The Serial Killer

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Throughout history it has been said that people are a product of their upbringing. A serial killer is defined by the FBI as someone who commits at least three murders over more than a month with an emotional cooling off period in between. Herman Webster Mudgett otherwise known as H.H. Holmes or America’s first serial killer. One may wonder, what really triggers one of these blood thirsty killers? To obtain a better understanding of this case in specific background on the criminal is crucial.
Herman was born into a privileged family of six in 1861 in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. His father was an alcoholic and his mother was a schoolteacher described as cold and distant. Both parents were reported to be mentally and physically abusive towards their four children. Their harsh parenting included prolonged isolation, starvation, and reportedly holding kerosene soaked rags over the children’s mouths to “quiet them” when they cried. Serial killers are six times more likely to have experienced physical abuse in their childhood than the average population (Mitchell & Aamodt, 2005). He was said to be “unusually intelligent” at a very young age which caused him to be bullied in school for …show more content…

He came up with very elaborate stories on why he left each wife. In medical school he began robbing morgues and digging up graves in order to dissect the cadavers. Herman was was accused of stripping the flesh off the bodies, dissecting them, and preparing the skeletons. The rest of the remains would be tossed in pits of lime or acid, effectively breaking down the remaining evidence. He then sold the skeletons of the cadavers to medical schools. Holmes graduated from medical school in 1884 and received his M.D. Being a doctor was the perfect career for Holmes to provide him with the access, tools, and resources he needed to continue

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