The rapist would break in, often waking the victims by shining a flashlight on them or speaking. He usually cut the telephone cord and covered a lamp with something to dim the lighting. He would separate the woman from the man, often having the woman tie up her companion with bindings he brought to the house with him.

Speaking through clenched teeth in a whispering falsetto voice, he would tell the bound man he was going to kill him and the woman if he heard a sound. His warning came after he'd place perfume bottles or dishes on the man's back. He'd then leave to rape the woman in another room.

He left DNA evidence behind.

He ate from the victims' refrigerators and would tell his victims all he wanted was food and money, probably giving them a false sense of security that he would leave after he robbed them, making them feel safe enough not to try anything rash. He would rarely take anything of value, but occasionally would grab jewelry as a memento.

On April 14, 1978, the East Area Rapist struck again in the South Area of Sacramento County, attacking a 15 year old babysitter.  The East Area Rapist was very methodical and calculating. He always wore a mask, so none of his victims had ever seen his face. He always wore gloves so he never left fingerprints behind. His vehicle was never parked near the crime scenes, so his license plate was never knowingly written down.

The East Area Rapist attacks came to an abrupt end with the last reported attack occurring on June 26, 1979. However, there are at least six East Area Rapist attacks that have been unaccounted for. The last reported East Area Rapist attack was listed in the media as his 44th attack. However, some law enforcement officials have referred to 50 attacks.

In 1979, the rapist turned more violent.
Detectives hosted town hall meetings after the Sacramento rapes to address residents' concerns. At one meeting, a man stood up and boldly proclaimed that he could protect his wife from the rapist. This couple was the rapist's next victims. He raped the wife and attacked the man. How must the people of the time felt when they realized that the killer must, no HAD to have been at the meeting.  He also must have fit in with the other people there, in all over 300 attended and no one could think of one single person who stood out.

On Oct. 1, 1979, a man in a ski mask entered the home of Mary Brown and John Davis. The couple was awakened, a flashlight shining in their eyes, and Brown was ordered to tie up Davis with pre-cut lengths of cord that were brought to the house. While the masked intruder ransacked the house supposedly looking for money, Brown managed to hop outside to the front of her home and scream for help. The intruder pulled her back into the house. During this time, Davis made his escape into the backyard. While the intruder pursued Davis, Brown escaped again, this time running into the arms of a neighbor who had been alerted by her screams. Having lost control of the situation, the intruder was spotted escaping on a bicycle and he disappeared down a creek bed.

The man known as the East Area Rapist, would simply disappear and then re-emerge approximately three months later in Southern California and transform himself from a serial rapist into a serial killer.

Robert Offerman, 44, an orthopedic surgeon and Alexandria Manning, 35, a clinical psychologist, were both murdered in December of 1979. Both victims were restrained with braided twine, but they were shot, not bludgeoned. The killer brought a big dog to the scene, and ate from the refrigerator.

In 1981, 35-year-old Cheri Domingo, an office manager, and 27-year-old Gregory Sanchez, who worked at the Burroughs Office Machine Company, were murdered. There was no sexual assault this time, but the victims were both shot, beaten to death, and bound with twine.

When he murdered, Ventura, California attorney Lyman Smith and Smith’s wife Charlene, he left pre-cut lengths of drapery cord he’d used to bind them on the bodies and the fireplace log he used to kill them on the bed.

In August of 1980, the same year he killed the Smiths, he struck in Niguel Shores, CA - the victims were the Harringtons - Keith, a medical student, and his wife Patrice, a nurse. This time he took his bludgeoning instrument with him, but left some cord behind.

His next victim, in February of 1981, Manuela Witthuhn, was a loan officer. Her husband David was not home. He was in the hospital with a viral infection. The killer took the Witthuhn’s answering machine along with some other items this time, leaving the possibility that his voice was on the machine. The ligatures were not left behind at this scene.
In 1986 he killed his last known victim, 18-year-old Janelle Cruz. A friend had stayed with her until late in the night, reading poetry, and they’d heard strange noises outside several times. Janelle was raped and murdered, and the weapon and bindings weren’t left behind.

In 1990 or 1991 the rapist called one of his victims.  Imagine answering the phone that night.  He said over and over again that he could kill her, the victim heard children in the background and a woman speaking, possibly indicating the rapist had a family. His voice is higher-pitched than average male. When disguising his voice the suspect will attempt to make his voice sound husky or gruff.

