NCJ Number
182589
Date Published
2000
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article discusses elements of serial killers’ profiles that may help to identify them.
Abstract
The American fascination with serial murder may be explained, at least in part, by the hope that understanding serial killers will offer some protection against them. Although serial killers vary widely in appearance, socioeconomic status and personality, they do conform to certain profiles: some kill for thrills and sexual satisfaction; some kill out of greed, in order to obtain money from their victims; some prey on the vulnerable to gain a sense of power; and some suffer from serious mental illness. Most are fairly average in appearance, but there is one trait that tends to separate serial killers from the norm: they are exceptionally skillful in presenting themselves so that they appear beyond suspicion. This is part of why they are so difficult to apprehend. The article discusses female serial killers; taking advantage of the vulnerable; and “from molesting to murder.”