Serial killers use the same methods of torture and killing on their human victims that they

employed earlier against their animal victims

there's a difference between being a psychopath and being psychotic

very small correlation between psychopathy and criminal behavior

Cognitive empathy (cognitive responsiveness)- ability to understand another person from

his/her perspective

Affective empathy (affective responsiveness) - ability to understand and experience another

person’s emotional state

Deficiencies in affective empathy is most strongly associated with violent and persistent
offending

intelligence is crucial to diagnose a psychopath

psychopath is sane

we know very little about female psychopathy

a psychopath is not antisocial– why ? because they are not neurotic, they don't have
depression or anxiety, and they are not psychotic, they don't schizophrenic or bipolar they
don't see things, they don't have psychotic episodes THEY DO NOT SUFFER FROM ANY
EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS because they don't express emotions

Psychopaths are unique and different from people with APD because…

They are not neurotic (don’t suffer from anxiety or depressive disorders)
They are not psychotic (do not suffer from bipolar or schizophrenic disorders)
They do not suffer from emotional disturbances

psychopathy and criminal psychopath what is the difference ? there is no difference, one just
decided to commit a crime

Many psychopaths are not criminals and may be highly successful members of society
Politicians, business leaders, surgeons etc

mediocrity of political leaders are psychopaths,

psychopath is very comfortable with being psychopaths, they don't suffer

Psychopathic personalities can thrive in both criminal and non-criminal contexts.

If criminal tendencies are just one possible manifestation of psychopathy, other non-criminal
behaviours in which psychopaths may participate should also be accounted for.

A simplified solution, is to exclude behavioural items from psychopathy measures

Our goal was to design a model/measure which would grasp the essence of a psychopathic
personality
regardless of respondents’
age
gender
cultural background
and criminal history.

PPTM Model of Psychopathy (Boduszek et al., 2019)

- Affective responsiveness component reflects characteristics of low affective empathy

and emotional shallowness.

- Cognitive responsiveness component measures the ability to understand the

emotional state of other, mentally represent another person’s emotional processes,
and emotionally engage with others at a cognitive level.
 - Interpersonal manipulation aspect reflects characteristics such as superficial charm,
grandiosity, and deceitfulness.

- Egocentricity assesses an individual’s tendency to focus on one’s own interests,

beliefs, and attitudes.

Profiling Psychopaths
[Please note that my model of psychopathy (PPTM) does not agree with all presented traits]

agree :

- Superficial Charm A psychopath puts a "mask" of sanity that is likeable and pleasan

- Grandiose self perception psychopaths will often believe they are smarter and more
powerful than they actually are.

- Pathological lying A psychopath will tell all sorts of lies; Little white lies as well as
huge stories

- Manipulation all psychopaths are identified as cunning and able to get people to do
things they might not normally

- No feelings of guilt an absence of any guilt or remorse is a sign of psychopathy

- ack of affect or emotional response psychopaths demonstrate shallow emotional

reactions to deaths, injuries, trauma or other events that would

- Lack of empathy psychopaths are callous and have no way of relating to

non-psychopaths

- Psychopaths are often parasitic meaning they live off other people

- Lack of responsibility A psychopath will never admit to being wrong or owning up to

mistakes and errors in judgment

FOLS

- Constant need for stimulation they need constant entertainment and activity
 - Sexual immorality

- History of juvenile delinquency many psychopaths exhibit delinquent behaviors in

their youth

- Unrealistic goals either there are no goals at all, or they are unattainable and based
on the exaggerated sense of one's own accomplishments and abilities.

- Psychopaths are impulsive and irresponsible

yes and no because it can go both ways

- Short term relationships if there have been many short term marriages, the chances
the person is a psychopath increase.

