Chapter 12 Serial, Mass & Spree
Murder
1
Chapter Summary
 Chapter 12 is an overview of serial killers, mass
murderers, and spree killers.
 The Chapter begins with a discussion of mass
murderers and serial killers. This is followed with
an extensive discussion of serial killers, the
prevalence of serial killers, and serial killers
worldwide.
 The Chapter then provides an overview of the
different theories regarding multiple murderers.
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Chapter Summary
 Chapter 12 concludes with a discussion of the role
of law enforcement and how law enforcement
responds to serial killing.
 After reading this chapter, students should be
able to:
 Explain the difference between mass murderers
and spree killers
 Define the different types of serial killers
 Understand the extend of serial killing by minority
groups
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Chapter Summary
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Explain the various theories of serial killing
Discuss law enforcement’s response to serial
killing
Some murders are committed only for the
offender’s own enjoyment and psychological
satisfaction.
Many killers have high numbers of victims and
their actions are sadistically brutal.
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What is Multiple Murder?
 Some murders are committed only for the
offender’s own enjoyment and psychological
satisfaction
 Many killers have high numbers of victims
and their actions are sadistically brutal
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Mass and Spree Murder
 Mass murder: The killing of several people at
one location.
 Spree murder: The killing of several people at
different locations over a period of several
days.
 These killers typically commit suicide or are
killed by the police.
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Mass and Spree Murder
Two types of mass murderers:
 Those who chose specific targets who the
killers believe to have caused them stress.
 Those who attack targets having no
connection with the killer but who belong to
groups the killer dislikes.
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Mass and Spree Murder

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Most mass murderers are motivated by a
hatred that simmers until some specific event
provides the flame that brings it to a boil.
Spree killers move from victim to victim in
fairly rapid succession.
Spree killing is rare, but spree-killing teams
are even rarer and are typically composed of
a dominant leader and submissive lover.
Spree and mass murderers have increased
steadily in the United States since the middle
of the century.
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Serial Murder

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FBI’s three criteria for defining a killer as a
serial killer:
Kill in three or more separate events.
At three or more separate locations.
Engage in an emotional cooling off period
between murders.
Serial murder: The killing of three or more
victims over an extended period of time.
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The Extent of the Problem


Some empirical evidence suggested that
roughly 20% of the murders in the United
States yearly were committed by serial killers.
However, other data sources contented that
the share of serial killers accounted for no
more than 300-400 murders each year.
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A Typology of Serial Killers


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Visionary serial killer: Feels impelled to commit
murder by visions or “voices in my head.”
Mission oriented killer: Feel it to be their mission
in life to kill certain kinds of people.
Hedonistic serial killer: Kill for the pure thrill and
joy of it; the majority of serial killers are
hedonistic serial killers.
Power/Control killer: Gains more satisfaction
from exercising complete power over his victims,
and sexual activity is almost always involved.
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Figure 12.1
Estimated Number and Rate per 10 Million of Serial Killers
Operating in the United States from 1795 to Mid-2004
17
9
200
12
1
16
3
150
13
20
4.
3
Number
7.
3
5.
2
17951849 1850- 19001899
1924 19251944 19451979 19801989
5.
4
1.
43
4
4.
25
0
5
50
54
100
Rate
19902004
Sources: U.S Justice Department figures as reported by Jenkins (1994);
updated figures from Hickey (2006) and Walsh (2005). Rates Per 10 million
population computed by authors.
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Race and Multiple Murder

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African Americans are over-represented
among serial killers relative to their proportion
of the American population.
Jenkins argues that black serial killers do not
attain the notoriety of their white
counterparts because the media tends to
ignore them.
There has been only one known Asian serial
killer operating in the United States during
the 20th century.
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Female Serial Killers


The key distinction between make and female
serial killers is that: “There are no female
counterparts to a Bundy or a Gacy, to whom sex
or sexual violence is a part of the murder
pattern.”
Females kill for instrumental reasons or from
twisted notions of mercy.
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Multiple Murder Overseas
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
Mass or spree murder is relatively rare in
developed countries outside of the United States.
Strict gun controls may help to prevent some of
the would-be mass or spree killers overseas, but
they do not prevent serial killers.
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Theories about the Causes of
Serial Killing
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Serial killing is not the result of any single cause
but of several risk factors interacting in various
ways.
Anomie theory has been applied to explain serial
killing across the centuries.
Some authors invoke certain aspects of family and
developmental theories to explain the phenomenon.
The dramatic increase in the number of serial
killers in the last half of the 20th century points
to some very important social changes.
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Theories about the Causes of
Serial Killing
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One factor that researchers appear to be unanimous
about is that an extreme level of maternal
deprivation almost uniformly characterizes the
childhood experience of serial killers.
The disinhibited counterculture; ethos of personal
satisfaction.
The decarceration movement in the mental health
system.
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Theories about the Causes of
Serial Killing
 Two cognitive factors commonly imputed to serial
killers are strong feelings of sexual inadequacy and
a rich fantasy life.
 Extreme sexual dysfunction my result in deeply
embedded feelings of worthlessness and
powerlessness, the seeds which may have already
been implanted by childhood abuse and neglect.
 A large percentage of serial killers who have been
examined have significant damage to the frontal
lobes of the brain.
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Theories about the Causes of
Serial Killing
 One hypothesis is that a combination of genetic
factors and abnormal fetal development of the
brain and ANS may explain the biological
component.
 The diathesis-stress model (Giannangelo-1996): All
serial killers have a congenital susceptibility to
behave and think in ways that lead to serial killing if
combined with environmental stressors and traumas
in terms of gene/environment correlation and
gene/environment interaction.
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Figure 12.2
Stephen Giannangelo's Diathesis/Stress Model of
Serial Killing
Biological
Predisposition
(low arousal
levels, possible
prefrontal
cortex damage,
etc)
Environmental
Trauma/Stress

Predisposition
Self-esteem
and selfcontrol
problems
Sexual
dysfunction

Maladap 
tive
coping
skills
Retreat
into
fantasy
world
Dissociative
process

First
Kill!
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Law Enforcement’s Response to
Serial Killing

The Investigative Support Unit (ISU) of the
FBI has developed methods of profiling serial
killers and other violent offenders through
extensive interviewing and formal
psychological testing of incarcerated killers in
order to develop a typology based on
personality and other offender
characteristics.
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Law Enforcement’s Response to
Serial Killing

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Offender profiling is augmented by crime scene
analysis, which often tells experienced
investigators a lot about the perpetrator’s
personality.
May serial murders may occur in diverse police
jurisdictions without law enforcement being able
to not the connections between them. This
problem is known as linkage blindness.
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Law Enforcement’s Response to
Serial Killing


In 1985, the FBI created the Violent Criminal
Apprehension Program (VICAP) which was a
national clearinghouse that collates information
on unsolved violent crimes from different
jurisdictions.
Law enforcement now has the ability to link a
number of homicides committed in different
jurisdictions to a single individual or individuals.
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