The What and Why of Serial Killers

As expected, the police decided not to inform the public about the call. It would only cause a panic. The Zodiac Killer was not too pleased about their decision so he sent a hand written letter to three different newspapers. In each letter, he explained the previous killings in detail and explained that the symbol in the letter was a clue to his identity. He also gave a warning that if they did not print the letter within a given time he would go on a killing rampage, killing 12 people before the weekend was over. He signed the letter with a symbol. According to the Zodiac Killer, he enjoyed killing and he could not give his name because they would try to slow down his process of collecting slaves for his afterlife. The newspapers had no choice but to print his letters.

The hunt was on. After each killing, he would notify the police or the newspapers always signing his letters with the symbol. Three young witnesses watched as the Zodiac shot a cab driver in the temple. They called the police who believed that the cab driver was the victim of a routine robbery. That is until they received a letter from the Zodiac killer. A cold chill ran through the veins of the law defenders when they read, “School children make nice targets I think I shall wipe out a school bus some morning just shoot out the front tire + pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out.” Patrol cars and aircrafts followed the buses to and from the schools. The police were in full force. Then they received another letter showing diagrams of bombs that the Zodiac planned to plant along the bus routes. The police were in a frenzy to find the bombs, keep the children safe and catch the perpetrator. The public in general, were in constant fear looking to the police to solve this madness. What was worse for the police was the Zodiac Killer taunted the police. He called them saying, “The police shall never catch me because I have been too clever for them.” Eventually he was getting tired of his inferior competition and wrote,” If the Blue Pigs are ever going to catch me they had best get off their fat asses + do something” He demanded that the police wear buttons showing his symbol and when they did not comply, he punished them by shooting a man sitting in his car.

The story of the Zodiac killer goes on and on but the point I want to make is that he ruled a country with a nightmare of fear, horror and hopelessness. Psychiatrists rate serial killers according to the severity of their crime. What is worse I wonder? Is it torture, necrophilia, dismembering a dead body and eating it or shooting people randomly and setting the wheel of total fear in the hearts of thousands?