Psychopathy = combination of many traits

Psychopaths tend to display remarkable verbal fluency and an extensive vocabulary (Hare,
1991) (INTELLIGENCE!!!)
However, while their speech is impressive the content is generally superficial and empty of
any real substance
They jump from subject to subject – appear to lack a “central organiser”
Since they are exceptionally charming and manipulative these short comings are not easily
noticeable

It appears that psychopathy should not be studied in separation from intelligence

Psychopathy should be thought of as existing along a continuum

Not an either-or situation

It is estimated that 1% - 2% of the general population would meet the criteria to be classified
as a psychopath (Hare, 1998)

Within the adult prison population, 15-25% are classified as psychopaths

This may depend on the type of facility in which prisoners are detained

ile jest psychopatów w więzieniu ? 7.1 %

profiling vv diagnosis- profiling is more complicated

w środowisku studentów 7.4 %

Psychopaths appear to be completely unresponsive to treatment interventions (Gacono et

al., 2000; Hare et al., 2000)

Probably due to the fact that psychopathy relates to structural deficits in the brain and these
are resistant to any kind of psychosocial interventions

Difficult to evaluate because of the nature of psychopaths

Skilful at convincing therapists & parole boards that they have changed

Treatment interventions for psychopaths may well do more harm than good

Psychopaths who underwent a treatment program while incarcerated displayed higher levels
of recidivism than psychopaths who did not (Rice et al., 1992)
The opposite was the case among non-psychopaths

Psychological interventions likely “arm” the psychopath with knowledge and skills that can be
used to more effectively manipulate and deceive others

IF YOU HAVE NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY, PSYCHOTIC PERSONALITY OR

ANTISOCIAL YOU CANT BE PSYCHOPATH

PSYCHOPATHS IS A COMBINATIONS OF DIFFERENT TRAITS

Criminal Homicide – causing the death of another person without legal justification or excuse

Murder – unlawful killing of one human being by another with malice aforethought, either
expressed or implied

“Malice aforethought” – premeditation or mental state of a person who thinks ahead, plans,
and voluntary causes the death of another without legal justification.
However premeditation can occur also in a very short period of time

Negligent manslaughter – killing another as a result of recklessness or responsible

negligence (no intention to kill)
. Visionary – driven by voices or visions that particular group has to be destroyed (e.g.,
prostitutes)
Operates on basis of a “directive from God”
Sometimes psychotic (atypical for serial killers because most of them are not mentally ill)
Most difficult to understand for investigators
Crime scene is usually chaotic and has plenty of physical evidence (e.g., fingerprints,
weapon)

2. Mission-orientated – there are a particular undesirable group which must be destroyed

(e.g., members of particular religious, racial or minority group)
Killer demonstrates no obvious mental disorder
No visions, no voices
Functions on a day-to-day basis without notable psychologically abnormal behaviour

Hedonistic – strives for pleasure and thrill seeking, and feels that people are objects to use
for one’s own enjoyment
Murder itself is pleasurable
3 types of hedonistic killers (Holmes & Holmes, 2010):
Lust (motivated by sexual gratification)
Thrill (motivated to induce pain or a terrified reaction from the victim)
Comfort (motivated by financial reasons)

. Power / control – satisfaction by having complete life-or-dead control over a victim

Sexual components are present
Killers tend to seek for particularly vulnerable and easy victims

Multiple Murderers
One of the most bizarre and frightening types of homicide is the killing of a group of
individuals.

The murders can occur in a random (usually mass murder) or a non-random (usually serial
murder) fashion.

They may also occur in a single episode or over an extended period of time.

TYPES OF MURDER

Serial Murder – individual(s) kills a number of people (min. 3) over time

The time interval (cooling-off period) may be days or weeks, but more likely months or years
Spree murder – killing of 3 or more people without any cooling-off period, usually at two or
more locations
Mass murder – killing 3 or more people at a single location with no cooling-off period.

MASS MURDERERS

Various kinds of mass murder – planned extermination of a group of people; terrorist attacks;
school/workplace shootings.

Two types of mass murder have been identified (Douglas et al., 1986):
- Classic Mass Murder
- Family Mass Murder

Classic mass murder is where an individual, or individuals, enter a building or public area
and kill people they come in contact with.

Many of the recent school/university shooting in the USA are examples of classic mass
murder.

The killers choose their victims at random.

The killers usually end up killing themselves.

Family mass murder is where at least three family members are killed at a single time.

