Why We Love Serial Killers (2 page)

News reporters and actors are good at both scaring and entertaining the public with their descriptions of these “celebrity monsters” but, in the end, the public is left with no real knowledge about how serial killers come to be.

Are they born with a murderous gene, or are they molded by their life circumstances? Do they pick their victims at random, or do they stalk them first? Can serial killers be reformed? Are they ever remorseful? Is there a clue for a civilian to spot a serial killer in a crowd? These and
many more vital questions are rarely addressed. The general public is given little useful baseline information to understand these most elusive criminals.

First and foremost, serial killers don’t look like the monsters the media portrays them to be. They don’t manifest with wild hair and bulging eyes. They look like your postman or your grocer, a relative or a business associate—because that is exactly who they are. A serial killer, as rare as they are in the world of murderers, could be living right next door to you.

When I interviewed Joyce Dahmer, Jeffrey Dahmer’s mother, for a segment on the television show
Hard Copy,
she seemed to be genuinely stunned about her son’s gruesome actions. Mrs. Dahmer, a mental health professional, was overwhelmed with grief that she had not been able to recognize the warning signs in her own son. After his conviction, stemming from the rape, murder, and dismemberment of seventeen men and boys (evidence of cannibalism was also discovered), Joyce told me Jeffrey earnestly beseeched her to find “someone to study me, to figure out why I did what I did.”

During an interview with serial killer and sexual sadist Kenneth Bianchi at Walla Walla State Penitentiary in Washington, I ultimately zeroed in on his past life. Bianchi seemed to be in a dissociative state during much of the TV interview, but when I asked if he would like to explain to his young son, Ryan, why he wasn’t with him, Bianchi began to cry. This man, who, along with his cousin Angelo Buono, had raped and killed at least fifteen young females in California and Washington state, sat before me and cried like a baby. It was as if the Hillside Strangler had been struck dumb. He had no words to offer to his own child, who by then was a teenager and might easily have understood.

Over the years I’ve come to realize that these serial killers likely don’t fully understand what motivates them to do what they do. So, try as we might to understand what provokes them into multiple murders, it may be a fool’s errand.

There are so many different permutations within the serial killer community—as you will learn in this book—that it is hard to generalize descriptions of them or to identify their trigger points. It is easy for a journalist to say, “The defense attorney says the killer had a rough childhood,” or “It’s believed drugs and alcohol are at the root of these
murders.” I say, that is a cop-out. There are much richer psychological dynamics at play here, no matter which serial killer you study.

Only by diligent reading of books such as
Why We Love Serial Killers
will the public come to understand the true and explosive danger that walks among us.

—Diane Dimond, journalist, author, and syndicated columnist

December 2013, New York

PREFACE

You may be wondering why in the world someone would write a book titled
Why We Love Serial Killers
. If so, I completely understand your curiosity or skepticism. The obvious contradiction in the title of this book seems to be outrageous at first blush.

As far back as I can recall I have always loved monsters. While growing up in Ohio in the 1970s, I loved horror movies, including the definitive and iconic
Frankenstein
(1931) and the now classic
Halloween
(1978). In more recent times I have come to love the Hollywood tales of fictional serial predators such as Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter in
The Silence of the Lambs
and the more recent
Dexter
.
Hannibal
(the early years of Dr. Lecter) is currently a hit television series on NBC.

I have always rooted for my favorite movie monsters because they are generally tormented and misunderstood souls who I know will ultimately be destroyed. Now, as a criminologist living in New York, I am fascinated by real-life serial killers. I study the crimes of infamous predators such as Jeffrey Dahmer and have had the opportunity to actually meet or correspond with two of the most notorious serial killers of the twenty-first century—that is, David Berkowitz, the so-called “Son of Sam,” and Dennis Rader, known by the moniker “BTK” which stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill.” Their revelations in this book may astound you and give you new insights into the way these criminals think.

The great prevalence of serial killers in the mass media indicates that I am not alone in my fascination with them. I have a theory that serial killers are transformed into larger-than-life celebrity monsters through the combined efforts of law enforcement authorities, the news and entertainment media, and the public. I believe that exaggerated depictions of serial killers in the mass media have blurred fact and
fiction. As a result, Jeffrey Dahmer and Hannibal Lecter have become interchangeable in the minds of the public.

In addition to being a criminologist and college professor, I am a former media executive. While serving as vice president for a couple of different television networks in the 1990s, it became apparent to me that a crime news story is an entertainment product just like an episode of
CSI
or
Criminal Minds
. Sensationalized and graphic entertainment news generates large network television audiences, and major advertisers are willing to pay handsomely to present their commercials to those audiences. Therefore, it is in the best financial interests of network television producers to make their crime news stories as shocking and enticing as possible to viewers.

Sex and violence sell in the news and entertainment media, and serial killers offer both in the extreme. Therefore, it is not surprising that serial killers have become central players on the public stage. However, the prevailing image of the serial killer in the popular culture is distorted and reflects a stereotype that they are all dysfunctional, young white males. The popular culture image also maintains that serial killers are inhuman monsters and represent pure evil. The facts about serial killers are actually quite different than the popular myths about them. I wrote this book in part to set the record straight and present the truth about serial killers—a truth which is far more compelling than fiction.

