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Daniel Weber Ms. Breese AP Language and Composition 4 May 2012 Are Serial Killers Born or Are They Created? Throughout history, the worlds future has been decided solely on who is ruthless and strong. Whether one is referring to Caesars campaign in Gaul, the Boston Massacre, or that of the Holocaust, murder as a form of suppression and subjugation has continuously been a deciding factor in this world. Who settles where and how cultures form are because of death at one point or another. While harbored by colossal differences such as upbringing, family lives, and ultimately their downward spirals toward chaos, serial killers are a part of modern society that sends a chill down the spine of the common man. Killers are nothing new to our society, as some modern killers have come to rival mass murderers of the worlds past such as Hitler and Xerxes, but our world is plagued by how these ordinary people live among us, and according to new research and scientific findings we are now able to say that these killers are generally created and spurred into action by prior conflicts in their lives. Serial killers are constituted generally of their respective responses to agony, rage, and sadism. Over the years legal defenses have been formulated such as insanity, missing parts at birth (Tafoya), and the Neutralization Theory (Sykes). Insanity has been used as a defense to say that the killer was unbeknownst to the acts of violence that they were committing. The Neutralization Theory is simply the redirection of

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blame towards an authority figure, such as law enforcement officer. It can also imply that the accused has justified their act by saying the victim deserved what they got. However, the crimes that have been committed through history have varied. Perhaps the first-known serial killer, Vlad the Impaler began his body count in 1448 (Vlad the Impaler,) existed in a time when he was able to use his political status as a shield. At that time, it was not uncommon for the powerful to show their power and exert their dominance. On the contrary, in John Wayne Gacy, Charles Manson, and Ted Bundys respective times, our culture had evolved at a point in which killings were sporadic and aroused suspicion and eventually paranoia. Unlike Vlad Tepes, they were forced to adopt aliases and hide their true selves. The general profile of a serial killer, even by todays standards, is rather similar to those of the past. Approximately 90 percent of known serial killers are Caucasian males between the ages of 25 to 35. These individuals have extraordinary IQs ranging from 105 to 120( Ramsland). Though these people are exceedingly intellectual, they often have meager academic performance and are socially inept. They will usually stick to routine that is normal for their common day. They favor seclusion to societal milieus. They also have trouble holding a job, as most are paranoid, or have some form of mental or physical disability. However not all killers hold true to this generic profile. Gacy, for example, was well-liked in his community as Pogo the Clown. He was an avid Boy Scout supporter and also served much of his free time at his community church. While profiling and the history and nature of cases in this niche is imperative, there is also an utmost importance on deciphering the reason behind the violent

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murders committed. One probable cause is the early childhood and upbringing of an individual. Several of the worlds most notorious have reported to have had despicable childhood experiences such as Henry Lee Lucas. His mother, a prostitute, forced him to dress and masquerade as a woman, and also required him to watch as she would engage in sexual relations with clients, all when he was only 11 years old. She beat him whenever he made any mistakes, which eventually led to her death in 1960. At this point, Lucas had endured so much abuse that he was unable to cope and knew no other way. His father had committed suicide to get away from her, and he blamed his mother for his death. This initial response allowed him to realize that he enjoyed killing and he ultimately was proven to have killed over 350 confirmed victims. (Henry Lee Lucas). This emphasizes the thought that trauma inflicted mentally during childhood and adolescence scars a child, and can possibly warp their beliefs and justification of right and wrong. On the other hand, there has also been a history of head trauma connected to serial killings. Albert Fish, who molested, murdered, and then cannibalized over 400 children, (Montaldo) fell from a tree in his childhood, an event which left him with brain damage. (Gardner) John Wayne Gacy was revealed-after his death by lethal injection in 1994- to have suffered from a blood clot in his brain when he was 16, as a result of the impact of a chair swing to the head when he was 11 years old. These two killers were perhaps among the worst killers that our world has ever come to known. Fish targeted children and Gacy targeted young male teenagers.

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Behavior affects all individuals at one point or another. Even the most resilient person eventually will crack when subjected to enough stress. Charles Manson, while never truly calm, originally dreamt of making a name for himself in the music and media industry. It was not until after he had been thoroughly rejected by the music business. In revenge, he lead The Family to the murder of eight victims from the film and composition corporations. As Manson stated, "You made your children what they are.... These children that come at you with knives, they are your children. You taught them. I didn't teach them. I just tried to help them stand up.... You can project it back at me, but I am only what lives inside each and every one of you. My father is your system.... I am only what you made me. I am a reflection of you. This proves that he feels no remorse, as he does not even embrace his part in the crime (Robinson). Through his speech he implies that he does not feel that any of his actions were wrong. He maintains that he had no part in any sort of Inquisition, but rather, a cleansing. This worlds destiny will most likely always revolve around the gaining and losing of power through death and murder. Serial killers are made and not born because while genetics can play a part in mental capacity, generally, there is an extremely minute chance that it will directly affect an individual, but also the most important factor is the upbringing. Besides possible alcohol and drug use by a mother, prior to a childs conception, there are no logical reasoning that can label a baby a killer, simply based on what it looks like or who it resembles. A child will respond and adapt to how they are treated themselves and will bring that upon their generation, but since this is not a

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decision that is decided while the fetus is developing, there is no possible way that it can be considered that a killer is born.

Word Count: 1,189

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Works Cited Gardner, Mary Ann. "Serial Killers: Born or Made?" Yahoo! Contributor Network. 31 Mar. 2009. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. "Henry Lee Lucas, America's Most Prolific Serial Killer." Yahoo! Contributor Network. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. Montaldo, Charles. "Serial Killer: Albert Fish." About.com Crime / Punishment. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2012 Ramsland, Katherine. "The Childhood Psychopath: Bad Seed or Bad Parents?" Crime

Library. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.


Robinson, B. A. "The Family (Charles Manson.)" Destructive Cults. 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. Sykes, Gresham, and David Matza. "Neutralization Theory" Oxford Bibliographies. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. Tafoya, Bil. "Profiling." Into The Abyss. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. "Vlad The Impaler - The Real Dracula Barnes & Noble. 6 Feb. 2008. Book. 19 Apr. 2012.

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Bibliography Bookrags Inc. "Ted Bundy Biography." BookRags, Bookrags. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. Crime and Investigation Network. "Dennis Nielsen Biography." Crime File: Dennis

Nielsen. 2011. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.


"Derrick Todd Lee." About.com Crime / Punishment. Ed. The New York Times Company. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2012 Gardner, Mary Ann. "Serial Killers: Born or Made?" Yahoo! Contributor Network. 31 Mar. 2009. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. Hallowell, Wayne. "The Bloody Benders Story." Leatherock Hotel Center. 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. Montaldo, Charles. "Profile of Dennis Rader - The BTK Strangler." About.com Crime /

Punishment. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.


Montaldo, Charles. "Serial Killer: Albert Fish." About.com Crime / Punishment. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2012 Ramsland, Katherine. "The Childhood Psychopath: Bad Seed or Bad Parents?" Crime

Library. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.


Robinson, B. A. "The Family (Charles Manson)." Destructive Cults. 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. Snell, Melissa. "Vlad Dracula." Medieval History. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. Sullivan, Terry, and Peter Maiken. "Google Books." Google Books. Web. 11 Apr. 2012

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