The killers is usually a family member of some sort and the killer normally commits suicide
following the killing.
Classified as mass murder/suicide

Worth noting that these classifications are not entirely discrete and can cross over. Spree
murder in particular has been questioned as a useful category (FBI, 2005).
Serial Murderers - numbers

The U.S. Department of Justice estimated that there was between 35-40 serial killers active
at any given period of time throughout the 70’s and 80’s (Jenkins, 1988).

Similar estimates have been made more recently (Hickey, 2006).

Realistically though there is no accurate data on the number of active serial killers in the US
or internationally

Examining the victim selection patters of apprehended serial killers reveals much about who
victims of serial killers are likely to be.

Serial killers usually select strangers as their victims.

The most likely group of people to be victims are those who offer easy access; live a
transient lifestyle; and who frequently disappear for periods of time without concern

Serial killers select victims whom they perceive to be vulnerable.

Who are easy to access and whose disappearance wouldn’t raise alarm.

Street working prostitutes

Young runaways
traveling farm workers
male drifters & homeless people

The next most preferred group for serial killers include:

Female students living on or near college campuses

Elderly, infirmed, or sick people
Socially isolated people

Serial murders very rarely break into homes and murder middle-class or upper-class
strangers
These groups do not provide easy access or vulnerable targets

In some case serial killers can become more exploratory in their selection of victims.

They usually begin with highly vulnerable and easy targets

As they become more confident in their ability, they can challenge themselves to kill more
difficult targets

This rarely occurs because serial killers are usually apprehended long before they reach this
level of confidence
Serial killers can display similarities and differences to single-victim murders.
Psychopathic personality disorder, developmental disturbances etc.

The major difference between the two types of killers relates to:
The selection of their victim
The preferred method of murder

Single-victim murders usually kill friends, lovers, acquaintances.

Victim is known and familiar to the killer.

The lack of any kind of relationship between the killer and the victim is a distinguishing
quality of serial murder.
It means identifying suspects can be difficult

Serial killers prefer to use more “hands on” approaches to kill their victims than single-victim
killers.

Serial killers tend to beat or strangle their victims to death while single-victim killers are more
likely to use deadly weapons

Single-victim murderers kill during times of intense emotional arousal – anger, lack of
control, usually unplanned

Serial killers kill in a deliberate, thought-out manner and murders are generally sexual in
nature

Many serial killers are sexual sadists - motivated primarily by sexual satisfaction obtained
through seeing their victim suffering

They incorporate their deviant sexual fantasies into their killings

Serial killers tend to be considerably more organised in their offending

Single-victim killers display disorganised characteristics

Serial killers often move the body of their victim from one place to another – dispose of it,
hide it etc.

They also tend to use restraints and maintain a high level of control over their victims

The majority of serial killers have experienced severe abuses and disturbances in their early
development (DeLisi & Scherer, 2006)

80% from families characterized by regular violence

93% experienced inconsistent parenting
Unlike other violent offenders, serial killer don’t show a history of violence in adolescence

They tend to begin killing in their mid-20’s or 30’s.

Serial killer tend to have frequent prior contact with police (Jenkins, 1988)
Petty theft and forgery are typical crimes

Serial killers are arrested on average 4 years after their first offence

Upon committing their first murder most serial killers

had stable jobs
lived in the same house
half were married
many were former police officers and security guards

Most serial killers kill in familiar locations

An anchor point is used such as place of residence, job office, relatives
Very rare to travel far from their home to kill (FBI, 2005).

Hickey (1997) found that

14% of serial killer use their home or workplace as a preferred location to kill
52% kill in the same geographical location
Geographical profiling has emerged as an effective method of identifying serial killers.

It is a myth that only whites are serial killers (Walsh, 2005).

22% of serial killers in the U.S. were African-American.

There appears to be no difference between whites and African-Americans in how many

people they kill or in who they target.

Limited research exists with respect to serial killers from other ethnic backgrounds.

It is a myth that only whites are serial killers (Walsh, 2005).

22% of serial killers in the U.S. were African-American.

There appears to be no difference between whites and African-Americans in how many

people they kill or in who they target.

Limited research exists with respect to serial killers from other ethnic backgrounds.

