SERIAL KILLER CHARACTERISTICS

Common Childhood Behavior Traits Among Known Serial Killers

This information can be found in Sexual Homicide Patterns and Motives, page 29, written by R. Ressler, A. Burgess, and J. Douglas. These three executed a study involving 36 incarcerated serial killers, and compiled the data collected into a chart of childhood behavior traits among serial killers.

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Frequency of Reported Behavior Indicators in Childhood

BEHAVIOR	# OF CHILDREN WITH BEHAVIOR	PERCENTAGE WITH BEHAVIOR
Daydreaming	28	82
Compulsive Masturbation	28	82
Isolation	28	71
Chronic Lying	28	71
Enuresis (bed wetting)	22	68
Rebelliousness	27	67
Nightmares	24	67
Destroying Property	26	58
Fire Setting	25	56
Stealing	27	56
Cruelty to Children	28	54
Poor Body Image	27	52
Temper Tantrums	27	48
Sleep Problems	23	48
Assaultive to Adults	25	38
Phobias	24	38
Running Away	28	36
Cruelty to Animals	28	36
Accident Prone	24	29
Headaches	21	29
Destroying Possessions	25	28
Eating Problems	26	27
Convulsions	26	19
Self-mutilation	26	19

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Characteristics of a serial killer

Personality Traits

*White male between 25 and 35 years old.
*Can be of high income or low income.
*Average to high intelligence.
*Usually married with children and has a career.

Victim Characteristics

*Serial killers enjoy extending the suffering of their victims. They get a lot of power by determining whether their victim will live or die. They may torture their victim for several days to obtain as much pleasaure as possible.
*Victims of serial killers have no profile. Most victims are chosen at random, just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some serial killers have a preference for their victims, choosing to eliminate a certain group of people (prostitutes, young women, children, etc.).
*Unlike mass murderers, serial killers select the victim. The killer will fantasize about the murder until the fantasy is no longer enough to bring about pleasure, and he must commit the crime. The serial killer will survey the location, and take every precaution to not get caught. Then they seek out the victim and murder them.
*Serial killers are seeking an object or prop to victimize, not a partner. Jeffrey Dahmer was searching for a living, breathing zombie who would do whatever he wanted and would never refuse or leave. The victims share personality traits such as vulnerability and confusion.

Childhood Characteristics
*A majority of serial killers have a history of sexual and physical abuse during childhood.
*In half of the serial killers families, the biological father had left before the child was 12 years old. In the cases where the father didn't leave, he was domineering and abusive.
*Delinquent acts such as pyromania, theft, and cruelty to animals were present in the childhoods of most serial killers.