Many Serial Killers Among Us Are Being Overlooked!
by Don Boys, Ph.D.
Stockton, California police arrested Wesley Brownlee in connection with six unprovoked murders of men ages 21 to 54 over the last few months. Five of the six were Latinos. Brownlee is from a broken home and has a criminal record going back decades. At 14, he and friends sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl. If found guilty of the murders, he will not be executed but live decades in California’s prison system watching television, lifting weights, and breathing, things his victims no longer do.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informs us that there are about 500 serial killers living among us at all times although most are inactive. Most of them are male and had an unusual relationship with their mother. However, a study reported in The New Yorker says it is 2,000! The tragedy is they could have been identified early if parents, teachers, and physicians recognized their problems.
Americans are always shocked, shaken, and often stunned when a serial killer is caught, followed by revelations that he captured, mutilated, raped, and killed many innocent victims. The question always follows: “Why would anyone do something so heinous?” Answers such as “he had been abused,” “he was on drugs,” or “he was insane” are forthcoming, and for sure, those are answers but only partial answers.
Every person on earth has an evil nature, capable of doing anything under the right circumstances.
In Romans 3, God built a case against man, proving his need for redemption. In Romans 6:23, Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” And that is followed in Romans 10:13 with “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That is the answer to mankind’s major problems.
Man’s sinful nature is the short, sure, and simple explanation–but not an excuse or exoneration–for all sins, including serial killings. The real reason for human rape, murder, incest, theft, lust, and anger is that people are evil by nature; but why do only a small percentage of people commit serial killings? There are many secondary reasons for serial killings, and we must ascertain why only a few people become serial killers when everyone is evil by nature. And we must be able to identify serial killers early.
According to the Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience, “A serial killer is someone who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with a cooling-off period between murders. The motive is usually based on psychological (often sexual) gratification, though the motives may also include anger, thrill, money, and attention seeking.” Furthermore, 40% of them will never be caught.
Michael H. Stone, M.D., in his The Anatomy of Evil, reveals the motives of serial killers generally fall into four categories: first is the visionary who feels compelled by God or the Devil or obscure voices to murder. The second is mission-oriented, seeking to rid the world of homosexuals, prostitutes, Christians, Jews, etc. The third is the hedonistic person who derives pleasure from killing. The fourth is one seeking control over others. The categories overlap considerably.
Is it nature or nurture that determines aggressive, deadly behavior? In other words, is “bad seed” a reality? Do some children inherit inappropriate, even criminal behavior (other than original sin) from their parents? A study that focused on a group of psychopaths who had been adopted as infants showed that their biological relatives were four to five times more likely to be psychopathic than the average person! Researchers note that it is easier for “bad seeds to blossom in bad environments.” Well, that is a given. I am convinced it is not nature or nurture but nature and nurture. This issue needs more in-depth research and goes to the heart of this issue. Whether nature or nurture, each person must be held accountable for his actions.
Serial killers have written gory biographies in blood that demand the attention of normal, decent people.
Dr. H. H. Holmes was America’s first serial killer in the 1890s. He confessed to killing 27 people but claimed that he could not keep from killing people anymore “than the poet can help the inspiration to sing.” Like most lawbreakers, he refused to take responsibility for his own crimes.