- 'serial killer' (Lefebvre, 2005). Holmes and Holmes (2010) defined a serial killer as an individual killing three or more people, while Dyer (1997) emphasized the serial nature of the killings: 'Serial killers kill serially: one murder after another, each a variation and continuation of those before, each an episode in a serial' (p.
- Jan 26, 2015 David Berkowitz, the 'Son of Sam,' is frequently cited as a classic example of the visionary serial killer. They sometimes believe they are another person, or they are compelled to murder by higher entities such as God or the Devil.
Jan 26, 2015 David Berkowitz, the 'Son of Sam,' is frequently cited as a classic example of the visionary serial killer. They sometimes believe they are another person, or they are compelled to murder by higher entities such as God or the Devil. Visionary: Visionary serial killers often report hearing voices that tell them to kill, but don’t seem to have a mental illness that would be associated with hearing voices. David Berkowitz aka The Son of Sam aka the.44 Caliber Killer, proclaimed to hear demonic voices that told him to kill.
Missionary serial killers believe it is their duty to kill what they believe is an unwanted element. For example, they believe homosexuals, prostitutes, and people of different religions and ethnicities deserve to be killed to rid society of an unwanted element.
One hundred and fifteen years ago, a missionary serial killer terrorized the East End of London killing between four to nine prostitutes arguably. It is mostly accepted that there was five victims. He was only known as Jack The Ripper. His identity was never figured out; however the individual claiming the murders would leave the name Jack The Ripper. Although thirteen people were murdered in the timeframe between December 1887 and April 1891, most agreed that not all were The Rippers victims. The names of his victims were unknown until the 1960s when their photos were finally recovered. This has arguably been considered the most famous unsolved crime in history.
Visionary Serial Killer Examples
In May of 1998 a missionary serial killer was sentenced to life in prison. His name was Ted Kacyznski a.k.a. the “Unabomber”. Born on May 22nd 1942 in Evergreen Park Illinois, he was an anti-technology terrorist. In 1978 Kazynski began a random series of bombing across the United States. His primary targets were universities and airlines. The first was in May at the University of Chicago. He sent a package to a professor which in turn exploded and injured a university police officer. Kazynski was originally known as the “junkyard bomber” due to his explosives being crude and primitive. Over time however, his bombs became more advanced and fatal. His identity was hidden for a length of time with only a sketch of a man wearing sunglasses and a hood. In 1994 Kazynski demanded is “Manifesto”, a 35,000 word document showing his distaste in technology. The mainstream media met this request. He was eventually arrested in April of 1996 when he was found in his one room shack just outside of Lincoln, Montana where he was living reclusively since 1971.
Yona Williams. 12/16/10. http://crime.about.com/od/history/a/ripper040721.htm