Serial killers have commited some of the most heinous crimes in history.Some of the most prolific killers are Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy,BTK, and Gary Leon Ridgeway. Thats a small handfull,there are many more. What makes them tick??? Why do they kill?? Are they hard wired to kill or are they just plain evil??? Please share your thoughts.
I bought a book called The Serial Killer Files by Harold Schechter. It examines the who, what, where, how and why of the world's most terrifying murderers. The mind of the murder fascinates me. All mysteries of crime fascinate me. I think we all carry that small piece inside of us that makes us a predator of some kind, but years of civilization have taught us to bury the impulse. When one man or woman steps outside of that suppression, I personally want to know what triggered it. This book doesn't give definative answers, but it sure explains a lot of the psychology behind years of killing for many serial killers.
Quote from: pariann on May 09, 2007, 10:43:09 PM
I bought a book called The Serial Killer Files by Harold Schechter. It examines the who, what, where, how and why of the world's most terrifying murderers. The mind of the murder fascinates me. All mysteries of crime fascinate me. I think we all carry that small piece inside of us that makes us a predator of some kind, but years of civilization have taught us to bury the impulse. When one man or woman steps outside of that suppression, I personally want to know what triggered it. This book doesn't give definative answers, but it sure explains a lot of the psychology behind years of killing for many serial killers.
It really makes you wonder,why they are driven to torture, and terrorize their victims.Can you imagine what it would be like, to profile and work with ,and interview some of these killers??? It would probably scare the hell out of us LOL!!! The thing that really makes me wonder, is how they dont seem to have human traits.Its almost like their dead inside. They dont have remorse like a normal human being does. Most of them think that their victims are no more than objects,or just trash to be used and thrown away. I just dont understand it.
I enjoy this topic too and the movies (fiction and based on fact) related to this type thing. The one w/Sigourney Weaver "Copy Cat", "Silence of the Lambs", "Seven", "From Hell" (about JTR), "Henry", "Summer of Sam", on and on and on
Quote from: MsMojo on May 09, 2007, 11:43:57 PM
I enjoy this topic too and the movies (fiction and based on fact) related to this type thing. The one w/Sigourney Weaver "Copy Cat", "Silence of the Lambs", "Seven", "From Hell" (about JTR), "Henry", "Summer of Sam", on and on and on
Have you ever seen the movie Ted Bundy??? It's totally heinous. There's also one about Jeffery Dahmer, it's called Dahmer. There's a movie about Ed Gein and also John Wayne Gacy. These movies give some real insight, in to what their life is like,and how they ended up being serial killers. I dont know if they have a movie out about BTK Killer Dennis Rader or not. They did do a made for tv movie about him. It was kind of cheesey,they had this whacked out music in it ,that made me want to rip my hair out LOL!!!
i was thinking one day, about what makes someone do these things. i think it has a lot to do with experiences early in life.
it's all about impulses. most are sociopaths. they held/hold themselves above the average moral rules that most ppl follow.
(don't get me wrong--i love sociopaths. many of them grow up to be cops, judges... there is a strong sense of justice. the justice for humanity and others is the drive to do good--the justice for self is what makes them believe laws do not apply to them.)
serial killers fascinate me. (i have a pal who has corresponded and interviewed a few serial killers... not sure if i am allowed to post his site in open forum...)
Quote from: ~vxn~ on May 16, 2007, 09:05:56 PM
i was thinking one day, about what makes someone do these things. i think it has a lot to do with experiences early in life.
it's all about impulses. most are sociopaths. they held/hold themselves above the average moral rules that most ppl follow.
(don't get me wrong--i love sociopaths. many of them grow up to be cops, judges... there is a strong sense of justice. the justice for humanity and others is the drive to do good--the justice for self is what makes them believe laws do not apply to them.)
serial killers fascinate me. (i have a pal who has corresponded and interviewed a few serial killers... not sure if i am allowed to post his site in open forum...)
The strange thing with B.T.K is he had a normal upbringing. There was nothing in his past that caused him to be a killer. Ted Bundy was led to believe his mother was his sister. When he found out it triggered his violent side. Gary Ridgeway had a very controlling mother. They had a strange relationship. Ed Gein had a controlling mother that told him all women were whores,when she died he lost controll,couldn't stand not being with her.He became a necrophiliac. Usually there is a trigger,some sort life situation that brings it out. Jeffery Dahmer started to kill, after his parents got divorced.
it's all in how they deal with things...
perhaps btk has normal parents but wasn't treated well at school... or forced to hide something of himself, maybe a secret that soured and eventually over took him.
how close are normal members of the population to being triggered and killing?
what about all those mother's who've killed their babies? andrea yates drowned all of her kids (5 kids or 7?) and later said she was trying to save them from her. everyone has their trigger.
