"The FBI defines serial murder as:
- A minimum of three to four victims, with a "cooling off" period in between;
- The killer is usually a stranger to the victim — the murders appear unconnected or random;
- The murders reflect a need to sadistically dominate the victim;
- The murder is rarely "for profit"; the motive is psychological, not material;
- The victim may have "symbolic" value for the killer; method of killing may reveal this meaning;
- Killers often choose victims who are vulnerable (prostitutes, runaways, etc.)"
"Statistically, the average serial killer is a white male from a lower-to-middle-class background, usually in his twenties or thirties. Many were physically or emotionally abused by parents. Some were adopted. As children, fledgling serial killers often set fires, torture animals, and wet their beds (these red-flag behaviors are known as the "triad" of symptoms.) Brain injuries are common. Some are very intelligent and have shown great promise as successful professionals. They are also fascinated with the police and authority in general. They have either attempted to become police themselves but were rejected, worked as security guards, or served in the military. Many, including John Gacy . . and Ted Bundy, have disguised themselves as law enforcement officials to gain access to their victims."
if you intend to avoid the path of a serial killer, your best strategy is to sidestep the charming, the impeccably dressed, polite individuals. They blend in, camouflaged in contemporary anonymity.
Or, to reference 'The Addams Family', "What does a serial killer look like? Just like everybody else."
Humans seem to have been telling tales and issuing warnings about 'stranger danger' and killers hidden in plain sight for a long time. Is it a case of 'no smoke without fire'? Have there always been certain people who will engage in 'serial killer' behaviour? I don't know. Maybe someone out there does?
The statistics show, though, that we are all far more likely to die at the hands of a 'loved one' or family member than an evil stranger.
The stranger is an unknown quantity. They enter our environment and we have no way to predict how they will behave or to know why they have come, other than general speculation, until we speak to them. Then they might lie to us. Strangers bring change, different views, discomforture.; they challenge our status quo. They are 'other'.
It is much easier to decide a stranger killed little Bobby after sexually assaulting him than to imagine his uncle or cousin harboring such a monster within themselves. If Bobby's relatives can't be trusted, we none of us are safe.
As an abuse survivor I can tell you that your village is full of monsters. I once went to a large conference. . . I was stood on a mezzanine gallery looking down on the crowd, alongside a fellow abuse survivor when he observed: "It's so disturbing ; looking down and knowing there are at least five abusers down there".
Welcome to Royston Vasey.
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