Serial Killers

There is a phrase that is used to describe a killer who is both medically and legally sane, who murders again and again and again, until they are either captured or dead. That phrase/classification is "Serial Killer.' When most people, icluding myself, hear that phrase we tend to think of a social outcast, who is horribly ugly and mentally deranged. This is generally not true. In fact, most serial killers are very well liked by those who know them, they are also very attractive to members of the opposite sex (or in the case of homosexual serial killers members of the same sex), and usually have an above average I.Q. There are ways to categorize these vicious killers by the calling cards they leave at all of their crime scenes. This is what homicide detectives call "the signature" of the killer. It lies within the very nature of the killer that his signature will be recreated in each and every murder he commits. These categorizations include sadism, necrophilia, picquerism, and cannibalism.

When categorizing a serial killer as a sadist one must be careful to recognize its underlying significance and meaning. According to the Websters online dictionary sadism is "a sexual perversion in which gratification is obtained by the infliction of physical or mental pain on others." As I read that definition back in my head I find myself thoroughly disgusted and repulsed at my interpretation of the meaning. That an individual would receive satisfaction from the pain and suffering of another human being is almost beyond my comprehension. As I learned in my criminology class a sadist often has his victims perform sexually degrading acts to instill a sense of discipline upon them. Those acts of degredation often help the killer achieve his goal of superiority and dominance over his victims.

During my criminology class we were asked to study the different types of serial killers for an upcoming test as well as the methods that criminologists use to catch them. As I was