7 Myths About Serial Killers

Serial killers are  dysfunctional

• the BTK killer (Dennis Radar) killed 10 people in Wichita, KS over a 30 year period. He had two kids, a loving wife, was a Boy Scout leader, and had a successful government job, and was a church congregation leader.

They are white

• Charles Ng was a Hong Kong, China immigrant that killed 25 people.

• Derrick Lee was a black man from Louisiana who killed six women in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

They are motivated by sex

• Dr. MIchael Swango killed up to 50 people in the US and in Africa. His motivation was never determined.

• Paul Reid killed seven people in robberies of restaurants in TN. His motive was financial gain. He didn't want to leave behind any witnesses either!

They travel or operate the interstate

• killers want to remain in the comfort zone and be in a definite geographical area well-known to them.

• It's unlikely they will go in between states.

• Those who do are homeless or vagabond or who have jobs that require them to travel like truck drivers ad those in the military.

They can't stop killing

• Dennis Radar killed 10 people between 1974-1991. He wasn't caught until 2005. He "cured" himself of further killings by auto-erotica.

• Jeffery Gorton killed three people: in 1986, 1991, and in 2000. He kept himself from killing by cross-dressing, masturbating, and having consensual sex with his wife (who knew!)

They are insane, evil geniuses

• Most killers are border-line to above-average intelligence.

• While some have mental problems, most do not fit the legal standards of insanity.

They want to get caught

• With each killing, they build experience and confidence.

• With increased confidence there is evoked superiority and arrogance that they will not be caught.

• Killing is not easy, and each time they do it, they increase the likelihood that they will make a mistake.