Dynamic of Serial Killing

Dynamic of Serial Killing
Definition: Serial Killer

• Serial killer is someone who commits three or more murders over an
extended period of time with cooling off periods in between.
• These periods may last days, weeks, months or years and may even
refer to separate events and locations.
• Most of the serial killers are psycopaths suffering from personality
disorder and do appear to be quiet normal and often even charming
known as the mask of sanity.
• All the murders committed by the serial killers may have been
completed/attempted in a similar fshion and the victims may have
something in common.
Historical Background
• Serial murders can be traced far back to the 18th century.
• In india, thug behram ( world’s most prolific serial killer) killed 931
victims by strangulation between 1790- 1830.
• In Slovakia, Elizabeth Bathory, an aristocrat butchered 600 young girls
from 1590- 1610.
• In scotland, in the 1820s happened the case of the Body snatchers.
• In London , Jack the Ripper butchered 4-5 middle aged prostitutes in
1888.
• In America, h. h. holmes confessed to 27 murders in 1896.
Types of serial killers
• Based on methodology
• Organized killers: high intelligence with an above average IQ of 105-
120 range and plan their crimes methodically. Abduct the victims, kill
them in one place and dispoce them off in another. They fantasize
killing and experience pleasure by the very fantasy.
• Socially adequate and has a lots of friends and lovers and often may
even have a family.
• Disorganised killer: low intelligence with a below average IQ of 80-95
range and commits crime impulsively. They kill whenever the
opportunity arises, rarely bothering to dispse of the body but instead
just leaving the body at the same place where they found the victim.
• Socially inadequate with few friends and may be regarded by
aquaintances as eccentric.
Classification Based on motives
• Missionary killers: believe their acts are justified on basis that they are
getting rid of a certain kind of person who is harmful or shame to the
person and thst they should be eliminated.
• Visionary killers: murder in response to voices or visions urging them to kill.
• Hedonistic killer: thrill seekers who kills for getting a kick out of it.there is
also a sexual aspect attatched to this type of killing.
• Gain motivated killer: motivated by their need to have materials, cash or
property or possesin.
• Power and control motivated killer: kill to gain and exort power over their
victims.
Psychology of serial killer
• Proper classification of a serial killer is same as that of a psychopathic
sadist or antisocial personality disorder.
• Robert D hare’s psychopathy checklist includes 20 items that can
measure behaviours of the psychopaths.
• Glib and superficial charm
• Grandiose self worth
• Proneness to boredom
• Pathological lying
• Conning and manipulativeness
• Lack of remorse
• Shallow affect
• Lack of empathy
• Parasite lifestyle
• Poor behavioural controls
• Promiscous sexual behavior
• Early behavioral problems
• Lack of realistic long term goals
• Impulsivity
• Irresponsibility
• Failure to accept responsibility for own failure
• Many short term marital relationships
• Juvenile delinquency
• Revocation of condition release
• Criminl versitility
Causative factors in serial killing
• Generally driven by internl compulsion
• Kill for an elusive psychological gain.
• Feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness
• Feel the sense of potency and often revenge by giving them a sense of power.
• No emotional control
• Fntasize about murder in particular
• Emotionally aloof or totally flat
• Fixation at oral stage
• Regression, infantilism and de-personalisatgion
• Arrogant and suffer from grandiosity and self importance.
• Need for admiration and adulation.
• Terrified of being abandoned or humiliated, exposed for what they are and then discarded.
• Cannot work in a team.
• Pre morbid personality
Methodology of serial killer
• Modus operandi of a serial killer is of 3 types:
• Nomadic- keep moving from 1 place to another and on their way keep
killing travelers, moving frequently, often compulsively. Such killers
are difficult to apprehend but quite a few do get caught.
• Territorial – stalk their victim to a chosen or selected place and then
kill them.
• Stationary- bring victims to a specific place to kill them and then hide
the corpse at the same place.
Investigation of serial crime
• Processing the crime scene: in an organized approach to CSI, there are
3 basic steps which are Scene Recognition, scene documentation and
evidence collection.
• Scene recognition- begins with the initial search of the house.
Planning of evidence collection and the preservation of the evidences.
• Scene documentation- reconstruction of a crime scene, there are 3
simple steps in documenting the crime scene- written notes and
reports, photographs and sketching.
Suggested investigation process
• A signature is a component of crime that is unique to that particular
killer and that can be found across multiple crime scenes.
• Modus operandi refers to particular method of operation of the killer,
including the object of crime, the time and so on.
• The modus operandi can change but the signature does not.
Role of the investigating officer
• Gathering data including crime scene, photographs, autopsy reports,
witness statements.
• Reconstructing the sequence of events before, during and after the
murder.
• Criminal typing of the information gatnered.
• Previous information to figure out one kind of a person would do this,
to understand the psychology of the killer.
Interrogation of suspect
• Interrogation by I.O.
• Assessment by I.Q.
• Polygraph test
• Brain mapping
• Narco analysis
Identification of corpse
• Fingerprints
• Dental evidence
• Dismembered body fragments
• Other bodily evidences
• Photographic super imposition techniques
Conclusion
• Phenomena of serial killings are always an investigative challenge.
Thorough investigation of the scene of the crime with detailed post
mortem examinationwould give uss a fair idea regarding the
behavioural background of the perpetrator of the crime,
characterstics of the victims involoved, patterns of the killing and
location of the intial crime involved and ultimately to find the key to
unlock the criminal mind of the serial killer. Thus forensic science and
psychology enable law enforcement agencies to better identify the
individual who commits these crimes and understand motivations.

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Dynamic of Serial Killing

Definition: Serial Killer

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