When crime imitates crime
It is thought that many serial killers are able to cover up their crimes because they have an obsessive nature. That does not mean they are particularly intelligent, however.
According to IQ tests conducted during serial murder cases, however, the average serial killer IQ is around 95, which falls in the middle to low end of the ‘normal’ range (90-110).
That is not necessarily the case. According to the FBI’s definition of a serial killer, the perpetrator needs to kill a minimum of two people, on separate occasions and with a cooling off period in between.
By this definition, there are many more serial killers out there than we would care to think. It’s just that the more prolific ones tend to hog most of the attention.
For the insanity defense to hold up in court, the defense must show that the defendant was mentally incapable of understanding the seriousness of their actions when committing the crime.
Dennis Rader, for example, otherwise known as the BTK killer, killed 10 people between 1974 and 1991, but after that he seems to have stopped. He was arrested and sentenced in 2005.
While that may be the case for some serial killers, it is certainly not the case for all. Some serial killers are able to kick their murderous habit and leave killing in the past.
While it may be difficult to imagine a serial killer functioning as a normal member of society, in fact the majority of them do.
According to one FBI report, “the majority of serial killers are not reclusive, social misfits who live alone.” Many of them have lots of people around them who never suspect a thing.
That is not to say, however, that women cannot be serial killers. According to a 2015 report from experts at Florida State University and the California School of Forensic Studies, around 16% of serial killers in the US are women.
It is definitely true that the majority of murderers, and therefore serial killers, are men. Nearly all of the most famous ones from the last 150 years have been men.
Evidence suggests that female serial killers are more likely to poison their victims, and that they are more likely to work as part of a pair or a team.
TV shows such as ‘Mindhunter’ rely heavily on the misconception that criminal profiling—an activity in which investigators determine personal characteristics of a killer by analyzing the murder scene—is effective.
Indeed, criminal profiling has been criticized as a reckless misuse of police time and resources.
The sad truth is that the vast majority of homicide victims are targeted by people they know, rather than random people thirsty for blood.
Sources: (YouTube)
See also: Murderous mementos: the trophies of famous serial killers
According to the FBI, serial killers are responsible for less than 1% of murders in the US, and in 2015 there were just 30 victims of serial murder.
However, according to FBI agent and behavioral analyst John Douglas, a serial killer’s MO should be considered a work in progress that evolves as the killer continues to be active.
If you watch enough true crime media, you may start to worry that there is a serial killer around every corner. The reality is that serial killers do not pose a real threat to the average person.
While it is widely accepted that all serial killers are mentally disturbed in one way or another, that is not the same as being clinically insane. In fact, very few killers qualify as clinically insane. Serial killers who have personality disorders such as sociopathy or psychopathy, for example, may lack empathy or remorse, but they are still able to distinguish between right and wrong.
In film and television, serial killers are often portrayed as being smarter than the average person. We see them running around for years committing heinous crimes and getting away with it.
Serial killers are often portrayed in the media as being addicted to their crimes. There is a suggestion that they kill once, get a taste for it, and after that they can’t stop.
We are often led to believe that a given serial killer chooses one method of committing their crimes and sticks with it for all the murders.
However, according to 2007 meta-analysis in the journal Criminal Justice and Behavior, criminal profilers are only slightly better at guessing the characteristics of an offender than the average person.
If you are a fan of true crime media, you will be intimately familiar with the concept of a serial killer. In recent years there has been a proliferation of series in this genre. From 'Mindhunter' to 'Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,' the tragic stories of the serial killers of recent years have had us glued to our screens.
But while true crime series and films may be endlessly entertaining (for reasons we won't go into here), they do tend to perpetuate some common misconceptions about serial killers and how they operate. With this in mind, check out this gallery to see some common myths about serial killers debunked.
Common myths about serial killers
Taking true crime with a pinch of salt
LIFESTYLE Murder
If you are a fan of true crime media, you will be intimately familiar with the concept of a serial killer. In recent years there has been a proliferation of series in this genre. From 'Mindhunter' to 'Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,' the tragic stories of the serial killers of recent years have had us glued to our screens.
But while true crime series and films may be endlessly entertaining (for reasons we won't go into here), they do tend to perpetuate some common misconceptions about serial killers and how they operate. With this in mind, check out this gallery to see some common myths about serial killers debunked.