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What Is Serial Murder?
Introduction
Serial murder has become a topical area of immense interest to many in the United States. Of course, we believe there is no country in the modern world that does not have serial killers in their populations. We certainly found that to be true in the research we have done for this third edition of this book. To that end, we have added a separate chapter on serial killers in foreign countries. When we wrote the initial edition of Serial Murder in 1985, we were examining the extant serial murderers of the late 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. At that time, murderers such as David Berkowitz, team killers Ken Bianchi and Angelo Buono, Ted Bundy, Albert DeSalvo, and Ottis Toole emerged as the most infamous characters in the study of this emerging form of fatal violence. In the first edition, we ignored the early serial killers of this country, as well as those who killed sequentially for the mob, the so-called hit men. We included them in the second edition, how- ever. In this third edition we have elaborated on the serial killers who kill for monetary gain, including those who kill for organized crime. What was the state of serial murder in the United States in the 20th century? Estimates were wide and varied. For example, the media reported that there were as many as 5,000 victims in this country in the early 1980s. The FBI estimated that the numbers were much less. The FBI’s estimate was based on interviews with unnamed incarcerated serial killers. The FBI interviews done by the initial researchers for the FBI—Roger DePue,
John Douglas, Roy Hazelwood, Robert Ressler, and others—were never made public, and the validity of their conclusions is suspect. Their esti- mate of the extent of serial murderers at that time was 35. The true number was and is still unknown. It is not 5,000, but certainly it is more than 35. We believe we can safely say there are at least two serial killers per state; in some states there are many more than two. But again, we will probably never know conclusively. Why will the truth never be known? Serial killers practice their fatal acts of predation in a much different manner from traditional killers. First, their acts are not usually done in the course of other crimes. The acts also usually are not committed in the company of others, although there are a few serial killers who are team killers. Serial murderers do not usually call the police and tell of their crimes, although this sometimes happens. For example, one man in prison for murder, Edmund Kemper, after undergoing therapy sessions for several years and serving a sentence which in effect guaranteed him to spend the rest of his life in prison, con- fessed to authorities that he had killed at least nine people (Riley, 2009). Had he not confessed, would we ever have known? Probably not. The point to this whole discourse is that there are many serial killers who are unknown and will never be known. Many will die with their secrets buried with them, be it in prison or at liberty living in a quiet neighborhood.
Degrees and Definitions of Terms
Although we are concerned mainly with the term serial murder , other important terms are used in this book that need to be defined: homi- cide , murder , the degrees of murder , manslaughter , and justifiable and excusable homicide. After we finish these definitions, we turn to the terms serial murder , mass murder , and spree murder , which are three forms of multicide.
Homicide or Murder?
For the purposes of this book, the terms homicide and murder are used interchangeably, but let us define both. Quite simply, murder is
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The “Night Stalker”
Richard Ramirez
Born 1960
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Justifiable and Excusable Homicide
There are occasions when someone takes the life of another human being and the crime is considered justifiable homicide or excusable homicide. An example is self-defense, when a person uses fatal violence when her life is in danger. Excusable homicide is the unintentional killing of another human being. There is no malice aforethought and no negligence involved in the act itself. The person acts in a prudent fashion in the same manner as any other person in a similar situation. In the dis- cussion in this book of any type of homicide, the elements of justifiable or excusable behavior, manslaughter, and the degrees of homicide will always come into the conversation.
Serial Murder: A New Threat?
When we read the chapters on serial killers and serial killers in foreign countries, we will note that serial murder is not a new or strictly American phenomenon. In our history, for example, which only goes back a few hundred years, there have been killers who have killed in a sequential fashion but who have not been called or termed serial killers. For example, “Billy the Kid” was an icon of the early West. A gunfighter, he was born in New York City in 1859 and moved to New Mexico when his widowed mother remarried when he was a young child. He turned to the life of an out- law, and was alleged to have killed 21 men, one for each year of his short life. “Billy the Kid,” whose real name was either William H. Bonney or William H. McCarty, was killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett on July 14, 1881. There are two accounts of the killing of Billy, but in both scenarios Sheriff Garrett shot Billy with two shots from his own gun. In one account, Garrett shot Billy after Billy tried to shoot Garrett. In another account, Garrett shot Billy after Billy tried to stab Garrett. Regardless, Billy died as a young man, a serial killer with 21 “notches on his belt.” “Billy the Kid” is buried in a grave with two of his comrades. There is a single grave marker atop their grave. It is marked with the names of William H. Bonney (“Alias ‘Billy the Kid’”), Tom O’Folliard, and
The “Campus Killer”
Ted Bundy
Born 1946 –Died 1989
“Billy the Kid”
William H. Bonney or William McCarty
Born 1859 –Died 1881
