The English term serial killer is commonly attributed to former FBI Special Agent Robert Ressler in the 1970s. The concept had been described earlier by German police inspector Ernst Gennat coining the same term in 1930. Though the term is not very ancient, but serial killing has been committing through the history. A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a “cooling off” period between each murder, and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification. Often, a sexual element is involved with the killings. The murders may have been attempted or completed in a similar fashion and the victims may have had something in common, for example occupation, race, appearance, gender, or age group.
Characteristics and IQs:
Serial killers suffer from individuality within a specific cluster of dysfunctional personality characteristics connected with Antisocial Personality Disorder or Dissocial personality disorder. They do not conform to social, moral and legal norms. Psychopaths often follow a distinct set of rules which they have created for themselves rather than following social norms. They may appear to be quite normal and often even charming.
IQs of the serial killers differ regarding their categories-organized, disorganized and mixed.
Organized nonsocial offenders usually have above average intelligence, with a mean IQ of 123. They often plan their crimes quite methodically, usually abducting victims, killing them in one place and disposing of them in another place. They will often attract the victims with appealing strategy to their sense of sympathy.
Ted Bundy, the most notorious serial killer, a handsome, educated psychopathic law student who stalked and murdered dozens of young college women who looked very much like a young woman who broke off her relationship with him, faked a broken arm in throwing to convince young women to help him carry his textbooks to his car. Once there, he battered them with a baseball bat and carried them off away. Organized killers maintain a high degree of control over the crime scene.
On the other hand Disorganized offenders are often of low intelligence, have a below average IQ (<90), and commit their crimes rashly. Whereas the organized killer will specifically set out to hunt a victim, the disorganized will murder someone when the opportunity arises. They are often introverted, socially inadequate with few friends, and they may have mental problems.
Motives of the serial killers:
The motives of serial killers are generally to be found into four categories: “visionary”, “mission-oriented”, “hedonistic” and “power or control”; however, the motives of any given killer may display considerable overlap among these categories. Visionary serial killers suffer from psychotic breaks with reality, sometimes believing they are another person or are compelled to murder by entities such as the devil or God. The two most common subgroups are “demon mandated” and “God mandated.” Mission-oriented killers normally justify their acts as “ridding the world” of a certain type of “undesirable” person, such as homosexuals, prostitutes, blacks or Catholics; however, they are generally not psychotic. Hedonistic type of serial killer seeks thrills and derives pleasure from killing, seeing people as objects for their enjoyment. Forensic psychologists have identified three subtypes of the hedonistic killer: Lust (sex is the primary motive of lust killers), Thrill (primary motive of a thrill killer is to induce pain or create terror in their victims) and Comfort (material gain and a comfortable lifestyle are the primary motives of comfort killers). The last category of serial killers is Power/Control: their main objective for killing is to gain and apply power over their victim. Such killers are sometimes abused as children, leaving them with feelings of powerlessness and inadequacy as adults. Many power or control-motivated killers sexually abuse their victims, but they differ from hedonistic killers in that rape is not motivated by lust but as simply another form of dominating the victim.
Serial killers by number of victims:
The person killed more than three peoples with a cooling brain is a serial killer. But most of the reported serial killer murdered a lot. How much would be the figure? In maximum cases, it’s beyond our imagination. Here, I’m citing some serial killers by number of victims, after reading out that can make us astonished and motionless.
Christman Gniperdoliga of Holy Roman Empire murdered 964 persons between 1568-1581. Teófilo Rojas Varón of Colombia also known as “Chispas”, who confessed to 592 murders in 1948 to 1963, but is supposed to have killed up to 3500. In Kingdom of Hungary, Elizabeth Báthory, Who is called most prolific female murderer. Total number of victims is unknown, but accusations pointed 612 victims from 1585 to 1610. Pedro López from Colombia known as The Monster of the Andes. Total numbers of victims are unknown. But it is said he murdered more than three hundred people in 1978 to 1980. Darya Saltykova from Russian Empire. Accused of up to 138 murders; found guilty of 38 murders. Gary Ridgway, known as The Green River Killer killerd 48 peoples between 1982 to 2000 in Washington, United States. David Burke resided in San Luis Obispo, California, United States killed 43 peoples in December 1987. In 1986 to 1997, Ahmad Suradji of Indonesia convicted of killing 42 women and girls in a series of ritual slayings he believed would give him magical powers.
Some case studies:
Moninder Pandher and Surender Koli of India
Moninder Pandher was a Businessman who studied from 1963-73 at the prestigious Bishop Cotton School in Shimla and graduated from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He has been married since 1979 and fathers a son. Pandher has been claimed to be a perfect father and a good provider by the family. But who imagined a dangerous shape of himself? On December 26, 2006, Moninder Singh Pandher, and his servant, Surender Koli, were arrested by the Noida Police on the suspicion of murdering a call girl named “Payal”. A number of missing children’s skeletal were discovered in the village of Nithari, on the border of Noida, a planned industrial township in Uttar Pradesh near New Delhi. By investigation and trail in the Court, it is proved that total 19 girls are killed by them. Maximum of them are children. Moninder Singh Pandher, and his servant Surender Koli, first abducted the children then murdered then raped them. Both are sentenced to death by the court.
Medical professionals
Some serial killers, who are medical professions, are sometimes referred to as “angels of death” or angels of mercy. One example is Harold Shipman, an English family doctor, who made it appear that his victims died of natural causes. Between 1975 and 1998, he killed at least 215 patients. Dr John Bodkin Adams, meanwhile, though acquitted in 1957 of the murder of one patient, is believed to have killed around 163 patients in Eastbourne, England.
Rasu Khan; first reported serial killer of Bangladesh
Rasu Khan was arrested on 7 October, 2009 from Tongi area under Gazipur district by the Faridganj thana police alleged for fan thefting. After being arrested, Rasu khan self-confessed to the Magistrate that he involved in serial murder of 11 women. Police found some relevant facts regarding his involvement. The murdering style of the 11 women is matching. All the women were abducted and brought them in different area of Chandpur (his native district) and killed them by drowned in water. In maximum cases, Rasu khan raped them before murdering. No one even his wife and children were familiar to his dangerousness. All murdered women are from the poor family. Rasu confessed before the Magistrate that after taking a shock from the family of his ex-girlfriend, he promised to murder 101 women then will be purified religiously and will lead a good life.
Serial killers in media:
Serial killers are featured as stock characters in many types of media, including books, films, television programs, songs and video games. Films featuring serial killers include Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Mr. Brooks, Seven, Copycat, Halloween and many others.
The television series Dexter features a police blood-spatter pattern analyst who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer. It is based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Other notable literature with a serial killer theme includes Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song, Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me and Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon.
(the writer is a third year law student of Dhaka University)
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