Fascination with Multiple Murder and the Media

Ed Gein and the Origins of Media Fascination

• The study of multiple murder in the United States, as detailed by Fox, Levin, and Fredell, often begins with the case of Ed Gein in the late $1950s$.

• Gein operated in Plainfield, Wisconsin. At the time of his arrest, he did not receive the massive, saturated media attention characteristic of later serial killers in the $1960s$, $1970s$, and $1980s$, largely due to the different media landscape of the $1950s$.

• Despite limited initial coverage, Gein's crimes became foundational to American horror cinema and popular culture. Major films influenced by his case include:

  • Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho: The character of Norman Bates was partially based on Ed Gein.

  • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The horrifying events depicted at the farmhouse in the film (and its various remakes) were rooted in the real-life discoveries at Gein’s farm.

  • Silence of the Lambs: The character Buffalo Bill (and the "Tooth Fairy" mentioned in chapter one) drew from Gein's practice of creating items and suits from human skin.

• The Crimes of Ed Gein:

  • To the residents of his small town, Gein was seen as shy, friendly, and helpful.

  • The discovery of his crimes followed the disappearance of Bernice Warden, who was managing a local hardware store for her son. Her body was found in Gein's barn.

  • Inside his farmhouse, investigators found a horrific collection of body parts, mostly from women. This included lampshades made of human skin, hanging bones, and a suit made of skin intended for Gein to wear around the house.

  • There were rumors and suspicions that Gein may have cannibalized victims and fed them to others, often gifting neighbors what they believed was venison.

The Emergence of Serial Killers in Popular Culture

• The fascination with serial killers expanded significantly from the $1970s$ onward, leading to a host of films based on real-life murderers:

  • Deranged ($1970s$): Parallel themes to the Ed Gein case.

  • Helter Skelter: A long-form film centered on Charles Manson, featuring Steve Railsback in the lead role.

  • Summer of Sam: Based on the crimes of David Berkowitz (the "Son of Sam").

• True Crime Saturation:

  • Beyond film, serial killers became prominent in trading cards, comic books, and magazines.

  • People Magazine: Jeffrey Dahmer was featured on the cover and named one of the $100$ most intriguing people of the $20^{th}$ century, causing significant controversy.

  • Time Magazine: Featured Columbine High School killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold on the cover.

  • Rolling Stone: Published a cover story on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the brothers involved in the $2013$ Boston Marathon bombing.

  • Television: Includes series on Aileen Wuornos (a rare female serial killer), docudramas, and fictionalized hits like Dexter on Showtime.

• Although these events are statistically rare, they generate a disproportionate amount of attention, including books, internet memes, and a persistent true-crime phenomenon.

Murderabilia and the Commodification of Crime

• Murderabilia refers to the industry of selling items associated with or belonging to infamous killers. This has become a widespread phenomenon despite ethical concerns.

• Specific Examples of Murderabilia:

  • Charles Manson: Sales of locks of his hair.

  • Ed Gein: Sales of dirt from his grave.

  • John Wayne Gacy: Sales of dirt from the crawl space where his victims were found, his clown suits used for community events, and his paintings of clowns.

  • Richard Speck: Paintings by the man who murdered several nurses in Illinois during the $1980s$.

  • Virginia Tech Gunman: His handheld calculator.

  • Jeffrey Dahmer: Bricks from his apartment building, his refrigerator used for storing body parts, and the original receipt for that refrigerator.

  • Gary Ridgeway (The Green River Killer): T-shirts featuring his face and the phrase "I was good at choking."

  • BTK Killer (Dennis Rader): Various personal artifacts and correspondence.

  • Other Items: Serial killer-themed cereal bowls, thongs, action figures, letters, photography, and death certificates.

  • Dorothea Puente: A serial killer known for her cooking; an alleged collection of her recipes was published as a cookbook titled Cooking with a Serial Killer.

• Cultural Influence: The name Marilyn Manson is a direct combination of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson. Charles Manson's songs have even been covered by bands like Guns N' Roses.

Legal and Ethical Implications of Profiting from Murder

• Restitution Cases: One notable exception to the ban on selling items was the case of Ted Kaczynski (The Unabomber). The General Services Administration ($GSA$) auctioned his personal items to fulfill a $\$15,000,000$ restitution order for his victims and their families.

