Serial Murder

Serial murder is one form of multiple murder. The term “serial murder” has only been part of the vernacular since the 1980s, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began to differentiate between various forms of multiple murder. Serial murder involves the killing of multiple victims in separate events over a period of time. That period of time between murders can be characterized as a “cooling-off” period where the offender returns to a normal, generally law-abiding, routine before committing their next murder. As a form of multiple murder, serial murder can be contrasted with mass murder, which involves the killing of multiple victims in one event, and with spree murder, which involves the killing of multiple victims in separate events without the cooling-off period. This definition of serial murder is still somewhat vague, because there is no standard definition of serial murder. For instance, there is debate about how many victims are necessary before the label of “serial murder” should be applied. Statistically, serial murder is a rare occurrence. It occurs less frequently than other types of violent crime and only makes up a small percentage of murders. The nature of the offenses and the impact on victims and communities, however, results in serial murder receiving substantial attention in the media. The attention is not just from the news media. Despite the heinous nature of the offenses, serial murder is a prevalent subject in entertainment media, and some serial killers have achieved a celebrity status in popular culture. Serial murder has also received significant attention from academics, with many attempts made to better understand the characteristics, backgrounds, and motivations of serial killers.