The FBI describes the man as most likely being white with fair to light olive complexion and dark hair. He stood between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 11 inches tall. He would now be in his late 40s or early 50s. He wore a size 9 shoe. He would often carry pre-cut lengths of shoelaces or twine. He would tie his victims up with an intricate sailor's knot, called a diamond knot, which is incredibly difficult to tie and points to a possible naval background. He has Type "A" Blood. The suspect additionally is a non-secretor.
The suspect primarily targeted middle-class to upper-middle class neighborhoods with homes on or near cul de sacs or homes adjacent to vacant fields, schools, parks, creeks or homes under construction. Several of the neighborhoods targeted by the suspect had "homes for sale" or homes recently sold. Suspect is known to have posed as a realtor, building inspector or prospective home-buyer.

The suspect always wore a ski mask, usually the commercially available knitted ski mask. He apparently did not wear the same mask twice. On occasion the suspect wore a mask that appeared to be homemade. One time he had on a leather hood, another time he wore a hood with his eyes, nose and mouth exposed. This hood was Army green and made out of canvas or heavy denim material.

The suspect spent from one to three hours in the residence. During this time he would sexually assault the victim several times. In between sexual assaults the suspect wandered about the house eating and drinking. He wandered in and out of the house. Beverage containers have been found outside where he apparently stood, possibly watching for anyone approaching the house.

Because of his wanderings, the victim rarely knew when the suspect actually left the premises. It was usually thirty minutes to an hour before the victim was able to free herself and sometimes needed the assistance of a neighbor to get loose from her bonds.

Considerable research has been conducted in an attempt to find some common factor between all of the victims, without success.

Failing this it is believed that the suspect identifies his next victim by prowling and burglarizing. Burglaries of particular interest are those in which no loss or minimal loss occurs.
During the rape the suspect would frequently take small items of costume jewelry: class rings, an earring, etc. He looked through photograph albums and lingerie drawers.
Also of interest are prowler reports, particularly those where herringbone footprints are found.

The Profile:

The final analysis is based on probabilities. It should be noted that no two criminal acts or criminal personalities are alike. The offender may not fit the analysis in every category.  (Every profile is prefaced with a note that tells the reader that it's not concrete.  It is based on all of the things at the beginning of this article. The analysis is not a substitute for a thorough and well-planned investigation and should not be considered all-inclusive.)

All the victims resided in upper-middle to upper class single-story residences.

The victims were low-risk for becoming victims of violent crime.

All victims died as a result of excessive beatings to the head with a
blunt force instrument.

The first two victims, the SMITHS, had ligatures tied around their wrists and ankles.
The HARRINGTONS and MANUELA WITTHUHN had ligature marks on their wrists and ankles. JANELLE CRUZ had a bruise abrasion on her right wrist and evidence of a soft ligature used on her wrists.

All four female victims were sexually assaulted. Analysis of the semen revealed that unknown DNA profiles in all four cases were from one donor, and therefore one individual was responsible for these attacks.

Two of the female victims had circular contusions. One was located on the shoulder of PATRICE HARRINGTON and the other was located on the buttocks of MANUELA WITTHUHN. The shoulder injury was described as a possible bite mark, the other as being consistent with a punch.

The offender chose single-family residences in affluent areas with ready access to the freeway system. The first crime scene was located in close proximity to a naval facility. The last three crime scenes were located in close proximity to a marine air wing facility.
There was a distance of approximately 120 miles between the first crime scene and the other crime scenes. Although there was more than a five-year time span between the third and fourth homicides, the offender returned to the same area to commit his crimes. The distance between the third and fourth homicides was approximately 1.7 miles.

The first crime scene was located in Ventura County, California. The remaining crime scenes were located in Orange County, California. No similar crimes were reported in Los Angeles County, which is located between Ventura and Orange Counties.

There were approximately 5 months between the first and second homicides, approximately 5 ½ months between the second and third homicides and 5 ½ years between the third and fourth homicides.

The offender observed his victims from the exterior of the residences prior to making entry. There were prowler reports by neighbors and witnesses. There were unidentified shoe prints on some of the crime scenes. JANELLE CRUZ’ visitor reported that on the night of her death they had heard noises outside her bedroom window. Blades of grass in JANELLE CRUZ’ bed would support the theory that someone was standing outside the residence prior to entering.

