DNA is responsible for constructing a person; the way they look, how tall they are, and the color of their skin, but is DNA responsible for constructing a killer? Has the human race just become so oblivious that people automatically pin homicide on mental illness? People who have no history of mental illness and become vicious killers are not just born that way. A factor in society, their life, or their environment has altered their mentality and/or personality, influencing violent behavior. It’s said that the childhood of a person is one of the most ideal times of his/her life when it comes to the developmental stages. American novelist, Lucy Corin writes how Criminologists and social behavioral psychologists argue that “childhood experiences and repeated …show more content…
Two famous serial killers that fell into these habits include the notorious “Night Stalker”, Richard Ramirez and the “Milwaukee Cannibal”, Jeffrey Dahmer. Ramirez killed at least 14 people and tortured dozens more before being captured in 1895. He was said to be born a ‘normal’ child but sustained multiple head traumas at an early age. At only age 5 he was knocked unconscious by a swing and began experiencing epileptic fits shortly after. Not only did Ramirez experience multiple head traumas after this but his family’s house was so close to a nuclear power plant that they were exposed to radiation. While the radiation may not have affected Ramirez in a way that could cause his killer tendencies, there’s also no proof against it. On top of the head trauma and radiation, as an adolescent, Ramirez was extremely influenced by his older cousin, Miguel, who had just returned from fighting in the Vietnam War. The two bonded over marijuana and the gruesome stories that Miguel carried home from the war. Miguel told Ramirez about the torture and mutilation that he inflicted on the numerous Vietnamese women, verifying these events with photographic evidence.