A few days ago, the news was about a shooting at a university in Prague \u2014 14 or so were killed and more than 25 injured. Another mass murder. And last night I watched part of a program about a serial killer. Even though I\u2019m pretty sure I knew the difference, I thought I\u2019d do some checking on the distinction between serial killers and mass murderers. So here\u2019s what a little extensive research revealed\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A mass murderer kills four or more people during a short period of time, usually in one location. (I\u2019m not sure how they came up with the number four, but apparently if someone only kills three people, he or she is not a mass murderer.) But anyhow, in most cases, the murderer has a sudden mental collapse and goes on a rampage, going from murder to murder without a break. About half the time, these outbreaks end in suicides or fatal standoffs with the police.\u00a0
School shootings, that are becoming more common, are instances of mass murder, as are famous cases of postal workers, that resulted in the phrase, \u201cgoing postal.\u201d Cases where someone murders his, or her, entire family is a mass murderer. Terrorists are also lumped into this category, but they also make up a group of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A serial killer usually murders one person at a time \u2014 typically a stranger \u2014 with a \u201ccooling off\u201d period between each murder. Unlike mass murders, serial killers don\u2019t suddenly snap one day \u2014 they have an ongoing compulsion (usually with a sexual component) that drives them to kill, often in very specific ways.\u00a0
Serial killers may even maintain jobs and normal relationships while going to great lengths to conceal their deadly affliction or habit. They may resist the urge to kill for long periods, but the compulsion ultimately grows too strong to resist. After the third victim the killer graduates from plain ol\u2019 murderer to a bona fide serial killer. (Again, not sure who came up with the magic fourth killing to qualify as a serial killer.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s kind of interesting, or depressing, that in between these two groups, there are others known as the spree killer and the serial spree killer. A spree killer commits murder in multiple locations over the course of a few days. This is often part of a general crime wave. One example given is that an escaped convict may kill multiple people, steal cars and commit other offenses as he tries to escape the police. Like a mass murderer, a spree killer doesn\u2019t plan each murder individually.
The serial spree killer, on the other hand, does plan and commit each murder separately \u2014 serial killer style. But he doesn\u2019t take time off between murders or maintain a double life \u2014 it\u2019s just killing, all the time. One example that most of us remember is the Washington D.C. area beltway snipers who killed ten people within three weeks in October of 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, if you encounter any of these type of killers it doesn\u2019t matter what category they fit into. It\u2019s just too bad there is so much killing that we have to categorize the culprits.
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A few days ago, the news was about a shooting at a university in Prague \u2014 14 or so were killed and more than 25 injured. Another mass murder. And last night I watched part of a program about a … Continue reading