If you ask Dr. John Fisher, assistant professor and coordinator for UTPB’s criminal justice program and author of Profiling crime: Exploring serial murder and other crime, he’ll tell you that the term “serial killer” is a misnomer. “We need to change the nomenclature on that because it’s murder. It’s serial murder.” While the terminology may change in the public lexicon, our widespread fascination with serial murderers seems unlikely to. For insight, we tapped Dr. Fisher’s extensive expertise on the common traits of serial killers, what intrigues us most about them, and why someone might progress from murderer to serial murderer.  

Traits of a Potential Serial Killer 

Dr. Fisher outlined some demographic characteristics common to serial killers, explaining that they tend to be white, balding, highly intelligent males in their 20s to 40s. We then turned to character traits: “This is a controversial discussion,” Dr. Fisher said. “The Macdonald triad is bedwetting beyond the average age, zoosadism, where you’re abusing animals, and then you start dissecting and killing animals. And the third is pyromania. Just because you have these characteristics, does not necessarily mean you’re going to grow up to be a serial killer, but what [forensic psychiatrist J. M.] MacDonald found is that all the serial killers he interviewed had these three traits.” 

Our Fascination With Serial Killers May Come Down to This 

If popular culture is any indication, we have an ongoing obsession with serial killers. Netflix, as just one example, has a dedicated true crime section featuring dozens of programs, many of which are expensively produced documentaries, dramatizations, or original dramas about serial killers. As a topic of “entertainment,” the genre is certainly nothing new, with films dating back to at least 1909.  

We asked Dr. Fisher why people are so fascinated with serial killers and predators in general. He explained: “There was an old adage that came out of a New York newspaper: ‘If it bleeds, it leads.’ We as a society are interested in power. That intrigues us. So, the eagle, the falcon, the hawk, the bobcat, the lions, the tigers, and bears. They all have power. They’re all aggressive. They’re all predators. And we give respect to the alpha male. We give respect to the alpha dog of the wolfpack. As a society, we denigrate the delta, right? Or the bravo. Because he’s weak. He’s not masculine. He has no power, where the alpha does. A serial murderer is probably the epitome of that alpha domination.”  

“And then we’re interested in why somebody would want to do this. We’re taught that we’re not supposed to kill other people. So, what would cause a person to go out to target, to stalk, to track, and then to kill somebody? We are a society, a community that’s very inquisitive. And if we don’t envision ourselves in this kind of life or doing these kinds of things, then we wonder why other people would do that.” 

Not a Uniquely American Phenomenon 

Though an abundance of notorious cases may incline us to picture the modern serial killer as American, that’s not always the case. “Serial murder goes on around the world,” Dr. Fisher explained. “Every country in the world has their own serial murderers. The difference is that the United States talks about them. Israel has a serial murderer. There’s a serial cannibal that is in Japan. There’s a history of serial murder around the world. It’s not unique to the United States.” 

Murder Addicts or Creatures of Habit? 

With many serial killers continuing to murder until they’re caught or dead—or even resuming the habit upon release from prison—we raised the question of the potential role of addiction. “Once a dog has tasted human blood, you have to put him down because he’s gonna keep going back after it again and again and again,” Dr. Fisher explained. “As much as we don’t like to admit it, we are also part of the animal kingdom. Once we find something that we like, we go back to it like a moth to a flame. It’s just our genetics and the way that we’re made. We do the things that we like to do. It’s gonna sound a little religious, but you’ve got this lust of the flesh, and you give in to appease those lusts and desires. Some people, it’s chocolate. Some people, it’s hiking or extreme sports. Some people, it’s rape and murder.” 

Credentials for a Criminal Justice Career 

Learn directly from Dr. Fisher and other experts who’ve worked in the criminal justice system as you earn a degree that can be your introduction to the field or position you for an agency leadership role. 

Don’t miss part 2 of this article, where we’ll discuss which serial murderer seemingly inspired the television show Dexter, what serial killers crave the most, how they sometimes hide in plain sight, and where the serial killer trend is headed. 

Sources:
https://www.newsweek.com/most-notable-serial-killers-us-history-why-they-fascinate-us-1748596
https://www.britannica.com/topic/serial-murder
https://www.yourbasin.com/news/what-makes-a-serial-killer