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The Behavioral Science Unit was the formed in the 1970’s, the first FBI program which systematically researched serial killers and their motivations. Profiles of killers are pieced together with information from the scene, weapons, method and victimology. The majority of serial killers are white males, in their twenties or thirties.  Mental illness usually begins in adolescents and with the progressive nature of serial killers,  their killing sprees typically begin in their early twenties.  As children, serial killers will focus their violence on torturing, mutilating and killing animals.

“According to criminologist Eric Hickey, who has assembled the most extensive database on demography of serial murder states that, 88% of serial killers are male, 85% are Caucasian, and the average age when they claim their first victim is usually around 28.5. In terms of victim selection, 62% of the killers target strangers exclusively, and another 22% kill at least one stranger. Finally, 71% of the killers operate in a specific location or area, rather than traveling wide distances to commit their crimes” (1)

It is difficult to predict where or when serial killers will attack because their crimes are random. 

A routine traffic stop led to the capture of serial killer Ted Bundy.  Bundy was an efficient killing machine, with an estimated 43 victims, and he has become a standard by which other serial killers are measured.  He is notorious for both his prolific killing spree and attractive appearance. 

He was able to lure victims by charming them or appearing helpless.  He justified his killings saying the women came to him willingly.  

Bundy didn’t kill randomly. He was methodical with an ideal victim; attractive young women with straight dark hair parted in the middle.  His ideal hunting grounds were college campuses.  In a multiple slaying at a sorority house, a bite mark was the only evidence left behind.  Forensic investigators hoped to tie Bundy to the sorority house murders using the bite impression. A cast was made of Bundy’s teeth and matched to the pattern left on the bodies, which was key evidence used for a Grand Jury indictment.  

Bundy didn’t look like a monster, which was a frightening revelation to many.  In background and behavior, serial killers are just like the rest of us.  

Ann Rule has made a career of writing true crime novels.  In an ironic twist, Rule volunteered at the suicide hotline along with Bundy.  She was hired to write about The Seattle Killer, before police identified a suspect.  Rule believes sociopaths are born and bred. They must be born with a natural tendency towards violence and have an upbringing that nourishes this trait.

Studies conducted by the FBI of 36 serial killers found that by age two nearly half were abandoned by their fathers;  half reported distant relationships with their mothers; 77% had histories of family alcohol abuse; and all reported some form of verbal, physical or sexual abuse.  Most had poor work histories, with only 6 of the 36 holding unto a steady job, despite high intelligence.  

Paul Bernardo was questioned in Scarborough Serial Rapist case, and before he could be arrested, he moved to Niagara.  DNA samples were taken from Bernardo in Scarborough but it took two years to match his DNA with the rapists.  Once the results were received, Scarborough authorities notified Niagara police and a warrant was issued for Bernardo’s arrest.  

Similar to Bundy, Bernardo was a handsome, seemingly successful man who could fool those around him. Bernardo’s wife, Karla Homolka, became his accomplice in the sexual assaults of several women. She would lure the women, drug them and then video tape the assaults.  Columnist Christie Blatchford wrote: ” I remember her licking her lips for the camera, during one of the rapes. I remember how once - this while Leslie was being attacked in another part of the house - Homolka sat upstairs in her bedroom, reading and then drifted off to sleep. It was not that her conscience was clear, it was that she never had one.”

Like many serial killers, Bernardo’s level of violence and frequency of attacks escalated over the course of his career.  In 1991, Bernando and Homolka were responsible for at least three deaths, including the poisoning death of Homolka’s younger sister, Tammy.

Unsub, so dubbed by authorities, abducted victims and recorded  his violent acts of rape, torture and murder.  James Mitchell Debardeladen was arrested for passing counterfeit bills.  When a rented storage unit was searched, police found a photographic history of  Debardeladen’s crimes. Debardeladen’s careful planning and execution of his crimes helped him avoid detection for over twenty years.

75% of the world’s serial killers are hunting victims in the United States. Experts believe our cultural acceptance and glorification of violence may be partially to blame.  “According to criminologists, at any given time there are at least 25 to 100 active serial killers in the United States. The FBI is currently assisting in 16 such cases.”  (2) 

Profiling is just a tool to help investigators solve crimes, but the profile is not the only resource.    See if you can spot the serial killer @ Killer Quiz

1. Apsche, J. Probing the mind of a serial killer. International information Associates. (1993).

2. ABC World News, Serial Killer Profiles Often Inaccurate, February 2005