NCJ Number
169307
Date Published
1996
Length
37 pages
Annotation
After reviewing the cases of some serial murderers throughout history, this chapter considers the current state of knowledge on multiple murder, followed by an overview of the contributions to this volume.
Abstract
The brief profiles of some multiple murderers throughout history is intended to provide some understanding of the diversity of multiple murderers, including their method of operation, selection of victims, societal reaction to their crimes, and attempts to comprehend their actions. The multiple murderers profiled are Jack the Ripper; Burke and Hare, the Scottish resurrectionists; Albert Fish; Edward Gein; Henry Lee Lucas; John Wayne Gacy; Ted Bundy; Jeffrey Dahmer; Aileen Wuormos; and some team serial killers. The next section of this chapter reviews the current state of knowledge on multiple murder that has emerged from the academic literature. Although this section provides some analysis of mass murder, the primary focus is on serial homicide. Topics addressed are the prevalence of serial murder; forms of multiple murder (mass murder and serial murder); theoretical development in the study of serial murder; and the challenges of theory and research. The concluding section of the chapter provides brief summaries of the remaining chapters of this book. 182 references