Quote from: ~vxn~ on May 16, 2007, 09:27:11 PM
it's all in how they deal with things...
perhaps btk has normal parents but wasn't treated well at school... or forced to hide something of himself, maybe a secret that soured and eventually over took him.
how close are normal members of the population to being triggered and killing?
what about all those mother's who've killed their babies? andrea yates drowned all of her kids (5 kids or 7?) and later said she was trying to save them from her. everyone has their trigger.
You're right serial killers look just like you and I. I think Andrea Yates was clincally insane. I also think she was brainwashed by her religion. I still think Rusty should've gotten some punishment,he knew she was nuts,and still left her with those kids. I think she couldn't handle all those kids. They lived in a bus for a long time. I think they had 3 kids at that time.Who wouldn't go stir crazy in that situation????
Weren't most of these men excessively bright - high IQ kind of people? I wonder if it is that they are so smart that they think they can out smart their victims, families, police, etc... I think that game becomes an obsession.
Don't worry about me! I'm not a white male and I'm not all that bright either! haha
Quote from: kimmi on May 16, 2007, 09:49:55 PM
Weren't most of these men excessively bright - high IQ kind of people? I wonder if it is that they are so smart that they think they can out smart their victims, families, police, etc... I think that game becomes an obsession.
Don't worry about me! I'm not a white male and I'm not all that bright either! haha
They are narsacists . They feel everbody is beneathe them in intelegance. B.T.K. wasn't as smart as he thought. In fact he was stupid ,to resurface after all those years,he for all purposes had gotten away with it. The reason he resurfaced was because Robert Beattie was releaseing a book about the murders. B.T.K didn't want anybody telling his story. So he resufaced and got his stupid ass caught. What a clown. :jester:
there are female serial killers. not as many as there are men, but they do exist. :yes:
Quote from: ~vxn~ on May 17, 2007, 04:06:10 PM
there are female serial killers. not as many as there are men, but they do exist. :yes:
Aileen Wournos sticks in my mind.Have you seen the movie "Monster"??? It tells about how she gravitated into her crimes. She told the court that the first guy she killed raped her. They found out after they executed her,that that was true. It still doesn't excuse what she did. I think she had a real hard life. It sounds like her childhood was full of incest and abuse. That may have been why she felt justified in her killings. :no: :no:
i've heard of her, never saw the movie though. her childhood was the bullet--being raped was the trigger.
every one is rational to themselves, no matter how insane it seems to someone else.
(p.s. btw, dex, i sent you a message with links to a few articles on serial killers... just wanted to make sure you got it.)
Quote from: ~vxn~ on May 17, 2007, 06:16:38 PM
i've heard of her, never saw the movie though. her childhood was the bullet--being raped was the trigger.
every one is rational to themselves, no matter how insane it seems to someone else.
(p.s. btw, dex, i sent you a message with links to a few articles on serial killers... just wanted to make sure you got it.)
Thanks!!!! I gottem. I'll check those out. It ought to be interesting. :biggrin: I love all true crime. :smitten: I'm thinking of starting a thread on Darlie Routier next. Have you ever heard of her????
Serial killers are sociopaths without any empathy for other humans and certainly without any remorse for their heinous crimes.
The women who murdered their children -- I believe were committed of crimes while mentally ill...
Is there a difference?
Should sociopathic behavior be considered a crime of mental illness?
Do women or those who are committed of crimes due to mental illness have remorse?
Interesting debate, I'm sure.
Quote from: Sunny on May 19, 2007, 09:39:25 PM
Serial killers are sociopaths without any empathy for other humans and certainly without any remorse for their heinous crimes.
The women who murdered their children -- I believe were committed of crimes while mentally ill...
Is there a difference?
Should sociopathic behavior be considered a crime of mental illness?
Do women or those who are committed of crimes due to mental illness have remorse?
Interesting debate, I'm sure.
