Serial Killers

The term Serial killer is defined as a person who commits three or more murders in a period longer than thirty days and whose purpose for killing is psychological comfort. There are certain behavioral characteristics that attribute to almost all serial killers. One characteristic that is common to all of them is that they murder for their own pleasure. Killing is like a drug for them. British historian James Anthony Froude once wrote “Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself.”(Fourde) To understand further we have to look at examples of famous serial killers.

Theodore Robert Bundy also known as Ted Bundy is a well known serial killer in America. He was born in 1946 to Eleanor Louise Cowell. His father left Eleanor before he was born. When Ted grew up his mother told him that she was her sister and her parents were his parents. It was not until 1974 that he realized that his mother had lied to him. He grew up to be a handsome, intelligent and educated man. He also had a relationship with her girlfriend. It was after his girlfriend left him that Bundy started killing. In 1974 a student from the University of Washington went missing. Bundy at that time was studying at the same university. After this event many Disappearances of young attractive girls with black hair occurred in the same area. He used to wear a cast and appeared as if he was handicapped. He would ask his victims to help him with his books. Seeing that he was handicapped most of them would oblige. When they were alone he would hit them on the head with a crowbar, drag them into his car. Then he would choke them to death while they were unconscious and dump their bodies near the Taylor Mountain in Washington State where most of his victims were found. He was also questioned by the police but was released because he did not fit the description of a maniac. After a while he had committed almost 36 murders which he confessed afterwards but investigators believe that the death toll was much higher. He was caught thrice and of two of the times he escaped from prison. He was given the death sentence but he managed to delay it to 10 years. Eventually in 1979 he was electrocuted to death. Many Americans celebrated his death with champagne.