Serial Killer Victim Selection

clevland-lessons-dangers-addiction-sowellNo one knows for sure why a serial

killer will choose a certain individual as their victim. When asked why, serial
killers often give a wide range of answers regarding the reasons for their
murders. The most common belief is that the killer wants to feel complete control
over another person. They thrive on the fear their victims display and see the
murder as the ultimate form of dominance over a human being.

In order for any person to be defined as a serial killer, they must satisfy a few
criteria, specified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The person in question
must have murdered a minimum of three individuals (not simultaneously), there
must be a period of time in between the murders (to prove that multiple victims
were not killed during a single fit of rage), and the circumstances of each murder
should indicate that the killer felt a sense of dominance over the people they
have killed. The victims must also be vulnerable to the killer in some way, a
characteristic which indicates that the killer has sought to achieve a feeling of
superiority.

Many experts agree that serial killers have a vision in mind of their victim. This
person would be thought of as their ideal victim based on race, gender,
physical characteristics, or some other specific quality. It is rarely possible for the
killers to find people who meet these exact qualifications, so they generally seek
out people with similar traits. This is why serial killings often seem to be
completely random at first each victim may have something in common that
only the killer easily recognizes.

It is generally accepted that most serial killers feel a strong urge to commit acts
of murder. They are, however, thought to be extremely cautious people who will
not choose a victim unless they feel the chances of success are very high. For
this reason, the first murder victim is very often a prostitute or homeless person,
someone the killers can attack without drawing a lot of attention. These factors
make it even more difficult to establish patterns in a series of slayings and to
track down the responsible culprit.

Types Of Serial Killers

Types of SerialIt may be impossible to fully categorize and understand any serial
killer, but it is possible to review their methods and practices to better define

what type of criminal they are. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has defined
three distinct types of serial killers based on the way they carry out their
murders. Understanding which category a serial killer falls into can make it easier
to investigate their crimes and how to bring them to justice.

The Medical Killer

Although this type of killer is very rare, there have been some people who have
become involved in the medical industry as a way to carry out their nefarious
deeds. This type of killer feels they have the perfect cover because it is very
common for people in a hospital to pass away. They are usually highly intelligent
and know how to carefully and cleverly conceal their murders. As long as it
appears that a victim has died a natural death, there will be no reason for anyone
to suspect foul play and search for the guilty party. A few doctors in history have
managed to kill dozens of people before others began to catch on.

The Organized Killer

This type of serial killer is the most difficult to identify and capture. They are
usually highly intelligent and well organized to the point of being meticulous.
Every detail of the crime is planned out well in advance, and the killer takes
every precaution to make sure they leave no incriminating evidence behind. It is
common for this type of psychopath to watch potential victims for several days to
find someone they consider to be a good target. Once the victim is chosen, the
killer will pick them up, often through some sort of ploy designed to gain their
sympathy, and take them to another location to commit the murder. Once the
person has been killed, the perpetrator will usually take precautions to ensure the
body is not found until they want it to be. A criminal like this usually takes
great pride in what they consider to be their work and have a tendency to pay
close attention to news stories about their deeds. One of their motivating factors
may be just to attempt to stump the law enforcement officers who are trying to
solve their crime.

The Disorganized Killer

These individuals rarely plan out the deaths of their victims in any way. Most
often, the people they kill just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This type of serial killer appears to strike at random whenever an opportunity
arises. They take no steps to cover up any signs of their crime, and tend to move
to different towns or even states regularly to avoid being captured. Disorganized
killers usually have low IQs and are extremely antisocial. They rarely have close
friends or family, and do not like to stay in one place for too long. These killers
are prone to have no recollection of their deeds, or to confess that they were
motivated by voices in their heads or some other imaginary source.

Cause, Mechanism, and Manner of Death

When a death occurs, a physician or medical examiner must fill out a death
certificate. In order to properly complete this document, they must determine
three things: the cause, the mechanism, and the manner of death. There is often
confusion about which is which. The cause of death is the disease or injury that
produces the physiological disruption inside the body resulting in death, for
example, a gunshot wound to the chest. The mechanism of death is the
physiological derangement that results in the death. An example of a mechanism
of death due to the gunshot wound described above is exsanguination (extreme
blood loss). Last but not least, the manner of death is how the death came about.

Manner of death can be classified in six ways:

1) Natural
2) Accident
3) Suicide
4) Homicide
5) Undetermined
6) Pending

A natural death occurs as a result of aging, illness, or disease. An accidental

death occurs when an injury or poisoning causes death, but it is unintentional. In
this case, there can be no evidence supporting the idea that the poisoning or
injury occurred with an intent to harm or cause death. A suicide results from an
injury or poisoning occurring from a deliberate, self-inflicted act committed to
harm or cause death to oneself. A homicide occurs when death is caused by
another person. Undetermined is used as a classification when the information
pointing toward one manner of death is no more compelling than any others. A
pending death is one that is waiting on more evidence or analysis before the
examiner can make a determination.

These characteristics of deaths are helpful for various reasons. The families of the
deceased will have peace of mind if they know exactly what caused their loved
ones death. Insurance claims may not be accepted if the manner of death was a
suicide. Also, many legal proceedings focus their attention to these
characteristics during the trial and prosecution of murderers. This information is
necessary to compile statistics for monitoring health and crime in the population.
As you can see, characteristics of death are very important details to be aware of
under several different circumstances.