Studying the Serial Killer Brain

2. Studying the Serial Killer Brain

2.1. Antisocial Personality Disorder vs. Psychopathy

The most obvious indicator of the disorder is a total disregard for laws and the social norm. People with personality disorder usually have a long history of arrests and are often involved in physical fights. Some are capable of lying so skillfully it's hard to know when they are telling the truth. They will also act impulsively, with little care to the safety of themselves or others. Symptoms sometimes begin to appear in their early teens.

Experts describe psychopathy as a severe form of personality disorder. The difference is, psychopaths have the antisocial behaviors mentioned, but also have additional traits such as lack of remorse or guilt for their actions. They also tend to be highly paranoid, and suspicious. Most psychopaths are not violent or destined to commit murder. A few, however, are at the far end of the scale and are violent. This group may include serial killers.

Osterburg and Ward said “Psychopathic serial killers are, almost without exception, males who are driven by a sexual or aggressive drive to exert power and control by killing another living, breathing thing” (40). John Douglas explained in his book, The Mind hunter, that most serial killers are not psychotic.

“Psychotic” implies that a person has a psychosis that has caused him to lose touch with reality, and have episodes like hearing voices or delusional behavior, and serial killers do not have this condition.

He says that “serial killers are psychopaths who suffer from chronic mental disorders coupled with violent and aggressive social behavior” (67). Does this mean that serial killers are crazy or insane? The answer is no. Serial killers are the most extreme form of psychopaths, but are not crazy or insane in any sense of those words.

In a paper for the International Association of Forensic Sciences in 1984, FBI Special Agent Robert Ressler and some of his colleagues listed 10 characteristics of a serial killer. Over 90% of serial killers are white males who have IQ’s in the normal to bright range. Even with this intelligence, though, they do poorly in school and often have problems keeping a job.

They tend to come from highly unstable or dysfunctional families, usually abandoned by their fathers and raised by controlling mothers. They usually hate their parents. Almost every serial killer is abused as a child, whether it is sexually, emotionally, physically, or psychologically. This abuse may come from a stranger or a family member, but many serial killers try to lie about this history of abuse.

Most serial killers have records of early psychiatric problems and often spent time in institutions as children. Future serial killers share three other traits in their childhoods. More than 60% of serial killers wet their beds past the age of 12. They also have a fascination with fire, which may be an early manifestation of their fondness for mass destruction. In addition, almost every serial killer starts his abuse and sadistic torture on animal victims (Fisher and Fisher).

2.2. Organized vs. Disorganized Killers

In contrast, the crime scene of the disorganized killer is described as reflecting an overall sense of disorder and suggests little, if any, preplanning of the murder. The clutter present at the crime scene may include evidence such as blood, semen, fingerprints, and the murder weapon. There is minimal use of restraints and the body is often displayed in open view. The disorganized killer is thought to be socially incompetent and to have below-average intelligence.

In “Crime classification manual” Douglas et al. sustain that : ” in general organized offenders are hypothesized to kill after undergoing some sort of precipitating stressful event, such as financial, relationship, or employment problems”(37).

Their actions are thought to reflect a level of planning and control. The crime scene will therefore reflect a methodical and ordered approach. This is seen as being a consequence of the organized offender being socially skilled and adept with handling interpersonal situations. Organized killers are more likely to use a verbal approach with victims prior to violence and all these aspects of the killer are presumed to be reflected in the crime scene.

By contrast, Douglas et al. hypothesize that “the disorganized offender kills opportunistically. He or she will live in close proximity to the crime scene.”(293)

A lack of planning before, during, or after the crime will be reflected in the spontaneous style of the offense and the chaotic state of the crime scene. This mirrors the offender’s social inadequacy and inability to maintain interpersonal relationships.

In the Crime Classification Manual, (Douglas et al.) was introduced a third category of killer, the “mixed” one. They suggest that the reasons for those offenders who cannot be easily discriminated as organized or disorganized are multifarious. The attack may involve more than one offender, there may be unanticipated events that the offender had not planned for, the victim may resist or the offender may “escalate” into a different pattern during the course of an offence or over a series of offenses.

The suggestion is that in this sort of crime, although there may be some evidence of planning, there will be poor concealment of the body. The crime scene might be in great disarray, and there will be a great deal of manual violence committed against the victim. The killer may be young or involved in drugs or alcohol.

2.3. The Holmes and Holmes Serial Murder Typology

Holmes R. and Holmes S. have provided a typology that divides serial killers into four

Broad types: visionary, mission-oriented, hedonistic, and power/control. These are not definitive categories; many serial killers may evidence aspects of all types at various times.

Visionary Motive Type

Serial murderer kills because 'commanded' to do so by voices or visions. This is rarest type of serial murderer. Perhaps suffers from psychotic mental problem and out of touch with reality. The victims tend to be strangers and seen as part of target category of persons. At this type of killers the killing is spontaneous and disorganized.