Why We Love Serial Killers
explains why so many people, including me, are fascinated with serial killers. My research for this book revealed that our fascination has something to do with the glamorized and sensationalized manner in which serial killers are presented in the news and entertainment media. I learned that our interest in serial killers has something to do with the nature of society itself and the powerful allure of things that are both frightening and incomprehensible. The serial killer represents a lurid, complex, and compelling presence on the social landscape. There appears to be an innate human tendency to identify or empathize with all things—whether good or bad—including serial killers. I discovered that serial killers are terrifying and captivating to the public because some of them, such as Ted Bundy, are highly educated, charming, successful, and could easily be a next-door neighbor. I learned many other incredible things about the public’s fascination with evil and the macabre as a result of my research. I share those revelations throughout this book.

I hope that you will embark on this journey to the dark side of the human condition with me. I also hope that you will find it interesting and thought-provoking. This book has been a labor of love, and it was made possible by my literary agent, Jill Marr, and my editor, Holly Rubino, who believed in my vision. I wish to thank Roy Hazelwood, Jeff Kamen, and Dave Carbone for their significant contributions to this book. I thank my friend, John Wirenius, for his considerable expertise and support. I thank Dennis Rader and David Berkowitz for their compelling insights and candor. I thank Roxanne Tauriello for her guidance. I also wish to thank the following former students who provided valuable research assistance on this book: Marissa Deanna, Ellen Reinhard, Christa Lenz, and Leah Zarra. I thank my friend and colleague, Dr. Gamin Bartle, for providing important editorial comments on early drafts of this book. I thank my dear, late friend, Angela Wu, for her love and support. Finally, I thank my colleagues and students at Drew University who inspire me every day.

PART 1
EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SERIAL KILLERS (BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK)

CHAPTER 1
THE STRANGE ALLURE OF THOSE WHO KILL AND KILL AGAIN

A serial killer is frequently an unassuming everyman or everywoman who could easily be a next-door neighbor or co-worker. Such was the case of the late John Wayne Gacy, a prolific and psychopathic serial killer born in Chicago in 1942. He was named after his mother’s favorite Hollywood movie star, the legendary John “The Duke” Wayne. As a young adult, the outgoing and sociable Gacy became a successful building contractor, husband, and father. He was well known and respected in his suburban Chicago community. He became heavily involved in local politics and was named a Jaycee (Junior Chamber of Commerce) “Man of the Year.” He even escorted President Jimmy Carter’s wife, Rosalynn, on one of her visits to Chicago.

John Wayne Gacy was also a ruthless predator who tortured, raped, and strangled thirty-three young men between 1972 and his arrest in 1978. He buried twenty-nine of his victims in a crawl space under his house. Gacy was caught after a surveillance detective assigned to the case noticed a suspicious smell emanating from a heating duct in Gacy’s home. The floor boards of Gacy’s house shook as forensic anthropologists attempted to excavate the twenty-nine bodies buried in the crawl space due to millions of worms that were feeding on the corpses. Gacy pled not guilty by reason of insanity but was determined to be legally sane by the court. He was convicted of the serial rape and murder of his victims and sentenced to death on March 13, 1980.

Gacy became known as “The Killer Clown” because his favorite pastime when he was not killing involved entertaining children at parties and hospitals dressed in a clown costume and full-face makeup. His clown alter ego was named Pogo. The late FBI profiler Robert Ressler, who interviewed Gacy after his conviction, said Gacy told
him that his victims were “worthless little queers and punks.” Ressler challenged him on that statement, asking “Aren’t you a homosexual, too?” Gacy responded that his victims were young runaways while he was a respected and successful businessman. Gacy also explained that he was too busy at work to date and romance women following his divorce, so he settled for quick sex with transient young men. Unremorseful until the end, Gacy’s final words before being executed by lethal injection on May 10, 1994, were, “Kiss my ass.”

Serial killers tantalize, terrify, and entertain the public. Since at least the 1970s they have been frequent and chilling actors on center stage in the news and entertainment media. Massive and highly stylized news coverage of real-life serial killers such as David Berkowitz (the “Son of Sam”), Ted Bundy, and Jeffrey Dahmer transforms them into ghoulish popular culture celebrities. Similarly, fictional serial killers such as Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter in
The
Silence of the Lambs
and the “Tooth Fairy” in
Red Dragon
created by author Thomas Harris have also become popular culture icons. More recently, the tremendous success and acclaim of the Showtime television series
Dexter
and
The Millennium Trilogy
global media phenomenon based on author Stieg Larsson’s book
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
demonstrate how eager the public is to be frightened by serial killers.

John Wayne Gacy as he appeared prior to his arrest. (photo credit: Associated Press)

Interest in serial killers is hardly new. Public fascination with serial killers probably dates back to the late 1880s when a series of extremely brutal, unsolved prostitute murders occurred in the Whitechapel area of London, England, and those killings gained worldwide notoriety. In the fall of 1888, a series of five grotesque murders were committed in London by an unknown individual who legend has it called himself “Jack the Ripper” in letters he allegedly sent to the London police claiming credit for the crimes. Prior to the Jack the Ripper letters, the London newspapers called the unknown killer “Leather Apron” based on a suspicion that the killer was a local butcher. The following provides the unedited content from the most infamous of the letters allegedly written by Jack the Ripper:

Dear Boss,

I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal. How can they catch me now. I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use it. Red ink is fit enough I hope ha. ha. The next job I do I shall clip the ladys ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly wouldn’t you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight. My knife’s so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance. Good luck. Yours truly,