With the exception of MANUELA WITTHUHN, there were no signs of forced entry to the residences. It is possible that the offender waited until the victims were asleep in some of the cases, because he was able to gain entry without alerting the victims. All the victims were attacked in their bedrooms while in bed.

The offender controlled his victims several ways, but primarily with items brought with him to each crime scene. The victims were initially controlled with weapons and then were bound with ligatures. This is evident because there were no signs of struggle or defense wounds on any of the victims. They did not resist being bound. There were bruises and scratches noted on some of the victims in the area of their mouths, buttocks and/or legs. Based on this the offender probably struck his victims as he gained their compliance. The ligatures that were left behind on the first crime scene were tied with
decorative diamond knots around the wrists of LYMAN and CHARLENE SMITH.
The ankle ligatures were tied with square knots, which were different from the wrist ligatures.

It is also evident that the offender used blunt force instruments found at the exterior of the crime scenes. In the first crime scene, a fire log previously located on the side of the house was used. Metal fragments were found in the injury to PATRICE HARRINGTON’S head, indicating a metal object was used as a blunt force instrument. KEITH HARRINGTON’S father had been installing a sprinkler system at the victims’ residence the day of the homicides. The sprinkler heads were readily accessible from the exterior of the residence. It was reported that a pipe wrench was missing from the exterior of the house by JANELLE CRUZ’ stepfather.

Evidence reveals that the male victims were likely eliminated prior to the sexual assault and murder of the female victims. KEITH HARRINGTON was struck in the head with a blunt instrument. A crime scene assessment indicated that scratches and chipped wood on the headboard were likely made when KEITH HARRINGTON was struck in the head. A wood chip was discovered in the bed sheets between PATRICE HARRINGTON’S legs. The location of the wood chip would support the theory that KEITH HARRINGTON was struck first. Because this happened in the HARRINGTON case, it is likely that the offender struck and killed the male victims first in all the cases. The offender used a great deal of physical force when he bludgeoned the female victims. The women suffered crushing blows to their heads resulting from beatings with blunt force instruments. The amount of force used by the offender was extreme especially considering that they were bound and compliant and, therefore, unable to resist their attacker. The behavior of the victims during the assaults did not cause the offender to increase the amount of force used because they were not resistant. More force was used than was necessary to kill the victims.

The female victims were all sexually assaulted and were assaulted in the same manner. They were all assaulted vaginally and there was no evidence of oral or anal assault on the victims. The DNA analysis on semen from each crime scene revealed that the same offender was responsible for all four assaults. This would indicate that the offender was capable of ejaculation and, therefore, was not sexually dysfunctional.

The victims were covered with bedclothes so that the offender would not get blood on himself. This is evidenced in the progression and adaptation of the offender’s methods in committing the crimes. In the first crime scene, it is likely that the offender did get blood on himself. The fire log was covered in blood and there was blood spatter on the scene. This would indicate a direct contact between the victims and the fire log. The blanket was not pulled over their heads when they were struck. In the subsequent crime scenes, the offender covered the victims before striking them in the head. Because he later uncovered them to remove ligatures, we believe the act of covering was for "function” as opposed to “fantasy”.

An adaptation of the method of operation was seen in the offender's actions between the first crime scene and the remaining crime scenes. The offender adapted his methods when he covered his victims in the last three crime scenes. The offender also changed his methods when he took the ligatures and the blunt force instruments away from those same crime scenes. Valuable jewelry sold as one of a victims business ventures was in plain view and left behind. Jewelry was also removed from the third crime scene while other items of value were left undisturbed.

The offender took the time to alter the crime scenes. He altered the crime scenes by removing weapons and ligatures. In doing so, he made them appear as though burglaries had occurred. Items taken were of no real value while other items of value were left behind. The offender took the time to disturb items within the residences that would appear to be consistent with a burglary having taken place. In the first case, several large cushions from the furniture in the living room were removed as to indicate the offender had searched for valuables under the seat cushions. In this scene, several items of value were easily accessible and were not taken. In the case of MANUELA WITTHUHN, the
offender removed a large television set and left it on the patio. It is unlikely that
the offender intended to carry the television set over the high fence used as a point of exit at the rear of the residence. This behavior would be consistent with someone altering the scenes to make it look as though burglaries had occurred

Based on analysis of similar cases indicating that crimes of this nature are generally interracial, and the demographics of the areas of the crime scenes, it is believed that the offender is a white male.