I think anybody is able to kill,allot of it depends on impulse control. I mean everybody gets mad and says things like" I going to kill you." ,but a person with good impulse control, would never really think of doing it. A person who's impulse control is impaired by mental illness,disease of the brain, or other afflictions,can't help it because they have no control. As far as remorse goes,serial killers seldom feel anything at all. They just feel bad that they got caught LOL!!! The mothers that kill their kids are usually mentally ill. I think some of them do feel remorse, after they receive treatment. Mother's that kill their kids out of greed or just to get rid of them don't feel remorse.Susan Smith killed her kids, because her lover didn't want her kids. So in her eyes if she wanted this man, she had to get rid of the kids. I consider her as ruthless and twisted as they come. Andrea Yates on the other hand is plainly and obviously insane. I really don't think her killing her kids was for personal gain. She felt she wasn't a good mother and they weren't developing correctly. She thought by killing them they would be saved and go to heaven. I think she was somewhat brainwashed by her religion. I also think her husband, should've been held somewhat responsible, he knew she was unstable, and that she was a danger to herself,her children,and everybody else for that matter. So some of them probably do and some don't. We cant know what they feel,unless they express it,we'll never know.
i think the whole lot of them are mentally ill, though i shouldn't have lumped killer mommies in with serial killers.
Off the cuff, I would say that another differentiation between those who "kill" out of neuroticisim (e.g. sociopathic) vs. mental insanity or psychosis is the "calcuated pre-meditation" factor or motive behind the murder.
This is an interesting blurb on 'serial killer':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_killer
Quote from: ~vxn~ on May 20, 2007, 08:53:18 AM
i think the whole lot of them are mentally ill, though i shouldn't have lumped killer mommies in with serial killers.
In a way they are in the same category, because they've all taken a life. You're right, I think most of them are mentally ill. Not all people who are mentally ill kill though. I think there's a line that gets crossed. A mentally ill person is more prone to commit violence and murder. I think there is allot of medication, that could prevent some of this,but most people who are mentally ill, don't realize it until it's too late. Andrea Yates would be considered a serial killer,because a serial killer is any person that kills more than 3 people. Even though they were her kids,she would still be considered a serial killer. Susan Smith is just a stupid greedy hoe LOL!!!
if it's done at one time, I believe they are called a mass murderer. if it's spaced over days or weeks, even months or years, with the same m o by the same killer, then it's a serial killer.
Quote from: pariann on May 20, 2007, 07:33:49 PM
if it's done at one time, I believe they are called a mass murderer. if it's spaced over days or weeks, even months or years, with the same m o by the same killer, then it's a serial killer.
I think you're absolutely correct on that. :yes: :yes: examples of mass murder would be the Columbine massacre, and the Virginia Tech murders. There are so many classes of murderers. You've got serial killers,mothers that kill, angels of death killers(doctors/nurses),cult leaders that brainwash their congregations and stage mass murders or mass suicides. The list is endless. It's scary to think, that these people are living in our communities, and we might be passing them on the street everyday. :spooked: :spooked:
Then you've got these folks...
(http://www.t-shirtjunkies.com/images/uploads/cerealkiller.gif)
:razz:
lol @ sunny.
columbine and other school shootings are also in another class (no pun intended). the killers were tortured through out school and pushed to that level of violence... (god, do i know how that is...)
i still will never understand how a mother can kill her child(ren).
Quote from: Sunny on May 21, 2007, 09:47:29 AM
Then you've got these folks...
(http://www.t-shirtjunkies.com/images/uploads/cerealkiller.gif)
:razz:
LOL!!! What will they think of next???? :spooked: There are allot of sites that sell murderabilia. I think selling items involved in crimes or killers,is really in poor taste. My God!!! Why would anybody want to buy a serial killers toe nail clippings??? Jesum Crow!!!! I think a person wanting to buy that,must be touched themselves. :spooked: probably a serial killer in the making. :yes: :yes:
Just had to say that I am diggin your name! I think Dexter is the most brilliant show on TV. I was visiting some friends right after the show premiered and caught the first three episodes on their DVR. They recorded the rest of the season for me, and I stayed up all night to watch the whole thing. Any idea when it comes back??
((( sweet jesus, dex--stay away from tshirthell.com... (you wouldn't believe the shirts they sell there...) )))
Quote from: ~vxn~ on May 25, 2007, 08:37:43 AM
((( sweet jesus, dex--stay away from tshirthell.com... (you wouldn't believe the shirts they sell there...) )))
I'm guilty as hell on some of that stuff. Like ,I buy books about true crime and serial killers. :yes: :yes: My only probelm is when it generates money for the criminal. If the proceeds would go to he victims family, it would still be in poor taste,but if it helped the victims family,then I say go for it.
I saw this story today and thought it would interest you....
QuoteThe evidence was given to the FBI by a Pollock Pines man who also claims he recently found the disguise worn by the Zodiac Killer during one of his attacks.
