Serial Killers Vs Serial Killers

Differentiating between spree killers and serial killers in an ongoing debate between criminologists (Montaldo 2019). Criminologists focus a lot on the psychological issues of spree and serial killers when studying. Serial killers differ from spree killers in many ways, this can include their motivations for killing and their behavior at the crime scenes (Morton 2023). When researching, you should look into past spree and serial murders, like Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer who were serial killers and Charles Starkweather and William Cook who were spree killers. Serial killers are when somebody kills three or more victims but each victim is killed on separate occasions (Montaldo 2019). They usually select their victims and plan their crimes

These killings tend to arise from key precipitating incidents that continue to fuel the motivation to kill (Ramsland 2018). Spree killers victims could be random or targeted because of something that you did to upset them (Ramsland 2018). Most kill to meet their personal needs, this could be drugs or even money (Sage Publications). Spree killers tend to be caught faster and easier because they’re sloppy and often leave a lot of evidence. Serial killers can go on spree killings, when their kills become closer in time and have a smaller cooling-off period but not all spree killers are serial killers. Serial killers often go on spree killings when something upsets them or makes their need to kill stronger. One of the main differences is a spree killer's lack of a cooling-off period between the kills (Montaldo 2019). There tends to be a lot of common traits between the two. They both seem to have impulsivity, a need for control even predatory behavior (Morton 2023). The value in knowing how a spree killer operates lies largely in finding clues to identify them and for predicting their next move (Ramsland 2018). Spree killers, because of how random and unplanned they are, tend to be found and convicted faster than serial killers. Spree killings are also accompanied by the commission of another felony, most of the time that’s robbery (Sage Publications). Serial killers are more organized and think things out before they do anything, mistakes are less likely to be made. Spree killers act in the moment and do whatever feels right at the time, they may regret it later in life but some don’t and end up becoming a serial killer. Punitive anger seems to be a main motivator to most killers (Ramsland 2018). They strike without warning and are killing machines until they get caught (Sage Publications). An example of a spree killer would be Charles Starkweather and his