Serial Killer Profile
Serial killers are composed of all types and forms of people. They can be males or females, young or old, single killers or pairs of killers, and of any ethnic background. A serial killer can be from any walk of life. He or she could be your next door neighbor or even a long time friend. History has proven that a serial killer could be anyone.
Through the exploits of past serial killers we have been able to learn a lot about this breed of killer. We have been able to look at their background and view their childhood life in order to better understand what drives them to kill. The Behavior Science Unit of the FBI has used the information collected to create a standard profile of serial killers. This tool is able to help the FBI and other police agencies in identifying possible serial killers.
The "typical" profile of a serial killer is a Caucasian male between the ages of 18 and 32. There will be evidence of child abuse in his background. In his background, he will show signs of the MacDonald triad which are bedwetting beyond the age of ten, abuse to animals, and a history of arson. The serial killer will operate by himself. This set profile does not encompass every serial killer. There have been many serial killers that do not fit this profile. For this reason alone, the standard or set profile of a serial killer is used to aid in an investigation, not run it.
Wayne Williams, known for the "Atlanta Child Murders," is one of many killers who defy the "standard" profile for a serial killer. Williams is an African American, not Caucasian. Cleophus Prince, Jr, known as the "Claremont Killer," is also African American. These men are only two examples of differences in ethnic background, there are many more. The differences do not necessarily have to be between African American and Caucasian. Italians, Hispanics, and Asians have also been serial killers. One of the problems with using the term Caucasian is that there is a thin line between someone who is Caucasian and, as an example, Italian. A person of Italian decent may be considered a Caucasian by one person and not by another. The term is a matter of relativity in regards to each person who hears it.
The majority of serial killers are males, however there are female serial killers. Genene Jones was a licensed nurse who would kill babies admitted into the intensive care unit where she worked. Aileen Wuornos went on a killing spree of white males with a .22 caliber gun. Amy Archer-Gilligan would poison the patients who stayed at her home for the elderly. She even poisoned her husband. These three women do not fit the "standard" profile, yet they are all serial killers.
The standard age of a serial killer is 18 - 32. Joseph Ball was around the age of forty when he committed his acts of murder. Ball would choose his victims from the wait staff at his restaurant in Texas. He would then dismember them and feed them to the alligators that he kept behind the restaurant. Ray and Faye Copeland are another example of serial killers who greatly exceeded the age limit. Faye was sixty-nine and Ray was seventy-five at the time of their killings. Ray and Faye would pick their victims from the laborers who worked on their farm in Missouri. They kept a log of all the "disappearing" laborers and Faye made a quilt out of their clothing. It has been said that Ted Bundy killed for the first time when he was just a teenager. Arthur Shawcross and Ed Gein also exceeded the age of thirty-two during their killings. The normal age of a serial killer may be from 18 - 32, yet there have been serial killers that once again defy that standard.
According to the standard profile a serial killer operates alone. However, there have been many examples of serial killers who worked in pairs or even groups. One of the most notorious killer pairs was Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, "The Hillside Stranglers." These two cousins caused a reign of terror throughout Southern California from 1977 to 1979. Gwendolyn Gail Graham and Catherine Wood were two lesbian lovers who killed elderly patients at the nursing home where they were employed. The end of the murders came when, in a fit of rage and jealously Wood told her and Graham's secret to her former husband. Dr. Morris Bolber and his two cousins killed in Philadelphia in order to receive portions of life insurance plans. The three men would seduce a woman and then convince her to give them a cut of the insurance policy if they killed her husband. In this instance there were always at least three people involved in the killings, making it a group effort.
Evidence of abuse, as a child, is believed to be a factor in the background of most serial killers. However, there are the exceptions. Jeffrey Dahmer is an excellent example of an exception. There has been no evidence of child abuse in his background. Dahmer's parents treated him very well. Kenneth Bianchi and David Berkowitz also showed no signs of abuse as a child. The McDonald triad is also usually present in the serial killer's background. The serial killer will usually have done at least one of the three items involved in the triad, whether it is bedwetting beyond the age of ten, arson, or torture to animals.
The standard profile compiled by the FBI is pretty accurate. However, there will always be the exceptions to rules. This is no difference when it comes to serial killers. There will never be a strict guideline that can be followed to determine whether or not someone will be a serial killer. There will always be the "what ifs" and "maybes" that will changes the rules. This is why the FBI and police agencies investigating a serial killer must always keep an open mind. If the do not, then they risk the chance of leaving out the killer just because he or she does not fit their profile. A standard profile is an excellent tool to be used as an aid in an investigation, but should never be set in stone. An investigator must always be flexible so that the Jeffrey Dahmers and "The Lonely Hearts Killers" of the world do not get away with their crimes.