"The identity of the Zodiac Killer is Jack Tarrance. He's my stepfather," says Dennis Kaufman.
Eight years of Dennis Kaufman's life has been consumed with attempting to prove the only father he's known since he was five-years-old is none other than the Zodiac Killer.
http://cbs13.com/local/zodiac.killer.kaufman.2.805799.html
I can't help but wonder how long he suspected and if he waited until his stepfather was dead to provide his evidence so that his stepfather wouldn't go to jail...just a thought...but it's been 2 years since he died and he's coming forward now?
Quote from: Sandy Eggo on August 30, 2008, 01:03:17 PM
I saw this story today and thought it would interest you....
http://cbs13.com/local/zodiac.killer.kaufman.2.805799.html
I can't help but wonder how long he suspected and if he waited until his stepfather was dead to provide his evidence so that his stepfather wouldn't go to jail...just a thought...but it's been 2 years since he died and he's coming forward now?
OMG!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS HUGE!!!!!!! :sofa: :sofa: :sofa: Wow, I bet Tom Voight is shittin' bricks!!!! It sounds like it's the real deal. This reminds me of the Black Dahlia case. A guy came forward with evidence after his father died. This guy thinks his Dad was the Black Dahlia killer. The police dispute it though. :spooked: Thanks for posting this Sandy. :thumbsup:
I saw a documentary one time on Mothers who kill there children. This one doctor said that these women don't feel any more attachment for children than they do for a piece of clothing. If they are tired of it or them. They can kill them (children) or throw them away ( clothes) and replace them as needed.
I also saw something about serial killers having something different with their brains.
They certainly don't have empathy and are unable to feel it.
I am fascinated by these people also, even if there is no way I can understand what makes them like this.
Quote from: Isabelle on August 31, 2008, 11:19:44 AM
I saw a documentary one time on Mothers who kill there children. This one doctor said that these women don't feel any more attachment for children than they do for a piece of clothing. If they are tired of it or them. They can kill them (children) or throw them away ( clothes) and replace them as needed.
I also saw something about serial killers having something different with their brains.
They certainly don't have empathy and are unable to feel it.
I am fascinated by these people also, even if there is no way I can understand what makes them like this.
I'm a big true crime buff. Serial killers are wired completely different from the rest of us. There is a show called 'Most Evil'. I think it's on ID channel. It's about a psychiatrist that profiles famous murderers. Have you heard of the Darlie Routier case? She supposedly killed her little boys, and then beat and stabbed herself, to make it look like an intruder did it. :rolleyes: I don't think she did it but, I think she's gonna be put to death for it. :spooked:
Quote from: Dexter Morgan on August 31, 2008, 02:17:49 PM
I'm a big true crime buff. Serial killers are wired completely different from the rest of us. There is a show called 'Most Evil'. I think it's on ID channel. It's about a psychiatrist that profiles famous murderers. Have you heard of the Darlie Routier case? She supposedly killed her little boys, and then beat and stabbed herself, to make it look like an intruder did it. :rolleyes: I don't think she did it but, I think she's gonna be put to death for it. :spooked:
I have never heard of her or the show. What is an ID channel?
I love true crime shows and I love to hear why they do the things that they do.
Quote from: Isabelle on August 31, 2008, 08:39:52 PM
I have never heard of her or the show. What is an ID channel?
I love true crime shows and I love to hear why they do the things that they do.
The channel is Investigative Discovery. We have Direct TV. A&E and Biography channel have a lot of good shows about true crime too.
Quote from: Dexter Morgan on August 31, 2008, 09:52:35 PM
The channel is Investigative Discovery. We have Direct TV. A&E and Biography channel have a lot of good shows about true crime too.
We have direct TV also, but I don't watch much TV, but I will look for this. If some really good comes up let me know.
Has anybody heard that there's a serial killer that their calling "The Grim Sleeper"? He's been killing black prostitutes for the past 2 decades in California. He killed some, then was out of commission for several years (maybe incarcerated) and started killing again in 2001. His most recent victim was killed in 2003. One woman managed to escape. I'm gonna be following this case closely. I don't care what a person has done in their life, NOBODY deserves to be killed, and thrown away like trash. I hope they get this guy soon.
No! Where in California?
(Not that I'm in danger, but I am curious :biggrin: )
Quote from: Sandy Eggo on September 05, 2008, 12:22:42 AM
No! Where in California?
(Not that I'm in danger, but I am curious :biggrin: )
I'm not sure which part but I think it said southern California. I read about it on CNN. I think you'll be OK unless.... you're a prostitute. :wink: