serial killers

[Dexter Morgan]

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.

[pariann]

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.

[Dexter Morgan]

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.

[Sandy Eggo]

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

[Dexter Morgan]

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!!!

[~vxn~]

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...)

[Dexter Morgan]

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.

[~vxn~]

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.

[Dexter Morgan]

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????

[kimmi]

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

[Dexter Morgan]

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.

[~vxn~]

there are female serial killers.  not as many as there are men, but they do exist. 

[Dexter Morgan]

there are female serial killers.  not as many as there are men, but they do exist. 

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. 

[~vxn~]

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.)

[Dexter Morgan]

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. I love all true crime.  I'm thinking of starting a thread on Darlie Routier next. Have you ever heard of her????