Age is difficult to predict because this analysis is a measure of an offender's emotional age as opposed to his chronological age. Factors such as incarceration or institutionalization can delay the emotional growth of an individual. We believe that the emotional age of your offender would have ranged from approximately 26 to 30 years of age at the time of the crimes. This is based on review of similar cases revealing that this type of offender is the most mature.

The offender would be described as intelligent. This was evident in his ability to plan and carry out the crimes in advance. He was prepared for his crimes when he arrived at the victims’ residences. He brought a weapon for control purposes as well as bindings, a cutting instrument, and in one instance a screwdriver. He had the ability to plan and organize his thoughts in advance. He also had the intelligence and ability to adapt his method of operation.

The offender likely was in good physical condition. This is based on the physical strength necessary to cause the serious injuries resulting from the beating of the victims with blunt force instruments.

Since the offender blended into these communities, it is likely that he dressed well and did not call attention to himself when in these areas.

The offender was probably using a vehicle that was in good condition. He traveled great distances between crime scenes and would need to have a reliable, well-running vehicle for his endeavors. This type of offender would spend a great deal of time searching for his victims and would need a reliable mode of transportation. He would have parked near the areas of the crime scenes for a long period of time while he assaulted and killed his victims. Since the areas were described as affluent, the offender likely owned a vehicle
that would not “stand out” when parked near these areas for a period of time. Because the offender needed a vehicle in good condition that would fit into the area, it is likely that he had some means of income to afford the travel and a reliable car. He also failed to take cash and some valuable items at the crime scenes indicating he likely already had some means of income. This offender spent a great deal of time searching for and conducting surveillances on his victims at night and therefore was not employed during the early morning hours.

Typically, the first crime scene in a series of homicides will be the closest to the comfort zone of your offender. In this series, the first homicides occurred in Ventura, California, more than 120 miles from the remaining crime scenes. The offender’s comfort zone would have been in this area, meaning that the offender either initially resided or worked nearest to this area at the time of the offense.

It is significant that there was more than a five-year time span between the third and last homicides that were located only a little over a mile apart in Irvine, California. We have discussed the offender’s comfort zone being nearest to the first crime scene in Ventura, California. The killer returned to the same area in Irvine to kill again more than five years later indicating that he was also comfortable with this area.

This offender would have a criminal record. As stated, he has likely committed burglary. Since it is believed that he “peeped” on his victims, it is possible that he had been arrested for loitering and prowling or had been identified through uniform patrol’s field interviews as a result of suspicious activity. He would likely also have a criminal history for assaultive behavior from his deep-seeded anger towards women. This could include arrests for altercations or disturbances with both men and women. The main issue would have been that the offender was angered by the woman and this would have triggered the assaultive behavior.

The fact that the killer attacked his victims inside their homes is significant. The few serial killers that have been known to attack inside the victims’ residences proved to have histories of committing burglaries. In these four cases, the offender also was able to enter in a stealth manner without alerting his victims. Based on these facts this offender would likely be an accomplished cat burglar.

Research has provided information on the likely characteristics and traits of this type of offender. He would likely have been described by those who knew him as being neat, articulate, intelligent and organized. He also would likely have been described as rigid, arrogant, domineering and possessing an attitude of superiority. He would be further described as manipulative, a chronic liar, and unremorseful. He may have an interest in survivalist groups or racial prejudicial groups. This type of offender does not suffer from delusions where there is no sense of reality. He would know the difference between right and wrong.

The offender was very methodical. After the first crime, he took care not to get blood spatter on himself when striking his victims by covering the bodies. His behavior was repetitive with respect to his performing the same acts during each crime. He arrived at the crime scenes prepared with a “kit”. He selected his victims through peeping. He approached the victims in the same manner. He bludgeoned all the victims to death and sexually assaulted all the women in the same manner.

He planned his attacks very carefully, with great attention to detail, and likely would have rehearsed his attacks, either literally or in his fantasy many times. Virtually every phase-weapon, transportation, travel routes, instruments of torture, and bindings-would have been pre-planned, with the exception of the victim.