• Son of Sam Laws:

  • Originating in New York, these laws were designed to prevent criminals from profiting from their crimes (e.g., selling book rights or memorabilia).

  • In the early $1990s$, the United States Supreme Court struck down the New York Son of Sam law, ruling it an unconstitutional violation of First Amendment rights.

  • Following this, states have attempted to navigate this ruling. In Texas, Senator John Cornyn has written state-level bills to prevent criminal profiting while attempting to avoid First Amendment infractions.

Motivation: Fame, Glory, and Communication

• Many serial killers are motivated by a desire for fame and power, using the media to stroke their egos and spread fear.

• Killers as "Experts":

  • There is a disturbing trend of treating killers as sages or experts. Psychologists and journalists often interview them for advice on safety or the root causes of violence.

  • Ted Bundy: Shortly before his execution, he was called as an expert witness to testify on the dangers of pornography and its link to violence. Conservative groups later used his unscientific statements to lobby for anti-pornography legislation, colloquially known as the "Bundy Bill."

• Media Manipulation:

  • Leslie Ann Williams ($1992$): He actively pitted newspapers against each other to win his attention, eventually granting the Detroit News permission to print his $24$-page open letter on his philosophies.

  • Donald Harvey: A hospital orderly in Cincinnati who confessed to multiple patient murders. He filmed an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show that never aired because producers were disturbed by how much he enjoyed reliving the crimes.

  • Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris: In late $1970s$ Southern California, they dumped a mutilated body on a lawn specifically to encourage media coverage. They frequently signed autographs and gave interviews.

  • Ted Kaczynski: He obsessed over his media presence, visiting public libraries to find mentions of his bombings. He even submitted an entry for his $1962$ Harvard class reunion from prison, listing his residence as a US penitentiary and his awards as "eight life sentences."

Killer Communication and Manifestos

• Many killers engage in prolific communication with law enforcement and the media to taunt police or fulfil narcissistic needs.

• Tactics and Examples:

  • David Berkowitz (Son of Sam): Wrote letters to the New York Post and the $NYPD$, complaining about his depiction as a "woman hater" while calling himself a "monster" and a "brat."

  • The Zodiac Killer: Sent letters to the Riverside Police Department with threatening statements such as, "I am stalking your girls now."

  • Dennis Rader (BTK): Maintained decades of correspondence with the Wichita Eagle and law enforcement, which eventually led to his capture.

• The Shift to Social Media:

  • Modern killers no longer rely on traditional media outlets like The New York Times. Social media and YouTube allow for the direct posting of manifestos and video clips.

  • Elliot Rodger ($2014$): Representing the "Incel" (involuntarily celibate) group, he posted a YouTube video and a $141$-page autobiographical manifesto. He claimed he had been tortured by being overlooked by women and sought revenge for his suffering.

Killer Groupies and Hyperstophilia

• Some individuals, mostly women, are intensely attracted to serial killers. This is clinically referred to as Hyperstophilia, a paraphilia where one is sexually aroused by or attracted to those who commit gruesome crimes.

• Examples: Figures such as Angelo Buono, Kenneth Bianchi, Richard Ramirez ("The Night Stalker"), and Ted Bundy received numerous love letters, married, and even fathered children while on death row.

• Proposed Motivations:

  • Attraction to dominant, controlling, or manipulative personalities.

  • Freudian Analysis: A potential subconscious need to resurrect and "fix" a relationship with a cruel or domineering father figure.

  • Nurturing Instinct: The belief that "only I can see the good in him" and that he can be loved out of his violent nature.

  • Control: Some find security in dating an incarcerated person because they always know where the partner is at $2$ AM.

  • Infamy: Associating with the celebrity status and glamour generated by the media from a safe distance.

Academic and Ethical Responsibility

• The study of serial murder is salacious but must be approached with seriousness and heartbreak for the victims and communities involved.

• Scholarly Goals:

  • Use sociological, psychological, and criminological frameworks to understand motivations and external factors.

  • "Shed light, but not a spotlight": The objective is to understand the horror in order to prevent future occurrences, without romanticizing or glorifying the killers.

  • Maximize sympathy for the victims and avoid providing models or reinforcement for unhealthy behaviors.