Serial profile killers

John Wayne Gacy refused to take responsibility for the 28 boys buried beneath his house, even though he also once said that clowns can get away with murder. German serial killer Rudolph Pliel, convicted of killing 10 people and later took his own life in prison, com pared his "hobby" of murder to playing cards, and later told police, "What I did is not such a great harm, with all these surplus women nowadays.

Anyway, I had a good time. Tommy Lynn Sells, who claimed responsibility for dozens of murders throughout the Midwest and South, saw a woman at a convenience store and followed her home, an impulse he was unable to control. I go to the first bedroom I see I had no other thrill or happiness ," said UK killer Dennis Nilsen, who killed at least 12 young men via strangulation, then bathed and dressed their bodies before disposing of them, often by burning them.

For Albert Fish - a masochistic killer with a side of sadism that included sending a letter to the mother of one of his victims, describing in detail how he cut, cooked and ate her daughter - even the idea of his own death was one he found particularly thrilling. I should never have been convicted of anything more serious than running a cemetery without a license. They were just a bunch of wo rthless little queers and punks. Gary Ridgeway pleaded guilty to killing 48 women, mostly prostitutes, who were easy prey and were rarely reported missing — at least not immediately.

I hate the whole damned human race, including myself I preyed upon the weak, the harmless and the unsuspecting. Also known as behavioral analysis, this aspect of the field of psychology offers law enforcement practical tools with which to apprehend serial criminals. Serial offenders are often difficult to track due to their high intelligence, the disconnected nature of local law enforcement, and other factors.

Behavioral analysis creates a profile, which is then used to connect seemingly unconnected incidents. He is responsible for more than 30 bombs planted around the city, which caused damage to property and injury or death to nearby people. Finally, frustrated by their lack of success in apprehending the culprit, police consulted James Brussel, the assistant commissioner of Mental Hygiene for New York State.

Reviewing crime scene photos, he built a psychological profile of the perpetrator, which led police right to Metesky and a confession of guilt. His killing spree spanned years and hundreds, if not thousands, of miles. In , two FBI specialists utilized their profile of him to place him on the top 10 most wanted list. Using this assessment of his methods, psychological makeup, and known movements, the Bureau pinpointed his victim selection and killing patterns.

Bundy favored venues that attracted the young, beautiful women he targeted—discos, college campuses, and resorts. Once the profile is completed, investigators can look at the existing list of suspects and determine which are most likely to have committed the crime and determine how best to capture him.

Some organized serial killers, such as Dennis Rader the BTK Killer , feel the need to taunt the police, which sometimes leads to their arrest.

Rader sent police a floppy disk containing metadata that was traced to his church. Many serial killers, even those who are incredibly organized and methodical, slip up in some way that leads to their arrest. In the case of Jeffrey Dahmer, a potential victim escaped and led police to Dahmer's apartment. Some of John Wayne Gacy's victims had worked for his construction business. But not all serial killers are caught. Some are arrested or picked up for other crimes, and evidence leads investigators to their murders.

Ted Bundy was caught at a routine traffic stop, while David Berkowitz, the "Son of Sam," was initially picked up for loitering and was thought to be a witness to the crimes instead of the killer.

Once convicted, most serial killers either spend their lives in prison or are executed if the death penalty exists in their state. Ed Gein is one exception. At first found incompetent to stand trial, Gein was sent to a mental institution. Later his psychiatrist determined that he was competent, and a judge found him not guilty by reason of insanity. Gein died in of heart failure. Most researchers agree that there is no way to "cure" a serial killer. He was killed in by a fellow prison inmate.

British serial killer Harold Shipman, who worked in England as a medical doctor, killed over of his patients before his arrest in Jack Unterweger was an Austrian serial killer who murdered several women before committing suicide in Jerome Brudos was a serial killer and necrophile who murdered four women in Oregon during the s.

Serial killer Edmund Kemper murdered six young women in the Santa Cruz, California, area and several members of his family. An abused child who later earned her living as a sex worker, Aileen Wuornos was found guilty of killing six men and was later executed in a Florida prison.

Serial killer Bobby Joe Long brutally murdered 10 women in