It is likely that this offender selected these affluent areas to offend for two reasons. First, these areas provided a degree of seclusion for him. All the residences were single-family homes with access to main highways. The properties were corner lots, had fenced yards or were located on cul-de-sacs, providing a degree of privacy. Peeping in the windows of these residences would be a lower risk than peeping in more populated areas such as apartment complexes or military housing. Secondly, this type of offender typically has a
grandiose sense of self-importance and believes that he is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or higher status people. Because of this arrogant attitude, the offender probably selected these affluent areas because he felt his victims were “worthy” of him.

This offender searched for his victims, spending a great deal of time and covering numerous miles. This type of offender most often attacks strangers because he does not want any ties between the victim and himself. The offender selected these communities to find a victim and then through peeping would select a specific victim. In the case of the HARRINGTONS, DNA analysis revealed that the victims had engaged in sexual intercourse prior to their death. JANELLE CRUZ was entertaining a male friend in her bedroom when they heard noises outside her bedroom window. We conclude that he observed the victims by peeping and reaffirmed his belief that the women were “whores” based on the behavior he observed.

This type of offender will formulate a plan to gain access to his victim. In this series, the offender selected his victims, observed them and then gained entry. Offenders with this sexual proclivity have been known to overpower a victim with a weapon and immediately instill fear. In all but one case, the offender likely gained entry via an unlocked door. He did, however, have the tools to force entry if needed. In the third case in this series the offender used a screwdriver to pry open a sliding glass door.

He likely prepared his equipment, or a “kit”, including whatever is needed to gain access to his victim. In these cases, the offender brought ligatures, a cutting instrument, a control weapon and a burglary tool to the crime scenes.

This type of offender used a method of killing that reflected his desire for complete mastery and control over his victims. In those scenes where two victims were killed, the offender was not discouraged by the fact that two people were present. In fact, it is more likely that the offender was gratified with his ability to have complete mastery over two people. Since this offender enjoyed the infliction of pain, whether physical or psychological, the elimination of the targeted victims’ spouses served two purposes: one, the increased pleasure of controlling more than one person; and two, to have complete mastery over the targeted victims through the fear and pain inflicted by the killing of their spouses. This would cause the female victims to suffer enormously while being restrained
and unable to defend themselves. All this was at the core of the offender’s desires and was reflected in his methods of killing.

The offender made the conscious decision to bludgeon his victims to death rather than to use some other simpler form of murder. This is apparent because he brought blunt force instruments into the victims’ homes. It is likely that he chose this violent form of death due to his enormous hate for the female victims. In doing so, they would suffer greatly. To kill them easily or quickly would not have been satisfying for him.

This offender was angry with women and used sex and physical force as weapons to punish and degrade them. He exhibited extreme anger and rage toward his female victims when he bludgeoned them to death. This behavior revealed his intense rage for the female victims and what they represented. He used excessive levels of force as the result of his rage, which was exhibited in the form of frenzied attacks on his victims. It is possible that in the mind of the killer these victims were a symbolic representation of a conflict involving a female. He blamed these women for his problems and believed he was superior to all women. He was getting even with women for their real or imagined wrongs. The victims were bound when they were killed and, therefore, were not able to resist their attacker. The amount of force used by the offender was extreme especially considering that they were bound and compliant.

Although the two male victims were also struck in the head with blunt force instruments, it is not believed that the offender was exhibiting his rage towards them as he did the female victims. He eliminated the men to concentrate on the intended female victims. The offender intellectualized the killings of the male victims. He logistically removed them as potential threats. He also likely intellectualized that the male victims got what they deserved because of their association with these women that he viewed as being low class and promiscuous.

Because the offender did prepare for his crimes in advance by bringing items with him, it is extremely significant that the blunt force instruments came from the exterior of the victims’ residences. It is assumed he had a weapon when he arrived on the crime scenes because he was able to control two people alone while inside the residences. The offender didn't use the weapon he brought with him because the weapon, likely a firearm, could be linked to him. He then likely planned to utilize a weapon from the crime scene. In using a log, pipe and possible a sprinkler head, he would not be connected to the murder weapon. This reveals that the subject was very evidence conscious. He further revealed his sophistication by removing the weapons from the crime scenes. Because the subject is so evidence conscious, it is believed that the offender disposed of the weapons soon after the crime and was not saving the items as trophies.

The offender might have studied methods of killing without leaving evidence. His planning murders and planning not to use a weapon connected to him, as well as removing evidence from the scenes, indicates he was knowledgeable and very sophisticated in this area. His knowledge could have been gained through experience or perhaps even military training.