Charlie Bowdre. The grave marker has been stolen three times since it was installed in the Old Fort Sumner Cemetery in New Mexico. The gravesite has now been enclosed within a steel wire cage to prevent it from being stolen again (Fackler, 2003). Jesse James was another outlaw of the early West who lived a life of crime. Through their involvement in bank robberies, stagecoach rob- beries, and even robberies at a state fair, James and his brother Frank James, along with other James gang members, spread terror throughout Missouri in the late 19th century (Yeatman, 2001). How many people did Jesse James actually kill? The number is unknown, but certainly it is more than the baseline number of 20 offered in an official definition (Wellman, 1986). Jesse James died when he was 34 years old, shot by a former member of his own gang, Robert Ford, as James adjusted a picture on the wall. Ford had been involved in secret arrangement with the governor of Missouri. He had been offered a $10,000 reward for the killing of Jesse James but received only a portion of the reward. Ford was later killed in a bar he owned in Colorado in 1892 (Ries, 1994). Yet another early serial killer in the Old West was John Henry “Doc” Holliday. Born in 1851, Holliday was a dentist, gambler, and gunfighter (Roberts, 2006). Probably most famous for his allegiance with Wyatt Earp and his long-lasting but stormy relationship with “Big Nose Kate,” he admitted to killing 50 men. Doc Holliday died in bed of complications from alcoholism and abuse of laudanum (tincture of opium), which he took to ease his tuberculosis. He was 36 when he died (Tanner, 1998). Holliday is buried in a fenced-in plot in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. There are other “nontraditional” serial killers who murdered untold numbers of victims but whom we never think of as serial killers. Mob figures in Chicago, New York, Boston, and some other large cities in the 1920s and 1930s certainly emerge as serial murderers. Frank Abbando, Albert Anastasia (of Murder, Inc.), Al Capone, Carlo Gambino, and Abe “Kid Twist” Reles are all names that bring to mind numerous and untold numbers of dead victims Their motivation to kill was different from most modern-day serial murderers, but not too unlike that of serial killers “Billy the Kid” and Jesse James.
Serial Murder
Serial murder is the killing of three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a significant cooling-off period between the
Chapter 1. What Is Serial Murder? 5
Chapter 1. What Is Serial Murder? 7
several types of serial killers, including visionary, mission, hedo- nistic, and power control serial killers (R. Holmes & DeBurger, 1985, 1988; R. Holmes & S. Holmes, 1998b). The distinguishing fac- tors that separate one type of killer from the others are the anticipated gains and the killer’s basic motivation. In other words, what does a serial killer hope to realize from the killing of the victims? Is it nonmaterial (psy- chological) or material (money)? Will there be psychological or sexual payoffs from the abduction, killing, and disposal of the victims, or will there be pay for the murder of a selected person from one who wished the victim dead? In such a case, the serial killer may be a professional hit man. Richard Kuklinski, known as the “Ice Man,” reportedly killed more than 100 people; many of the murders were paid hits (Bruno, 1993). Eric Hickey adds another category of serial killer: the “place-specific” killer. This is not a separate type based on psychological aspects, but on geographical location of the murder act itself. An initial distinction to be made among serial killers is predicated on geographical mobility. Does the killer live in an area and kill in that same area? If that is the case, then the killer is geographically stable. If the per- son travels and kills, then the person is geographically transient. There are a variety of examples of the two types of serial killers predicated only on spatial mobility. Ted Bundy and Henry Lee Lucas were transient types. Dennis Rader and Gary Ridgway were stable types.
Myths of Serial Killers
When any social and cultural phenomenon occurs, rumors and myths immediately arise. This has happened with serial murder. The bad thing about these myths is that they often are responsible for spreading incor- rect information and information that regresses the understanding of the issue itself. Tom Harris’s books, especially Red Dragon (1981) and The Silence of the Lambs (1989), have awakened a dormant interest in this dark side of human behavior that we all possess. With his characters Francis Dolarhyde and Hannibal Lecter, we can see the abyss from a safe perspec- tive, the abyss developed from the dark brain of Harris. Both authors have shared time and meals with Tom Harris. As I (RMH) sat across the table from him and watched him drink his wine, I wondered where these words of fatal violence and personal atrocities reside. My wife and Steve’s mother once said to him, “I don’t read any of your books. They scare the
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Letter From an Unidentified Killer
of the serial killer? What did we learn about serial killers from Ted Bundy? When we interviewed Bundy in Florida before his execution, how much truth did he tell us? What did he not share with us? When we talked with Douglas Clark, the “Sunset Strip Killer,” how much of what he told us was true? When Danny Rolling, known as the “Gainesville Ripper,” was apprehended, how much of what he told the police was the truth? What about Gary Ridgway, the “Green River Killer”? From these and others comes information that we hear and interpret as truth, but that can also be the source of myths and misinformation. There are some basic myths about serial killers that we need to address:
- Everyone is at danger from a serial killer. There is a common saying that one stands a better chance of winning the lottery than falling victim to a serial killer. This is probably true. This is especially true if one is not the same type as the “average victim” or “the ideal victim” of a serial murderer. For example, the very old are usually not victims of serial killers. Young men in their prime years and in good physical condition are usually not victims of serial killers. It is also true that serial murderers are more preva- lent in certain areas of the county, thus making one living in those areas more likely to be a potential victim to serial murder. For example, if one examines the literature, one will see that serial killers are more prevalent in the coastal states than in inland states, and more prevalent in urban than rural areas.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved with all serial murder cases. Actually, the FBI is relatively rarely involved in the investi- gation of a serial murder case. On television, we see shows such as Numbers, Cold Case, Dexter, and CSI featuring scenarios where the FBI rushes in and solves the serial murder case when the local police, because of incompetence or inexperience, are unable to resolve it. The same can be said of many fictional books, e.g., the James Patterson books that feature his character Alex Cross, or others like the aforementioned Red Dragon (T. Harris, 1981) and The Silence of the Lambs (1989). From these and others of the same ilk, we get false messages. The interested reader could do research on her own and find that Ted Bundy was apprehended by a local Pensacola police officer (Rule, 1980), that Wayne Williams in Atlanta was apprehended by the local authorities (Dettlinger & Prugh, 1984), and that David Berkowitz was arrested by a New York detective (Leyton, 1986; Terry, 1987). And the list goes on. The FBI has done little if anything to clear up this myth, and why would they want to?
