Researching

Something that has always struck a chord with me is why serial killers become the way they are? There are plenty of people who experience awful things, suffer a bad childhood, or have trauma but turn out fine. Why do some then decide to take it upon themselves to inflict pain on others and become brutal killers? After researching I have found some answers, however, no one will really ever know. For example, there was a comparison made between the notorious "Acid Bath Murderer," John Haigh and Joel Peter Wilkin, a famous artist. They both witnessed a gruesome death, a bombing and a car accident. In both instances, a person was decapitated and the head rolled over to their feet. Why did one become a sadistic killer and the other a famous, accomplished artist? Wilkin's art is known to be disturbing and graphic, however, as far as anyone is aware, he is no killer. Makes me think that everyone needs some kind of release for their anger, frustration, trauma, and coping mechanisms are of utmost importance. Wilkin's found release in his art, even if it was graphic, but it was a healthy release for what he experienced, and was able to translate the occurrence over to his work, which became famous because of its fascinating nature. Haigh must have just cracked, but really, there is no excuse for his killings.






Other factors that researchers believe are related to growing a serial killer are adoption due to the feelings of rejection, witnessing violence, such as the incident with Haigh and Wilkin, peer rejection, or being isolated from others around you growing up being antisocial and excluded. Also, I found interesting was juvenile detention facilities are what a few serial killers said turned them into what they are. Mostly in older generations when reform schools incorporated medieval tactics in their attempts to reform delinquents. It is said that in the 20th century many of the acts witnessed and endured by the prisoners in the facilities paralleled those of the ones they later inflicted on others in their killings. Carl Panzram stated about his time in juvenile detention: "From the treatment I received while there and the lessons I learned from it, I had fully decided when I left there just how I would live my life. I made up my mind that I would rob, burn, destroy and kill every where I went and everybody I could as long as I lived. Thats the way I was reformed ... "

"The Triad" are symptoms that are the main red flags that there might be something going on and a potential killer in the future. Animal cruelty, since killing and torturing animals is known as practice for humans if the habits aren't broken. Pyromania is a common step between setting fires and killing people since serial killers see people as objects, the destruction of property feeds the same perverse need to destroy another person. Finally, bed wetting. A shocking over 60% of multiple murderers wet their beds past adolescence, although many won't divulge in this information.








Over all, many serial killers will always play the blame game and not take responsibility for how they turned out themselves. But, if this is the case then all the siblings should be serial killers, and there would most likely be a lot more serial killers due to the amount of cases of neglect, child abuse, and attacks in the world.