Research Paper on "Serial Killers in Modern American Society"

Research Paper 5 pages (1560 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Serial Killers in Modern Society

For hundreds of years, serial killers have actually been a huge fascination all over the world. Even though society has an undeveloped idea as to what a serial killer is and how they function, there is much more to serial killers that people are probably unaware of. In spite of classic myths regarding serial killers which are displayed a lot in movies, this essay will recognize serial killers as irregular as the individual that utilizes various strategies and methodologies to go after their victims.

What is a Serial Killer?

Robert Ressler brought out the word "serial killers." His drive was to provide or label clearness of murders that are repetitive at dissimilar or series of times (Brown, 2005). Though specialists do not agree on a clear meaning; there are common patterns or characteristics of serial killers. Classically, a serial killer is documented as a person that has an impulse for illegal killing is for gratification that is psychological. Homicides are categorized serial when he or she has killed at least three individuals over a time span of a month (Ressler, 2007).

This is sort of dissimilar from a mass murder, or spree killing in which the person doing it kills three or more people in one setting and one place (Holmes et al. 17). Serial killing enriches the constituent of a period that is considered to be a cooling off time; this silence in killing for satisfaction can be put on hold for days and even in some cases for years (Knight 1190).

Three Categories of Serial Killers

Many are unaware that there are three types of serial killers: Disorganized Killers Medical Killers and Organized Killer. Organized killers are one of the most difficult killers to catch for the reason that they are very smart and organized. Each part of their murder is thought about really thoroughly and they make sure to leave no evidence left behind. They often will watch their victims for several days before they find some way trick them into going away with them. They take great arrogance in what they do and pay close consideration of media and the stories that they talk about (Ramsland, 2007). Disorganized killers seldom write out some strategy for killing their victims. They strike at chance whenever a chance ascends. They tend to travel from city to city and do not take the insurances to make sure the tracks are covered up. They typically have IQ's that are low and are antisocial. Disorganized killers do not usually have close friends or family (Ramsland, 2007).

The Medical Killer is exceptionally unusual nonetheless there have been cases where individuals have used medicine to carry out their serial killing. One such person was Harold Shipman which will be discussed later on in the paper. They believe that they have the perfect cover for the reason that a lot of individuals expire in hospitals. They are extremely brainy and know how to make a homicide look like a natural or an accident that would cause death (Ressler, 2007).

Well Known Killers

In the society of today, America has turned out to be a dangerous place for anyone to just walk by themselves. Over the years, we have definitely had our share of serial killers. In the 1800's, there were the infamous Harpes brothers to the more modern day John Wayne Gacy. In the United States, a serial killer is described by Congress as "someone who kills a minimum of three or more people." (Brown, 2005) Most of the world's entire serial killers have actually taken place in the United States.

America's first serial killer was H.H. Homes, and many true crime writers believe that he was the one that started it all, nonetheless many believe that there were several before him. The first well-known serial killers were two brothers named Wiley Harpe and Micajah. Both of these men murdered their victims for two reasons which was for profit and fun. Both of these guys were known for their cut-throat ways, and people were constantly scared of them (Ressler, 2007). These men brought horror to what was known as the Natchez Trace which is recognized today as the Natchez Trace Parkway. There is not a lot of information to share about the early days of the Harpes', but it is clear to say that they scared everyone that came across them. The Harpes are even responsible of killing two children of their own. (Ressler, 2007).

For a short-lived time the Harpes went all over the palace traveling what appears to be with pirates that were worried with inspiring themselves. As many people could probably imagine they were good at what they did. On the other hand, these pirates never envisioned for any bodily harm to come to the people that they harm, nonetheless the Harpes had other purposes. The event that produced the Harpes to be thrust out of the group was when murdered a person by tying them to a horse and then blindfolding the horse and having it sent over a cliff. (Brown, 2005) After that happened, these guys were known to be dangerous and nobody dared to get in the way.

Micajah Harpe eventually came clean and talked about all of the people that he killed, but he said that there was simply one that he really felt bad about doing, and that was when he murdered his own kid. His motive for slaughtering killing his own child was because he kept on crying

Jack the Ripper is certainly the most notorious serial killer of all time. There has not been a serial killer that exhibits so much intensity and thrill. He became well-known all over the world and even to this day he is still a mystery to many. The thing about the ripper is that he has never been caught. The Ripper goes all the way back to the days of "Whitechapel Murders! Another horrible killing! Disfigurement of Body!" The fear struck into the hearts of everyone at the sight of a shadowed figure (Ramsland, 2007). Jack the Ripper was responsible for killing and raping somewhere around five different prostitutes in behind buildings and also in dark alleys. Nonetheless in remembrance, paralleled to today, the homicides of five prostitutes by Jack would not even come close to the headlines of today (Brown, 2005) Nevertheless, there are a lot more books written on Jack the ripper than there is on any other subject.

Compared to the murders of contemporary society, a lot of people have asked and wanted to know what obsessed him to kill. Many people are infatuated with the whole thing because it represents a mystery that seems no never go away. "Jack the Ripper comes from nowhere in the middle of the night, snatches and kills his victims like it is nothing, and then vanishes without a trace. Then for whatever reasons, he finds contentment by cutting out the organs from his victims and the sending them to the police station. His lust for blood increased and got to be more ghastly by each victim, ending in a near obliteration of his last victim, and then disappears from the scene incessantly" (Brown, 2005).

What Makes a Killer?

For years, experts have pondered in regards to what cause a serial killer to become so sadistic? Why do they kill? Not many people have been able to answer that question. Of course there are many different theories; nonetheless none of them are truly substantial. The thing that is interesting though is that "of all the multiple killers brought to trial in the nation, less than five percent resorted to pleas for insanity. And out of all of those, just one in three has been discovered not guilty by plea of insanity" (Ramsland, 2007). As said… READ MORE

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