Homicidal Demographics
There is also very robust evidence of gender differences in homicide.

Males commit 90% of homicides, Females 10%

Males are also much more likely to be the victims of homicides.

78% - male
22% - female

Young people are also most likely to perpetrate homicidal offences.

The FBI found that half of all violent crimes were committed by people (usually males) under
the ages of 25.

50% of all individuals arrested for murder and No negligent murder were under 25, and 22%
were under the age of 18!

Homicides occur most frequently during arguments (44%)

Very often these are domestic or family related violence.

Many homicides also occur during the process of carrying out other felonies (23%).
rape, robberies, burglaries, arson, drug trafficking.

The remaining 23% of homicides occur during a variety of other circumstances.

Fights, gang killings, juvenile fights, sniper attacks.

Profile of serial killer (Summary)

The killer is usually a stranger to the victim

The murders appear unconnected or random
The murder is rarely ‘‘for profit’’ and the motive is psychological, not material
The victim may have a symbolic value for the killer, and the method of killing may reveal this
meaning
The killer often chooses victims who are vulnerable (children, adolescents, women,
prostitutes)

Profile

According to Egger the average serial killer profile is as follows:

white
male
low to middle socioeconomic status
in his 20s or 30s
possessing a history of childhood abuse or neglect
killer is sociopathic/psychopathic
Killer is a chameleon to his environment and appears normal to others
Motivations of Serial Killers (Holmes & De Burger, 1988)

Serial murders are lacking in clear-cut motives

The crime is lacking in an external motivation
They are driven by internal compulsions
They kill for an elusive psychological gain
This gain is generally sexual
Uncontrolled drives
Inability to control impulsive behaviour or change their actions in consideration of others

The FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime

Four types of sexual homicide:

Organized – conscious planning and display of control of the victim
Disorganized – less aware of a plan and signs of non-systematic behaviour
Mixed – elements of both categories
Sadistic – torture, cruelty

Sexual homicide

According to the FBI, sexual homicide, both organized and disorganized:

involves a sexual element (activity) as the basis for the sequence of acts leading to death
Performance and meaning of the sexual element vary with an offender
The act may range from actual rape involving penetration (either before or after death) to a
symbolic sexual assault, such as insertion of foreign objects into a victim’s body orifices

Sexual predators, whether they kill or not, will intensify their activities over the course of their
careers
They start with violent sexual fantasies and progress to acting out their imagined scenes with
both willing and unwilling partners
The lethal predator also will demonstrate increasing skill in selecting, tracking, capturing, and
controlling the victim and carrying out the murder

sexual Serial murderers

Many serial killers are also sexual sadists motivated primarily by sexual satisfaction obtained
through victim suffering (Douglas et al., 2006; Hazelwood & Burgess, 1987)

They incorporate their deviant sexual fantasies into their killings

Sadistic sexual serial killers use excessive force

domination
torture
rape with objects
sexual mutilation
cutting hair
burning with cigarettes
sexual intercourse with a corpse following murder
post-mortem display of the body
collection of trophies
The attacks of sadistic killers are carefully planned and preventive against discovery (Groth
& Birnbaum, 1979)

Quite often, sexual predators who kill commit acts that have nothing to do with the
commission of the murder
They may pose, move, mutilate, or dispose of the victim in an unusual way
These acts may be symbolic and designed to make an impact on others or for the predators’
perverse pleasure and enjoyment, or both.
In some cases, no evidence is found of “normal” sexual arousal, such as erection or
ejaculation

Fantasy and Sexual Homicide

The killer is pushed to kill by their thought patterns

He is essentially driven to murder by an intrusive fantasy life
His early learning is that the violence against other humans is normal and "acceptable"

Sexual killers have a drive to find the “right victim”

The killing does not live up to the fantasy
Killer is driven to “perfect” the crime
Taking souvenirs from the victim is evidence of fantasy at work
Sado-erotic materials at home are evidence of fantasy

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Define criminal homicide and negligent manslaughter.

Describe and compare different types of multiple murder with an emphasis on serial
killers.

Provide the psycho-sociological profile of homicide offender.

Outline characteristics of sexual serial killer.