More handpicked essays just for you.
Psychology theories about serial killers
Essays on the psychology of serial killers
Psychodynamic theory of serial killers
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The Green River case was a series of killings from Gary Ridgway throughout 1980s and 1990s. He convicted that he had killed 49 people but they confessed that he had killed 71 people and presumed that he had at least 90+ killings during this time. It also made him a prolific American serial killer in history. The Green River case the Killer was Gary Ridgway he was born on February 18, 1949 in Salt Lake City Utah. He is now 68 years old and was sent to prison on December 18, 2003 by King County Superior Court Judge Richard Jones. He sent him to prison for 48 life sentences, without possibility of parole and one life sentence had to be served consecutively. He was also sentenced to an additional 10 years for tampering with evidence for each of …show more content…
Most of his victims were either prostitutes or runaways picked up at Pacific Highway south whom he strangled. Most of his victims were dumped in wooded areas around the green river area. The body of his victims were often left in a cluster, sometimes they were posed and usually nude. To some of the victims bodies he returned and had sexual intercourse with them. Because most of the bodies were found so late after they were killed often only the skeleton remained and now three of his victims are still unidentified. What was typical for all of his crime scenes that he would contaminate the dump sites with gum, cigarettes and written materials belonging to others. He even transported a few of his victims across state lines into oregon to confuse the police. The usual way of how he started a murder was by picking up the women which were usually a prostitute whom he sometimes even showed a picture of his son to trick them and earn their trust. After they trusted him he would rape them and strangle them from behind. He always strangled them manually which often left wounds and bruises which he was concerned about that they would draw attention he started using ligatures to strangle them. Most of his victims he killed in his home, his truck or in a secluded area. In the investigation to find Gary Ridgway one police officer interviewed another serial killer Ted Bundy who told them that when they would find another fresh grave the killer would be revisiting the dump site to have sexual relationships with his victims and that they should stake it and wait for him to come back. He also was really interested in the law enforcement like a lot of serial killers are and he also was his own cop for the neighbourhood and told them when prostitutes are
John Wesley Hardin was known for killing over 40 people in his lifetime. He started killing people at the age of 15 years old when he killed a former house slave. After that, he had a voice tell him in his head to kill more and more and started to gamble at the age of
Though his killings occurred over thirty years ago Clifford Olson is still knows as one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers. Active through the years 1980-1980 he was responsible for eleven gruesome murders in that short span of time. The shocking nature of his crimes ensured nobody would forget his notorious deeds. To build on that, Olson is loathed because he extorted authorities into paying $100,000 for the locations of his victims’ remains, an agreement that haunted the survivors of Olson’s crimes, and ruined the careers of the officials who buckled under Olson’s outrageous demands. Furthermore, his crime spree led Neighbourhoods that once claimed to be “so safe you could leave your door open” to secure their doors; hitchhikers were seldom found on highways, and telephone poles were covered with posters warning that nearly a dozen adolescents were missing and a killer was on the loose. Had he not been apprehended by the authorities on August 12th, 1981 his spree of brutal slayings may have continued for much longer, as he showed no remorse for his ruthless crimes.
“I actually think I may be possessed with demons, I was dropped on my head as a kid.” says Dennis Rader. Dennis was also referred to as BTK a name that he came up with himself, and stood for Bind, Torture, Kill. Rader says that he was dropped on his head as a kid which I totally believe because there was definitely something wrong with that man, he was not normal. Dennis Rader also known as BTK is the worst serial killer known to man, he murdered a whole family, took disturbing photos, and majorly stalked his victims.
The serial killer that I have chosen to research is Mark goudeau, also known as the “Baseline Killer”. Mark was born on September 6th 1964, he was an american serial killer and rapist. He was involved in one of the two simultaneously occurring serial killer cases going on in South Phoenix, Arizona at that time. Mark’s was born in Phoenix, and was the second youngest of 13 siblings in which six were felons, and four have done prison time. Mark’s mother was a maid working at all different hours of the day, while his father Willie was a lot attendant for different car dealers. They were lower working class which didn’t help with thirteen children to take care of. His father had a drug and alcohol problem, which ran in the family. He later cheated
American serial killer, Richard Ramirez was born on February 29, 1960 in El Paso, Texas. Ramirez was known for being a satanic worshiper and for going on a two-year raped and torture rampage, harming more than 25 victims and murdering more than a dozen. Ramirez, also known as the "Night Stalker," turned to satanic worship at an early age by his cousin, a soldier who had recently returned from the war in Vietnam. Following a four-year trial, in 1989, Ramirez was convicted of 13 killings. Ramirez received the death penalty and was sent to San Quentin Prison in California. He later died on June 7, 2013, at the age 53.
