DECONSTRUCTING SERIAL KILLERS

Deconstructing

Serial Killers

features editor CHANDRA SENTELL,

Serial killers are defined by a number of characteristics: shallow emotions, lack of empathy, anti-social, impulsive and predatory behaviors. But what led them down this path? A common trend amongst these killers is that they experienced early childhood abuse, both physical and psychological. From John Wayne Gacy, the Killer Clown, to Ted Bundy, almost all serial killers experienced trauma that caused them to seek personal gratification through killing. Henry Mansfield Howard, known as H.H Holmes, was America’s first serial killer; he grew up in an abusive household where he developed an extreme hatred for both of his parents and a violent nature towards others. It was not until he grew older that he truly began to act on his psychopathic nature. He built a “Murder Castle” that had secret passageways, trapdoors and soundproof torture rooms. These would allow him to transport his victims to the basement where he would conduct his experiments. He went onto murder an estimated 200 people, all of which he befriended and welcomed into his home. H.H Holmes explained that his urge to kill was second nature to him. It was something he was born with and could not prevent, but he was shaped by physical abuse from a young age that encouraged his psychopathic behavior. Infamous killer, Edward Gein, aka the Butcher of Plainfield, experienced a tragic upbringing. He was born into a family with

“I am a serial killer. I would kill again.”

-Aileen Wuornos

a heavily religious mother and an alcoholic father on an isolated farm where he was taught to hate women. As he grew older, he became dependent on his mother, and when she died it drove him to insanity. His mental health spiraled and he had constant psychotic breaks. During these breaks, he would search for women that he could kill and use their body parts to recreate his deceased mother. This fascination was caused by the love-hate relationship with women his parents instilled in him. His mental illness consumed his entire being and turned into full-scale psychosis. David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam, experienced death at a very young age when his adoptive mom had a long, unsuccessful battle with cancer. This caused him to slowly detach from the world around him until he completely isolated himself. As he grew older, he joined the army and became an excellent marksman, but, despite his achievements, he felt incomplete. Once he left the military, he developed many violent tendencies including a love for fire. He set many fires across New York City but was never caught. This soon progressed when he claimed he heard voices in his head of demons telling him to harm young women. He saw anyone close to him as a demon begging him to kill, and he eventually gave in. His victims were chosen at random, and Berkowitz had convinced himself this needed to be done. He went as far as taunting the police, and if it wasn’t for a witness that could place him at the crime, he might have never stopped. He was unable to stop himself; he created an alternate reality where he believed he was being forced to kill. The first female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, showed the world that men were not the only ones capable of murder. She grew up with an abusive father who was in and out of mental hospitals and a mother who was not there. She was forced to live with her grandparents which was far from ideal as her grandmother neglected her and her grandfather abused her. Life did not get any easier for Aileen as she was raped multiple times in her youth and eventually dropped out of school and turned to prostitution. Due to the trauma she endured as a child, she sought a way to avenge her childhood self. She created an elaborate scheme where she lured men off Florida interstate 75, only to rob them, kill them and steal their cars. Aileen viewed herself as a heroine that was fighting for a cause. All of these killers had similar upbringings that led them down their path. They all experienced extreme neglect and did not recieve any medical help that may have prevented them from committing murder. Edward Gein went insane based on the psychological manipulation he endured as a child. Aileen Wuronos believed the only way to avenge her childhood self was to kill any man who sought her services. David Berkowitz, a paranoid schizophrenic, received no help his entire life and people only intervened once he had already given in to his psychotic tendencies. Herman Mansfield Howard was groomed as a child to be the perfect psychopath; he was never shown love and was taught to be cold and calculating when it came to human desires. No one is born a killer, but one can learn to kill. These killers faced devastating events as they were growing up and were never given the help needed to prevent their mental breaks. They all reached their breaking points and took matters into their own hands to prevent them from being abused, neglected or mistreated again.