It cannot be ruled out that the offender was employed by the military at the time of the crimes. It was reported that a naval station and a marine base were in close proximity to the crime scenes. In addition, the decorative knot tied on the ligatures of the first two victims was described as having a nautical or sailing application that can be used in the military service.

In order to justify the killing of these women, the offender needed to convince himself that these women were “whores”. First, the behavior he witnessed while prowling and peeping convinced him that the women were promiscuous. Secondly, when the subject engaged in sexual intercourse with the women this reaffirmed his belief that the women were promiscuous. The offender was enraged by his perception of the women’s behavior and his anger was the direct motivation for killing these women. The sexual assaults were not the primary motivation for the attacks. The sex occurred as a method of the offender justifying in his mind that the women were “whores”. Because of this rage, he made a conscious decision that they should die.

Fantasy is a component of this offender’s methodology. This offender has mentally rehearsed what he would like to do. There typically are masturbation fantasies in which he thinks about what he would like to do if he had the opportunity. He then actually made the choice to move from fantasy to action and made a plan to do it. When the offender committed his crime, he enacted his sexual fantasy. He was carrying out an action that had been previously imagined.

Items belonging to the victims are taken to provide a means for the offender to relive his crimes. In the first homicide, the victim’s personal jewelry was taken; however, the valuable jewelry she sold as one of her business ventures was in plain view and left behind. Jewelry was also removed from the third crime scene while other items of value were left undisturbed. The offender typically fantasizes about the crimes he has committed and receives gratification from these fantasies.

It is believed that the knots tied on the ligatures had significance to the offender. In the first case, the two victims’ ligatures were tied with decorative diamond knots around the wrists; however, the ankle ligatures were tied with a square knot. We believe the diamond knot was significant to your offender. He likely had fantasized about his crimes prior to committing them and had imagined the use of bondage and the tying of ligatures with this decorative knot.

The offender likely engaged in a number of sexually deviant behaviors. Research on sexual behavior has shown that when an individual engages in one sexually deviant behavior, it is likely that they will engage in a number of other sexually deviant behaviors. In these cases, the offender engaged in voyeurism when he peeped into the windows of the victims, he engaged in sexual bondage by use of ligatures and he received sexual gratification from the infliction of pain on his victims. These behaviors involved an intense sexual desire to perform a certain act, which provided sexual gratification. Sexually deviant behaviors involve human or non-human objects and do include child sexual abuse.

Because this offender needs domination, control and manipulation for sexual arousal, we would expect to see a history of assaultive or abusive behavior towards partners. This would result from the offender’s aggression toward his partner because this type of person will often use brutal force. If he was not arrested for incidents related to this behavior, an investigation into his relationships would likely indicate this type of abuse. The offender when in a relationship, would be able to come and go as he pleased, being the dominant and aggressive member of the relationship. The offender, however, would not have likely maintained lengthy relationships with women. Based on his deep rooted
hostility towards women, this offender was, in all probability, not married at the time of the crimes.

His sexual history would have included binding his partner during sexual intercourse. The binding of his sexual partner is a method of domination and control. This type of offender is sexually aroused when he is able to completely dominate and control. His sexual relationships will reflect this desire. Physical evidence revealed that the offender was sexually functional.

The offender was able to ejaculate during the commission of each sexual assault and therefore was not sexually dysfunctional. As is the case with offenders who are dysfunctional, he was not likely burdened by anxiety and was not unsure of himself. On the contrary, this offender was likely arrogant and confident in his abilities. The sexual assault occurred to demonstrate that the women were “whores”. The sexual interaction was about how the offender viewed the women. Having intercourse with them reaffirmed his belief that they were promiscuous. Since the sexual activity was not about how the offender viewed himself, his performance or masculinity, he would then not have a problem with sexual function.

It is significant that the offender was sexually functional. Research and comparison of similar cases reveal that most offenders exhibit some form of sexual dysfunction. This offender is among a small group of offenders that are sexually functional. This is significant because, in attempting to link similar cases, it would be unlikely that this offender would have committed crimes in which the offender was sexually dysfunctional and did not ejaculate.

There is documentation through the assessment of similar cases and research that this type of offender will attack strangers while having a compliant victim at home. Their appetite for sadistic sex would be described as insatiable. Women who have had sexual relationships with this type of offender reported that anal intercourse eventually became the regular routine and vaginal intercourse ceased. In addition, women involved with these offenders have reported being strangled to the point of unconsciousness during sexual acts.

