Serial Killer Research Paper

You always used to think that there were monsters in your closet or under your bed when growing up. Your parents told you that there was no such thing as monsters, and that there was nothing to be scared of. But sadly, there are monsters among us. They are just hiding behind the mask of everyday people. These monsters are serial killers.

National law enforcement figures that there are a minimum of 50 active serial killers on the loose during any given day in the United States. Many think that the number could be up to 200. One FBI estimate is that during the twenty-first century, serial killers will average 11 killings during their killing spree (Early, 2012).

A serial killer is someone who has killed at least three people. Those killings

Some may argue that there are serial killers that do not exhibit any of these traits or have had troubled pasts. There are four things that experts do agree on when it comes to serial killers. One is that serial killers decide to kill, meaning they make a conscious decision whether or not to act on the compulsion to kill. Another thing that experts agree on is that serial killers enjoy killing people, and that it is comparable to an addiction. Much like addiction, serial killers need to continue killing in order to maintain the high that they get from taking someone’s life. Serial killers are also thought to be either psychopaths or sociopaths. Serial killers tend to be calm and disconnected when talking about their crimes. There is usually no remorse for the murders. Finally, experts agree that serial killers are not insane. “Insanity purely has to do with a person having responsibility or not having responsibility for their crimes. In the case of serial murderers, the notion of not guilty by reason of insanity is a standard that your serial killer isn’t going to be able to meet because they are capable over a long period of time of avoiding detection and of performing acts that will minimize the possibility of detection, and therefore these people are by definition not insane.” (American Serial Killers, 2009).

After they had sex, he drugged him and then killed him. He then moved the body to his apartment and dismembered it. This is the first known victim that Jeffrey kept a souvenir, as Sears’ painted skull was found in Dahmer’s apartment when he was arrested.

In 1990, Dahmer killed four more men. Ricky Beeks, age 33, was last seen in a gay nightclub on May 29. Dahmer brought him back to his apartment to have him pose for nude photos. He drugged Beeks and killed him prior to having sex with the corpse. In June, Dahmer killed Edward Smith, age 28. Dahmer had, again, met him in a bar, offered him money for pictures and sex, then drugged and killed him. This is the first murder where Dahmer took pictures while dismembering the body. Jeffrey met Ernest Miller, age 24, outside a bookstore on September