Dubbed the “Baton Rouge Serial Killer” Derrick Todd Lee was only one of two serial killers working the Baton Rouge area during the time between 1992 and 2004. Lee is a black male, who lived with his wife and children St. Francisville, LA. Lee had avoided being caught for many years because an eye witness had told authorities the suspect was a white male (Mustafa, Clayton & Israel, 2006). This information was very believable because most serial killers do not cross racial lines when choosing their victims and all of Lee’s victims were white except one (Mustafa, Clayton & Israel, 2006). Lee was eventually named as the suspect in 2002 when DNA tests revealed the killer was a black male (Stewart, Boyd, M., & Nunnally, D. (2002). He was arrested in 2003 and now lives on death row in Louisiana State Penitentiary.
A man who was put on death row wrongly stayed there for 3 years before the case was overturned.
Ted Bundy was an American born rapist, a necrophile; a serial killer and a kidnapper who assaulted and murdered several young women during the 1970’s. The criminal kept on denying the charges for more than ten years and later confessed of having committed the thirty homicide crimes in seven different states before his execution (Rule, 2009). Bundy’s handsome and charismatic appearance made it possible for him to easily win the confidence of young women who were always his targets. He broke into the dwellings of his victims at night and bludgeoned them as they slept. He also approached young women in public places where he impersonated as an authority figure or feigned injury on his victim before empowering and assaulting at a more secluded area where he left them dead (Rule, 2009).
John Wayne Gacy was an American serial killer and rapist. He tortured and killed thirty-three young boys between 1972 and 1978 in Cook County, Illinois. He was executed by lethal injection, however this act of execution was wrong.
Ted Bundy is one of the most infamous, sadistic serial killers known to man. During his tenure as a killer, Bundy confessed to the murders of 30 women, though the official number of kills is unknown to this day. Bundy’s sadistic habits began at an early age due to his rough upbringing and abusive parents. His tactical methods of killing left miniscule amounts of evidence, which remained undetectable by the “still rudimentary forensics techniques of the 1970s” (Crime Museum). Bundy also managed to uphold an impressive “clean-cut appearance” and portrayed characteristics of an “upstanding character” (Crime Museum). Ted Bundy, through the course of a troubled childhood and keen wit, managed to successfully become known as one of the most infamous
Serial killers have been around for decades but According To Jack Levin, 'seven of the ten largest mass killings in American history have taken place in the last decade (Douglas, p. 137). One of the most popular and well-known serial killers in history was Ted Bundy. He was convicted of killing three women but is suspected of killing thirty-six other women (Douglas, p. 137).
On July 5, 1978, Robert Harris took the life of two innocent teenage boys that were just trying to enjoy their burgers in a car. Robert, 25 premeditated the ending to these innocent teens by stealing and then driving the car into a canyon where he repeated shot the boys as they tried to escape from this monster. On top of everything that Robert did to these boys, the most sickening part is when he took their burgers and laughed about the murder well eating it. Robert Harris was sentenced to death row for the murder of John Mayeski and Michael
In Green River, Running Red, author Ann Rule describes a killer without remorse, who is the product of both personal and social influences, in effect forcing him to murder women and to continue to do so for over a decade as a fulfillment of his fantasies. When endeavoring to rationalize the causes of such a mind, theories of deviance, when separated into two distinct categories, positivist and constructionism. Positivist theories, such as the general theory of crime, allows for individual's to piece together events in the life of Gary Ridgway, the Green River killer which would undeniably lead him to a twisted sense of reality, combined with sexual fantasies and a tendency to justify perverted acts of murder. Constructionist theories, specifically conflict theory, are able to shed light on the lives and decisions made by the victims, who were all led to such lifestyles through outward sources. In determining the causes and motivations behind both the offender and the victims, theories of deviance leave little to be speculated on when placing blame on either psychological or social factors.
Ted Bundy was one of the most vicious serial killers in American history. He confessed to 28 grotesque murders in the 1970’s but the actual number of his victims remains
was in jail for killing ("The Case"1). For us to kill those people who have