This type of offender seeks sex with compliant victims to include prostitutes. We believe it was likely that this offender likely engaged in sex with prostitutes. He would have engaged in the same type of sexual acts with the prostitutes as he did with his victims. The insatiable appetite for sexual bondage, mastery and control would all be central themes to the sex acts performed. The analysis of behavior of similar offenders indicates that these types of offenders have reportedly engaged in sex with prostitutes but have not killed them because they differed in status from the type of women they victimized. It is likely that they are not harmed because of their different status and also because the offender does not have a need to punish them since they did not represent their victims.

It is believed that the offender followed media accounts of the crimes he committed. Because the first victims were prominent in the community, there was a vast amount of media attention. It is likely that the offender followed the media accounts of the murders and adapted his methods according to what was disclosed to the public. It was disclosed that the victims had been bound and struck with a log. Subsequent to this, the offender removed the ligatures and blunt force instruments from the scenes.

We believe this offender altered the crime scenes in attempt to disguise his motivation for these crimes and, in doing so, attempted to manipulate law enforcement so as not to link the crimes together. The offender was motivated by extreme anger, but altered the crime scenes to appear as though burglaries had occurred. As stated previously, items were moved and/or taken to give the appearance that burglaries had occurred. We believe the offender attempted to mislead authorities into investigating “just another burglary” that ended with the death of the victims. In the first case in which LYMAN and CHARLENE SMITH were killed, the crime was relayed in detail to the public through the media who had access to a large amount of evidentiary information. If subsequent murders revealed the same circumstances, the possibility existed that because of the enormous amount of media on the SMITH case, an investigator on a subsequent crime scene in another area might remember the SMITH case and associate the crimes together. We believe the offender disguised his motivation for the crimes because he did not want the murders linked together. Manipulating law enforcement into investigating the crimes separately would decrease the total information collected and therefore would decrease the likelihood of the cases being solved.

This is the most likely of all offenders to record his crimes. This can be done in many forms such as photographs, audio recordings, sketches, writings or newspaper clippings. In the first homicide of LYMAN and CHARLENE SMITH, newspaper accounts listed many details of the crime and the investigation. We believe the offender read the newspaper articles because he altered his behavior following their publication. We believe therefore the offender likely saved the newspaper articles concerning the homicides. The recording of these events is so that the offender, again, can fantasize and relive his crimes. Such fantasy provides sexual gratification for the offender.

Investigative Suggestions:

It is suggested that additional investigation might be made into the decorative knot tied by the offender on the wrists of the first victims, LYMAN and CHARLENE SMITH. The knot was described by an expert as a decorative diamond knot with sailing applications or interior design applications. Further information may be obtained by consulting with Navy personnel. Specific knots have specific nautical uses. It may be possible to identify the type of use this knot would have in the Navy and therefore identify the occupation or type of individual who would have a practical use for this knot in his profession.

It is significant that five years and three months passed between the third and fourth homicides which occurred approximately 1.7 miles apart. The offender ceased committing these crimes but returned many years later to the same area. If the offender was incarcerated, institutionalized or moved from the area for a period of time, he later returned to the same city and community where he last killed. This would be a significant area for him and may be considered a comfort zone. This offender likely had ties to this area either through employment or residence. If not already done, investigation may uncover individuals who were transferred and returned to this area during this time frame
as well as individuals released from incarceration during the same time parameters.

These crime scenes present a significant set of facts concerning the type of area, location of the scenes and the extensive travel accomplished by the offender. The offender killed in a distance that spanned more than 120 miles across the West Coast of California. The crime scenes were all in close proximity to the freeway system and were all in affluent communities. The offender killed in two different counties in California and traveled a great distance between the two counties omitting the county between the scenes. In doing so, the offender chose not to kill in Los Angeles County, which offered numerous potential victims residing in affluent communities. Also, it is noted that the offender appeared to potentially have two different comfort zones. Because of this set of facts, it is believed that it would be beneficial to retain the services of Kim Rossmo, Vancouver Police Department, British Colombia, Canada, an expert in Geographic Profiling. Geographic Profiling could provide investigators with more specific information concerning the locations that the offender frequented, resided and worked.

