SERIAL KILLER VICTIM OF CHOICE

A killer's victim of choice is a very significant piece of info. It can tell us much about the type of person a killer feels rage against or other vital facts such as a killer's sexual orientation. In most cases the victim of choice is found before the killer is found. Therefore, we must learn as much as we can from the body or bodies found.

Many times killers will target family members or close friends after an insurance policy has been set in place. Or, maybe just for some valuables or cash the victim has on hand. Mary Ann Cotton was famous for killings like these. Her victims were poisoned after a hefty insurance policy was all set. There are other ways a killer can benefit from the bodies of their victims. William Burke and William Hare were a killer team. Their victims were anyone who so happened to stay at Burkes Inn. The bodies were then sold to the black market for a profit. In a similar case Fritz Haarmann and homosexual lover/ partner in crime would also sell the bodies to the black market, not to mention the fact that they would also sell the clothes from their victims. H H Holmes was even known to occasionally sell the bodies of his victims to medical schools.

Prostitutes are constantly showing up dead or missing at the hands of serial killers. There are many reasons serial killers target prostitutes. First off they can go unnoticed and therefore lesson the chance of a killer being caught as in the case of Jack the Ripper. They are an easy target because they are willing to get into cars with strange men. They can heighten ones sexual drive and fantasies begin, but when it comes to a serial killer and their deviant sexual fantasies can be a very dangerous thing. For other killers though it is not the sex drive but the fact of what these women are. When one takes on the perception that all women are evil, prostitutes become the lowest of low. The killer may or may not be aroused by the kill. Usually if they are it proves to further enrage and frustrate him. In his eyes he’s giving the bitch what she deserved or ridding the world of its filth.

Perhaps the hardest types to cope with though are child killers. Indeed to cross such a line is beyond all normal thinking. Most have a sexual attraction to children and were sexually abused themselves as a child. Power and fear play a huge part in their murders. Child killers do tend to be the sickest of them all. Take for example Albert Fish, who is suspected of killing as many as 100 kids. In one case he took the body of a 10 year old girl home, cut it up, cooked it up in a stew, and ate it for the next nine days. Afterwards he felt compelled to write her mother and tell her how sweet and tender her daughter's ass had tasted.

Almost every homosexual serial killer has a similar story. They were all brought up in abusive homes where their manhood was endlessly bashed. Some were dressed as girls and paraded around in drag; others were called sissies and took many beatings for not acting like a man. When his son begins to realize he is homosexual he is embarrassed and confused. Some such as John Wayne Gacy were so confused and determined to keep their secret that they will date and marry women and in Gacy’s case even have children. It becomes so important to them that they kill the men they sleep with. On the other hand sometimes it's because the victim aroused a side of the killer that they have not yet faced. Because of this the man loses his life. Still, a part of all this is the ability to kill another person. In heterosexual killings and homosexual killings as well sometimes it is all about power over another life or a desire to have sex with a corpse. Indeed this was the issue Denis Nilsen faced. Had he been heterosexual his victims would have been women. It could not have changed the fact that he wanted his sexual partner to be dead.

Sad but true, looks, personality and popularity play a huge part in a persons teenage years. During high school if one lacks all three of the above mentioned characteristics he/she is likely to have a rough four years in high school. They will be mocked and rejected by everyone. They spend every Friday and Saturday night at home and prom night as well, sulking all the way. Many have dealt with this ordeal and come out as doctors or lawyers, but others find it too much to handle. The constant rejection from their peers molds the Nerd into a vengeful killer. The Columbine shootings should just about sum it up for you. Those were spree killers though, not serial killers like Joel Rifken. After years of ridicule he turned to prostitutes. Some made the deal and went on their merry way while others were slaughtered. Other killers decide to select a woman of higher stature. These killers can be very picky about their victim of choice. Some will select a woman and stalk her for weeks or months before making the kill. Others like Ted Bundy will go out in search of a victim with a certain trait. Almost all of Ted’s victims had long, dark hair parted in the center, a striking resemblance to one of Ted’s ex girlfriends.

Many times however there is no discernable pattern amongst a killer's hit list. They seem to just explode suddenly without warning and kill whoever was there when it happened. Sometimes its just circumstance. Jesse Pomroy killed mostly boys but when he found himself alone with a young girl the opportunity was too good to let it go. H H Holmes would place ads in the newspaper advertising rooms for rent. Whoever showed up was killed. Richard Ramirez would search for an unlocked door or window. Whoever was inside became his next victim.

Then there are the rare cases. A killer selects their victims for some meaningless reason, or a totally insane one. Elizabeth Bathory killed virgins because she thought their blood could keep her young. Earl Leonard Nelson was in the habit of meeting up with landladies, feigning interest in moving into one of her apartments. At the best moment he’d pounce on her. Bobby Joe Long would respond to ads selling used furniture or other items. If he found a women home alone she’d be killed.

There are also medical monsters. These killers are preoccupied with human anatomy in a very sadistic way. Most will attend and/or graduate a medical school. Once in practice they experiment their atrocities on their patients. Their victims will always be someone who went to them for help. Jane Toppan is a well known medical monster who was able to get away with her crimes for years. Her victims were poisoned for her appetite of death and her curiosity of watching people die.

Weapon of choice has a lot to do with the victim of choice as well. Almost every killer who used poison was the type who was killing for financial gain or just because that particular person was a nuisance. A blunt object suggests a more personal grudge, such as women haters. An object close by is selected as the weapon in the heat of the moment. This points to the fact that the killer is disorganized because they did not carry their own weapon. It also shows that the urges to kill were abrupt not intended and planed. They did not stalk their victims, they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. If a killer chooses a knife for a weapon it shows blood lust and sometimes an interest in human anatomy. These are the guys who disembowel their victims. A shooter is more thorough. He is concerned very much with when, how, and where a shooting will take place, not so much so with who ends up as the next victims though. For Berkowitz the shooting had to be done at night and at a lover's lane. Those  who choose to strangle their victims, as the Boston strangler did, are usually the type who want to commit atrocities on the body afterwards. A strangler's work has just begun after murder has taken place. Typically their victims are prostitutes or someone they were able to lure into some shadows, away from public eye.

Still there are some killers who would rather use their bare hands. These killers like the ones who bludgeon their victims are acting on sudden impulses brought about by some strange thing. Or, there could be a personal grudge involved with specific types of people IE: drug-addicts or homosexuals. Their victims are  again merely unlucky people who ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Of course this is all based on most cases. There will always be serial killers who cannot be placed in one box or another with a label. For every person there is a serial killer who would want them dead. It's impossible to know what to expect from a person who is capable of serial murder. But, when a killer is on the loose everyone around them is at their mercy.