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Jeffrey Dahmer: A Serial Killer

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A serial killer is defined as an individual who has murdered three or more people over a time period of longer than a month; with a process called “cooling off” in between the different murders (What are the Different Types of Serial Killers?). The FBI states that motives for serial murder include "anger, thrill, financial gain, and attention seeking.” Throughout history, the FBI has zeroed in on four different types of motives for serial killers, visionary, missionary, hedonistic, and power or control killers. The first category is visionary killers. These killers feel the demand to murder because of visions or messages they receive from angels, demons, Satan, God or another entity (Mucci). They are out of touch with reality. Visionary serial …show more content…

He was a hedonistic killer; a rapist and a cannibal. Dahmer murdered a total of seventeen males over his thirteen year killing spree. He was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms in prison. The FBI eventually determined his ritual for killing his victims. Dahmer would take the male into his basement, strangle them and fulfill his sexual needs with the corpse. Sometimes, he would even eat the human flesh. He would only practice cannibalism on the victims he believed he truly loved. (Biography.com Editors). Dahmer was killed in prison on November 28th 1994 by Christopher Scarver (Biography.com Editors). The FBI interviewed Dahmer in prison. His exact words were “Lust played a big part in the murders. Control and lust. Once it happened the first time, it just seemed like it had control of my life from then on. The killing was just a means to an end. That was the least satisfactory part. I didn’t enjoy doing that.” (Bonn). It is obvious to the FBI that Dahmer is a hedonistic killer that falls under the “lust” subcategory because he said himself, lust played a big part in the …show more content…

Each motive is different, and there are different serial killers that fall into these categories. The killer’s younger years often play a role in what group they are placed into as well. Neglect and abuse are two of the main reasons these people are eventually triggered to commit these crimes (Overcash, Jason). Usually the crimes committed can display, resemble, and even mirror the abuse and/or neglect of one’s childhood. This is how the Federal Bureau of Investigation can narrow down what the motive is. The FBI has focused on these four motives, and will continue to place serial killers in the category they belong in based on the crimes they have committed, and what provoked them to do it, and the way the crime was carried

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