The offender spent a great deal of time preparing and searching for a victim. The investigation reveals that the offender likely watched his victims through their windows prior to gaining entry. We would expect that the offender did spend a lot of time peeping in windows of others who did not become victims of homicide. The offender used a diamond knot on the wrists of his victims. Sexual bondage was very significant and important to the offender’s sexual arousal. The use of bondage and voyeurism are considered paraphilic behaviors. Such behaviors are intense sexual deviant behaviors that offer the individual sexual gratification. These behaviors are often “clustered”, meaning that an offender will often engage in a number of sexual deviant behaviors, or
paraphilias. In addition, the behaviors do not subside just because the offender
may have escalated to homicide. Because they are “intense” sexual desires, the offender will continue to engage in such activity for sexual gratification. These behaviors will remain constant. Records may be reviewed pertaining to reports of peeping in these areas and similar communities. Reports of domestic complaints involving sexual bondage and aggression can be reviewed for suspect development.

Individual queries of separate state and federal DNA databases may be considered. It is unlikely that the offender ceased this type of behavior. If he is still living, we would expect him to commit similar crimes. The likelihood does exist that he has moved from the area and therefore it would be important to inquire on a broad spectrum. Inquiring separately with each system that exists would ensure the thoroughness and quality of the comparison. Since a possibility does exist that this offender was employed by the military service, it may be fruitful to search incident reports, domestic complaints with bondage and the DNA databases available through the military.

At the time of occurrence for each homicide, teletypes were issued by the law enforcement agencies requesting information on these crimes or similar crimes in other jurisdictions. Since that time, teletypes have been reissued, searches of the California databases have been conducted and continuous searches of the offender’s DNA against new entries into the California DNA database system are ongoing. In addition, information concerning all four cases was submitted to the FBI’s VICAP system in an effort to link them to any homicide with similar characteristics nationwide. To date there are no known repetitions of these crimes.

In assessing this information the possibility exists that the offender either is in jail or has been institutionalized for a long period of time. The latter is not very likely since this offender was intelligent, methodical and would not suffer from a delusional type of disorder if he suffered from mental illness. There is also the possibility that the offender moved out of the country and resides in an area where the crimes would not be documented for linkage purposes. And finally, in attempting to assess where the offender may currently be located, the offender could possibly have died by either suicide or homicide. It is not uncommon for some individuals with the offender’s characteristics to take their own lives. More important, however, were the behavioral characteristics indicating his rage for the female victims. We have discussed his anger for real or perceived wrongs committed by a female or females and his need to inflict severe emotional and physical pain on women. His rage was so intense that he could justify why the men in two cases “deserved” to be killed by associating with these women.

The rage and anger would be more significant factors in determining this offender's demise as opposed to some of the other personality characteristics. Because of his deep-seeded hate towards women, the possibility exists that the offender could have been involved in a violent confrontation with a woman, or because of a woman, resulting in his death. It is also possible if the offender were deceased that he could have been killed in an attempt to commit a similar crime. If he were killed as a result of his entering a residence at night, the behavior seen in the four crimes assessed would not be present and, therefore the crimes would not have been linked through conventional means. We would suggest a search of investigations involving violent disturbances or burglaries resulting in the death of a male offender.

Interview Strategies:

Should a viable suspect be developed in this investigation it is our recommendation that a consultation be scheduled with a Criminal Investigative Analyst (Profiler) regarding specific strategies for a specific individual. Assistance can be provided with an Indirect Personality Assessment of the suspect.

The most important aspect of the interview would be the preparation.

These types of offenders are aware of who they are and what they are, and because they are “police buffs” they are very much aware of law enforcement and investigative techniques. It would be important then for the law enforcement officers to understand the personality of this type of offender, the cases, the individual suspect and the paraphilias, or sexual deviant behaviors that he engages.

It is important to understand that these types of offenders are masters of manipulation, are intelligent, articulate, will consent to an interview, and likely will decline access to a lawyer. They are experts on themselves and their crimes.

The interviewer should know everything possible about the investigations.

The interviewer should have a rank of detective or higher, dress professionally in a dark suit, white shirt and conservative tie. The interviewer should be of equal or superior stature, build or condition in order to dominate and control the interview. The interviewer should be of equal or superior intelligence, be articulate, formal and professional at all times during the interview. The interviewer should be confident, calm and relaxed and at no time show personal feelings or emotion during the interview. The offender would likely view such feelings as weakness.

Should other cases committed by this offender become known following
the completion of this analysis, we reserve the right to amend our assessment.