Forensics - Chapter 7 Criminal Psychology Psychopathy and Serial KillersST

Chapter 7: Psychopathy and Serial Killers

Page 1

• Title: Psychopathy and Serial Killers

Page 2: What is Psychopathy?

• Definition: Distinctive pattern of psychological, interpersonal, and neurophysical traits.

  • Traits include:

    • Low empathy, compassion, or conscience

    • Emotional deficits, selfishness, inability for genuine connections

    • Frequent lying, lack of guilt or remorse, callousness

    • Low anxiety, failure to learn from experience

    • Poor judgment, superficial charm, glibness, arrogance, unreliability, stimulation seeking.

• Debate: Anti-social behavior characteristics debated; no correlation with IQ, emotional intelligence possibly for manipulation.

• Overlap with Anti-social Personality Disorder: Criminal psychopaths display persistent anti-social behavior traits.

• Characteristics of Criminal Psychopaths:

  • Dominant, manipulative, impulsive, risk-takers.

  • Engage in anti-social lifestyles, thrill from sexual gratification.

  • Indifferent to ethics/morality, live by own rules, prone to violence/intimidation.

  • Violence for revenge, often targeting strangers, quick to reoffend.

• Sociopath: Engages in repetitive crime, possesses a sense of morality, shows empathy, has a developed conscience despite criminal behavior.

• Research Gaps: Very little empirical research; issues with definitions.

Page 3: 4 Factor Approach to Psychopathy

• 1) Interpersonal: Lying, manipulation, and charm.

• 2) Impulsive Lifestyle: Sensation seeking, impulsiveness, irresponsible behavior.

• 3) Affective: Shallow emotional responses, lack of remorse/empathy, callousness.

• 4) Antisocial Tendencies: Poor self-regulation, violence, and lack of respect for others' rights.

• Boldness Factor: Considered in some models, such as the Triarchic model consisting of Boldness, Meanness, and Disinhibition.

Page 4: Definitions of Violence

• General Definition: Physical force intended to inflict injury or damage.

• Types of Violence:

  • Instrumental: Injury secondary to achieving another goal.

  • Reactive/Expressive: Violence as an emotional reaction to perceived threats.

• Criminal Homicide: Causing death without legal justification.

• Murder Types:

  • 1st Degree: Premeditated with malice.

  • 2nd Degree: Malice but less planning.

  • Manslaughter: Unintended killing or with mitigating factors.

• Multiple Murder Types:

  • Serial Murder: At least 3 separate killings over time with 'cooling off'.

  • Spree Murder: At least 3 killings at multiple locations without cooling off.

  • Mass Murder: At least 3 killings at one location with no cooling off.

Page 5: Characteristics of Serial Killers

• Diversity: Unique behavioral, emotional, and cognitive factors; no singular profile.

• Demographics: Mostly male, often possess interpersonal/deceptive skills, not always mentally disordered.

• Motivations: Control, power, domination, media attention, excitement.

• Behavior: May have elaborate fantasies and collect trophies; typically less material gain.

• Victimology: Primarily targets strangers, often vulnerable populations.

• Location: Tend to target victims near their residence.

• Research Limitations: Very rare; limited empirical research.

Page 6: Serial Killer Typologies (Holmes & DeBurger)

1. Visionary: Driven by delusions/hallucinations, chaotic crime scene.

2. Mission Oriented: Targets groups deemed undesirable.

3. Hedonistic: Kills for pleasure/enjoyment.

   • Lust Killer: Sex motivated, uses fantasy for gratification.

   • Thrill Killer: Induces pain/excitement; selects victims based on fantasy.

   • Creature Comfort: Motivated for a comfortable lifestyle.

4. Power-Control: Kills for satisfaction of controlling life/death; may have sexual components.

• Overlap of Typologies: Issues related to time and location of murders.

Page 7: Edward Gein (Butcher of Plainfield)

• Biographical Details: Born August 27, 1906; died July 26, 1984.

• Childhood: Alcoholic father, abusive mother.

• Crimes: Robbed graves, collected body parts, killed women including Bernice Worden (1957).

• Evidence: Found unfit for trial; pled insanity; placed in mental institution until death.

Page 8: Ted Bundy

• Biographical Details: Born Nov. 24, 1946; died Jan. 24, 1989.

• Childhood: Raised by grandparents, unclear parentage.

• Activities: Membership in Republican Party, law school, worked in suicide hotline.

• Crimes: Killed 30+ women between 1974-1978 across multiple states; use of manipulation to lure victims.

• Conviction: Tried for Chi Omega murders, sentenced to death.

Page 12: Dennis Rader (BTK)

• Biographical Details: Born March 9, 1945.

• Childhood: Supportive religious family, struggled in school.

• Criminal Profile: Murdered 10 victims between 1974 and 1991, taunted law enforcement.

• Arrest: Captured in 2005 through DNA; sentenced to 10 life sentences.

Page 15: Gary Leon Ridgeway (Green River Killer)

• Biographical Details: Born February 18, 1949.

• Childhood: Poor student, low IQ, served in Vietnam.

• Crimes: Murdered 40-70 women, mainly sex workers, from 1982-2001; caught with DNA evidence.

Page 18: Jeffrey Dahmer (Milwaukee Cannibal)

• Biographical Details: Born May 21, 1960; died Nov. 28, 1994.

• Early Life: Troubled family background, fascination with dead animals.

• Crimes: Dismembered 17 men between 1978-1991; cannibalism and necrophilia; received multiple diagnoses.

• Outcome: Sentenced to life in prison; died after a fellow inmate's attack.

Page 20: Dennis Nilsen

• Biographical Details: Born Nov. 23, 1945; died May 12, 2018.

• Crimes: Murdered 12 people from 1978-1983; retained and dissected bodies; convicted of multiple counts.

Page 22: Commonalities and General Patterns

• Factors Influencing Violence: Neurology, biology, socialization, cognition, and situation.

• Behavioral Issues: Hostile attribution bias, information processing problems.

• Emotional Factors: Impulsivity, fantasy life, feelings of shame/insecurity.

• Interpersonal Dynamics: Often result from trauma/abuse in childhood.