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- Serial killers all come from abusive backgrounds. This could be an easy explanation for the serial killer mentality. While it might stand true for many serial killers, it is by no means true for all. Ted Bundy, for example, was a victim of illegitimacy (Rule, 1980). However, there are many males as well as females who are illegitimate and who never resort to violence, much less serial murder. Bundy remarked to us during an interview that he was never abused in any fashion despite what some reports may have said about him. There is no verifiable evidence that would substantiate the claim of abuse. And anyone saying “all” is a sign for caution.
- All serial killers kill for sex. We know now, at this stage of the scientific investigation of serial killers, that many serial murderers kill for purposes other than sex. Take, for example, women who kill sequentially. Aileen Wuornos killed for money. Nannie Doss killed for money (C. Wilson, 1998). Genene Jones killed for power and control (Elkin, 1989). Richard Kuklinski killed for reasons of creature comfort (Bruno, 1993). Cleo Green killed because spirits commanded him to do so. Joseph Kallinger killed because a head, “Charlie,” commanded him to do so (Schreiber, 1983). There are many who do kill for sexual purposes, of course, but even with these killers sometimes there is a mixture of a sexual and other motivations.
- All serial killers abused animals and set fires as children. In some instances, serial killers exhibit these kinds of behaviors when children. Jeffrey Dahmer, for instance, tortured and killed animals as a child (Davis, 1995; Martingale, 1993). Ottis Toole admitted to being a pyromaniac as a young boy, an interest that followed him into adulthood. These interests are certainly not present in all serial killers, however. Also, there are some people who were abusive to animals and showed an interest in fires who do not show an emerging interest in serial murder (Henry Ott, personal interview, Louisville, Kentucky, March 17, 2008).
- Serial killers come mainly from the United States. Even this commonly held belief is untrue. In our research for this book, we were amazed at the number of serial murderers from Europe, especially the United Kingdom. If we take into account the differences in population, there are as many serial killers in England as in the United States. We also found that serial killers are present in every country we examined. There may be a problem in the reporting of serial killers in certain countries, but every continent, with the exception of Antarctica, is well represented.
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Conclusion
Although murder and manslaughter captivate the attention of most Americans, the particular type of murder—serial murder—is of particular concern. Within the following chapters, we will address such topics as the serial killers, the role of victimology, investigation, and female serial killers within each type of serial killer. Motives and gains will be examined that lend themselves not only to academic examination, but also to identi- fication of distinguishing characteristics that lead to identification and apprehension or resolution. Case studies will also follow in various chapters. These case studies will highlight types of serial killers to illustrate the serial murderer himself or herself, as well as the unique traits and elements of that particular type. We do not think that serial murder will stop. The world is too violent a place for that to happen. What we can hope, though, is that society can develop a better knowledge base of the etiology of the serial murderer, early identification of a serial killer personality development, and better scientific and investigative techniques to apprehend this offender before more victims fall prey to his cruelty. This is what we hope for, and maybe this is all we can hope for. Will we always have the killer in our midst? Perhaps that is our destiny.
Discussion Questions
- What do you believe to be the most accurate number of serial killers active in the United States today?
- How many victims do you believe fall prey annually to serial murderers in the United States?
- Who was the first serial killer of which you were aware? Under what circum- stances did you learn of this person?
- Are the serial killers of the 21st century different from those of the 1970s and 1980s? If yes, in what ways?
- Discuss the most common anticipated gains of the male serial killer and of the female serial killer.
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