10 Facts about Serial Killers You Should Always Remember
Serial killers are sometimes too complex to analyze, aren’t they? However, research in forensic psychology suggests that most of them are not that tough to catch. A lot of the myths that are related to them happen to be “myths” only. As I am a student of forensic psychology, I have done a lot of research on them. There are lots of similar patterns and tactics which are common in serial killers. “On a dark night appeared a strange figure with a horrifying look on his face. Out of his innate tendency to kill every living on earth, he began his spree or murders, killing everyone and carving the letter “M” into each of them”. Some of you might think that this is a really boring line of a detective novel. As boring as it might sound, it is somehow close to the reality of it. It should also be noted that serial killers have been stereotyped and stigmatized to some extent. There is no single approach or rule that can be used to determine the general personal characteristics of these offenders. With this mind, below you can read the facts about serial killers.
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10. Myth
One of the most common myths about serial killers is that they mostly belong to the white population. It is also said that they are often are between the ages 20 to 38. Most of them are reported as sexual offenders who might be unable to satisfy their impulses and whims. To add more to this myth is the belief that most of them kill for sexual gratification and internal satisfaction. However, there are some studies that have produced contrasted findings. One such finding is that most of them murder out of necessity rather than for their internal satisfaction.
9. Weird Looking
It is said that most serial killers are weird looking and stuttering. At the same time, some researchers feel that there are marked for their looks. The same is portrayed in movies that are centered on the theme of serial murders. Thus, it can be said that the things most of us know about these murderers are nothing more than myths. Forensic Psychology is now focusing heavily on putting an end to these myths which have never been confirmed.
8. Significant Others
It is portrayed that most of the serial killers prefer to live with their parents. Some movies even go so far as suggesting that some of them even hide the bodies of their victims inside their homes with full support from their parents. The idea that an entire family is made up of serial killers is sub-normal and common these days. Nonetheless, it is just a myth and you should remind yourself of that whenever you watch a movie of when the entire family is involved.
7. Male
Like I said before, whatever you know about them is based on myths with no objective evidence to support them. One such myth is that most of the serial murderers are male. It is a fact that there is a great majority of female murderers are presently incarcerated. Some of the female offenders are so extreme that they killed their husbands, children and parents. That’s not all, as some of them are so mad that they even cooked the meat of their husbands. Just thinking about such acts gives me the goose bumps. There is extreme on both sides.
6. Timing
In most movies it is said that serial killers follow a specific time schedule. In other words, they kill on specific dates and then vanish without a trace. This notion is to some extent true because such cases have been reported. Furthermore, a number of serial murderers have been captured who claim that they did use specific dates and time frames to kill. At the same time, it is also a fact that some of them even try to challenge the authorities to capture them by leaving behind some clues and patterns.
5. Signature
A common myth is that most serial murderers have signatures. Although the signature of the criminal is a widely taught concept in forensic settings, still there is little evidence to support the claim that every serial offender leaves behind a mark. There are also a number of police officials who are consistent in their beliefs that there is always a clue to find But in reality, most of the organized serial murderers never leave behind clues.
4. Organized Offenders
Another myth that has been widely propagated is that most organized offenders do not leave behind anything that can lead to them. It is also believed that most of them change their method of operations from time to time. However, there are times when things happen that was not planned.
3. Methods of Operation
Some forensic experts wrongly assume that the method of operation is something unconscious and that it cannot be changed. However, the latest researches suggest that serial killers do change these pattern of committing murders. Most of them change their entry mode and manner of killing in order to make the authorities clueless. I am sure that this fact is somewhat unsettling for most of our readers.
2. They are Obsessed-Myth
Most serial killers are obsessed with something. Here is the myth which is in fact false. There is not even a single study that can scientifically confirm that serial killers are always obsessed with some body part. No wonder why most movies portray this pattern.
1. They Know You-Myth
No matter what some people tell you is a fact that most serial murderers are not related to the victims. Yes they do conduct some prior research on their victims sometimes but not all of the time so the idea that they know all of their victims really well is utter nonsense.
Conclusion
This post does not suggest that you should have a soft corner for serial killers. The purpose of this post was just to make you aware about the myths and that you understand serial killers better.
