Debunking myths, stereotypes on serial killers

  A serial killer is someone who kills two or more people in separate events. There’s many misconceptions and myths about these killers that need to be debunked.

1. Serial killers kill for fun

     Tim Morrow, sophomore, believes that serial killers are “crazy” or maybe they “kill for love.” While Tiffany Williams, senior, thinks that serial killers kill because “they have a really bad childhood, and it ends up mentally traumatizing them in the wrong way.”

     There are many different reasons why serial killers end up how they are, for example, according to writers for The Week, serial killers are made from a combination of genetics and experience. 

     “Research shows that certain genes can predispose people to violence,” such as the “warrior gene” which is present in about 30 percent of the population and has been linked to early separation from their mothers. 

     “As a consequence, from trauma or separation, scientists believe they learned to suppress empathy or suffered damage to the areas of the brain that control emotional impulses,” The Week writes.

1. Serial killers are all middle-aged men

     Logan Ford, sophomore, says that when he pictures a serial killer, he sees “a guy in his 20 or 30s,” and Evan Juarez, sophomore, says he pictures a “male and pretty old.” 

     Williams also mentions that she’s only seen male serial killers, and Tim Morrow, Sophomore, says, “I picture a male in his 20s with a ton of scars.”

     However, according to Scott Bonn, a writer and psychologist from Psychology Today, nearly 20 percent of all homicides in the U.S. are committed by women. “Although there have been many more male serial killers than females throughout history, the presence of female serial killers is well documented in crime data.”

1. Serial killers can’t change and will never stop killing

     Morrow believes that “serial killers can’t change, once they get to killing, they keep going,” but others interviewed are a bit more optimistic.

     Mrs. Jenny Beigel, says “I’d like to think they can change, but it’s tough to say,” and Juarez believes they can change “if they get the right help.”

     In some cases, Cheryl Eddy, a writer for Gizmodo says, a killer who committed their crime as a youth, gets released and starts over. Some of these killers include Nathan Leopold, Caril Fugate, Juliet Hulme, Pauline Parker, and many more.