Mission-Oriented Motive Type

The murderer has a goal (to rid world of certain type of person) but goal comes from within not in response to voices. The murderer is not psychotic but needs to solve a particular problem. He is aware of what he is doing and knows that action is wrong and is condemned by society for it. He appears normal to people, is often successful and chooses groups seen as 'unworthy’. His act is well planned and the victims are usually strangers.

Hedonistic Type

The person kills for pleasure. There are two types of hedonistic killers: thrill-oriented killer and lust killer.

The thrill-oriented killer enjoys killing. The victims are strangers chosen randomly with no particular characteristics. The murder is spontaneous and disorganized and sometimes has an element of sadism.

The lust killer’s central element of crime is sexual. Sexual pleasure increased by amount of pain and mutilation inflicted. Gratification gained by abuse of victim. Usually lead normal lives with normal relationships except of problem of sexual gratification. The victim is usually a complete stranger and the act is usually planned.

Power/Control Oriented Type

The Power/Control killer is difficultly distinguished by lust or thrill-seeking type. He uses the same traits but the criminal act is based on the desire to show total control over other human being. Power is the main factor behind crime. Sometimes the sexual abuse of victim is only to demonstrate their power. The killing is often sadistic.

The above is only a generalization of these types of criminals. The characterization for the purposes of a criminal investigation has to be more precise. For a full profile other details, such as the scene of the crime, the type of person who the victim was, physical appearance and so on are necessary

3. Joe Ball - "The Alligator Man"
His name was Joseph D. Ball, but was perhaps better known as the “Butcher of Elmendorf, ”Bluebeard of South Texas” or the “Alligator Man”. Joe was Frank and Elizabeth Ball’s second child, born on Jan. 7, 1896 in Elmendorf, Texas, a small town near San Antonio. It is said he murdered at least 20 women during the 1930s.

They say hind sight is 20/20 and many who looked back on Joe’s life began seeing telltale signs he was not like other children. He was a loner, introverted and mostly kept to him. Then there was his obsession with guns. As he entered his teen years Joe spent hours practicing and honing his skills. Years later, after a stint on the front lines in Europe during World War I Joe returned home and took up bootlegging, selling whisky out of his Model a Ford. When Prohibition ended in the mid-20s it put a dent in his bootlegging business, so he went legit and opened a saloon called the Sociable Inn. In the back there was also a pond with a 10 foot high fence where he kept five alligators which he used as a gimmick to attract customers. While most customers managed to get along with the proprietor, they also sensed something deeply disturbing about him and definitely someone not to be crossed. To help with the business Joe hired a young handyman named Clifton Wheeler. Wheeler, an African American, soon found himself doing most of the work. Joes only hired the youngest, prettiest girls which also helped make his saloon a popular place. Oddly enough none ever seemed to stay for long.

In 1934, Joe met Minnie Gotthardt. Most called her “Big Minnie.” Despite the fact Joe’s patrons disliked her with a passion the two became an item and began running the bar together. Their relationship became rocky about 3 years later when a younger waitress, Dolores "Buddy" Goodwin caught Joe’s fancy. Dolores was in love with Joe, even though he had once thrown a bottle at her leaving a scar from her eye to her neck.

Then in 1937, beautiful 22-year-old Hazel Schatzie Brown was hired and Joe immediately fell for her. Joe now had a big problem trying to balance three women. However, that summer, Big Minnie mysteriously disappeared.

Minnie’s friends and family soon began inquiring as to her whereabouts. Joe said he didn’t know, but she had left town after giving birth to a black child. Shortly afterwards, Joe and Dolores were married. Joe later confided to Delores, Minnie had not left town and he had taken her to a beach, shot her in the head and then buried her there. After that, Dolores mysteriously vanished in April. Shortly afterwards Hazel also disappeared.

Joe's help kept disappearing, but it didn’t seem to affect business until mid-1938, when Minnie’s family began asking questions again. She was still missing so they asked for help from the Bexar County Sheriff’s office. However, lacking any solid evidence Joe was dismissed as a suspect.

A few months later another young woman, 23-year-old Julia Turner, also turned up missing. Sheriff’s deputies again visited Joe who claimed she was having personal problems and had moved on. During the next few months, two more employees were added to the growing list of mysterious disappearances. However, with no hard evidence Joe could not be charged.

But, on September 23, 1938, things began to change. A man came forward saying he had seen Joe feed human meat to his alligators. The following morning, deputies went to investigate, but the barrel was not to be found. The deputies decided to pay Joe another visit. When they arrived at Joe’s saloon, he was told he was being taken in for questioning. Joe calmly walked over to the cash register where he kept a 45 caliber revolver. Accounts differ as to whether Joe pointed the gun at his heart or his head. In any event he pulled the trigger and fell dead.

Joe’s saloon was searched from top to bottom were soon going over every square inch of Joes bar. They found rotting meat around the gator pond and an ax matted with dried blood and hair. Naturally it was assumed Joe had chopped up his victims and fed them to his alligators.

Surprisingly, investigators located Dolores in California. Two weeks later, another one of the women previously listed as "missing" from the tavern was found in Phoenix. Investigators never found any human remains in Joe’s alligator pond.

Many say that’s only because he was smart enough to clean up afterwards.

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