True Crime - Blog Posts

being interested in serial killers and their motives and what drove them to kill but understanding that they were awful people who did awful things and not normalizing/romanticizing them

romanticizing/being attracted to/admiring/shipping serial killers

I fucking hate true crime so fucking much

Scrolling reddit and this bullshit showed up in my feed.

If I had a penny for every time I saw a true crime fan act like these real events, real actual tragedies, are just some fun little story....I'd be one of the richest fuckers in the world.

I don't know if there's an actual term for this. An actual term for when people become incapable of processing reality as anything other than media to be consumed. The only thing I can think to call it is media poisoning.

JonBenet Ramsey isn't a real person anymore, her family aren't real people, the victims of Oakland County aren't real people and neither are their families. They're just characters. What happened to them isn't real, the tragedy, the pain, the death, the soul-shattering grief....it's not real, it's just a story.

If they were real, you couldn't make posts like that. You couldn't have a podcast called My Favorite Murder. You couldn't have people dressing themselves or their kids up as serial killers for Halloween. You couldn't have a wildly successful youtube series casually discussing murders while putting on makeup or doing mukbangs.

So they can't be real. They have to be media that you consume. And that's all they get to be. A product.

Natalia Grace, from a victim of Neglect and Narcissistic Abuse

The case of Natalia Grace hits home incredibly hard for me. It occurred in my home state, in very familiar locations.

She also is only one year older than I am. I grew up parallel to her. And when she was alone in that apartment at age 9, struggling to care for herself because no one ever taught her, I was in the middle of my parents’ horrific divorce also struggling to care for myself because no one was there to teach me.

Comments were made towards me around that time about how I hardly ever brushed my hair, I didn’t take a shower until I was told, I didn’t know I needed a bra, I wore pajamas to school, I never brushed my teeth. And when I heard the neighbors comment about how she smelled and her hair was dirty and she would come into their houses only looking for something to eat, I immediately thought fuck, it’s because she’s a kid! And also disabled, even if she were an adult she can’t fucking care for herself! And the neighbors that thought she was creepy or annoying, I got those comments too. People wanted away from me because at age 9 all I wanted to talk about was Warrior Cats or My Little Pony or Minecraft, nothing else.

The most important lesson I’ve learned in my adult life is that nothing is taught. Everything, common sense and basic self care, everything must be taught to a child. And people who don’t know how to do those things almost always come from neglect or abuse. I suffered neglect. Natalia suffered both.

And when I saw the clip of Michael Barnett interrogating her about the social worker and the donuts, that was eerily similar to the rants my step mom would go on about my dirty laundry or me drinking her orange juice. Abusive Narcissists like to put you down about the stupidest, smallest things. And there’s nothing you can say to stop it, you just have to sit there. When she was sitting in silence, just blinking at him, saying “I don’t know”, I felt that. Because I have been there.

I’ve blocked a lot of what I’ve experienced out, just because that’s what happens when you’re ill. Occasionally I’ll have moments of clarity though, when I remember, oh this horrible thing happened! Or I should know how to do this! And I realize why I don’t. I’m still struggling to keep up with my peers in all areas. I can’t imagine also being beaten, physically punished, abandoned, and then having to see your abusers get away with it. And on top of all that - being physically disabled.

There is no fucking doubt about this. Natalia Grace was born in 2003, proven by genetic evidence and dental records and BY HER BIRTH MOTHER. She was 9 years old when she was left abandoned in that apartment. And Michael Barnett and Kristine Barnett are monsters. I believe that no matter what kind of afterlife exists, they will be punished for what they’ve done.

/j

Clyde Barrow was definitely a killer, but it is highly likely that Bonnie didn’t kill anybody! She was apparently quite charming, and wanted to be considered a lady: she was very concerned that the press thought she was a smoker, because she posed with a cigar in this famous picture:

So if Bonnie was the sweetheart and Clyde was the criminal, I guess Mammon and MC could be Bonnie and Clyde? Except for where they got brutally shot to death in an ambush? And Bonnie had a raging gangrenous leg from a car accident? Which isn’t really that romantic?

Maybe they should just be Victoria and Albert...

Mammon: We're such a good couple

MC: *giggles*

Mammon: We're like The Joker and Harley Quinn

MC: The Joker and Harley had a horrible toxic relationship..

Mammon: Ok, We're like Bonnie & Clyde.

MC: Bonnie & Clyde killed people Mammon..

Mammon: We're like Fred and Rose West.

MC: Mammon..Please stop talking.

~

The Somerton Man, Australia, 1948. At 6:30 AM, on December 1, 1948, police were called after the body of an unknown man was discovered on Somerton Park Beach in Glenelg, South Australia, about 7 mi (11 km) southwest of Adelaide. He was found laying against the sea wall across from the crippled children’s home. He had an unlit cigarette in the collar of his coat. A search of his pockets revealed an unused second-class rail ticket from Adelaide to Henley Beach, a bus ticket from the city, an aluminum comb made in the US, a half full packet of Juicy Fruit chewing gum, a quarter full box of Bryant & May matches, and an Army Club cigarette package that oddly contained seven cigarettes from the brand Kensitas Club. He had no wallet, cash, or ID of any kind. Witnesses came forward saying that they had seen a man on the beach the previous evening at 7pm and 7:30 to 8pm respectively. Two stated they saw him extend his right arm and then drop it back down and another indicated he had not moved while in view. They didn’t investigate because they thought he was asleep or drunk. One witness indicated that they had seen another man looking down at him from the steps that led to the beach. In 1959, another witness came forward and claimed that he saw a well dressed man carrying another man on his shoulders along the beach that night. Further investigation revealed that all the labels in his clothes had been removed and his dental records couldn’t be matched with any known person. An autopsy showed signs that the man had been poisoned, although the type of poison could not be determined. Other then that, the coroner couldn’t determine the cause of death nor the mans identity. On January 14, 1949, staff at the Adelaide Railway Station discovered a suitcase with its labels removed that was checked in at 11AM on November 30th: the day before the body was found. Inside was a dressing gown, slippers, underwear, a pair of trousers, pajamas, ties, handkerchiefs, shirts, toiletry items, undershirts, a pair of scissors, a screwdriver, a knife, a square of zinc, a stenciling brush, and a book of orange thread - the same thread used to repair the pocket lining of the trousers the man was wearing. All clothing labels had been removed, but the name “Keane” was found on three items, along with three dry cleaning marks on one of the shirts. Not long after an inquest of launched into the mans death, a piece of paper was found in a fob pocket of the mans trousers. The paper had the phrase “Tamam Shud” written on it, meaning “ended” or “finished” in Persian. The phrase came from the book Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, an English translation of a collection of poems by 12th-century Persian polymath Omar Khayyám written in 1859 by Edward Fitzgerald. Following a public appeal by police, the book the paper came from was allegedly located in a car parked on Jetty Road in Glenelg. The book was missing “Tamam Shud” from the last page. Within the book there was also a group of five lines of text that was believed to be a kind of encrypted code. Attempts at deciphering the code have been so far fruitless. A telephone number was also found in the book belonging to a nurse named Jessica Ellen Thomson, who lived 1,300 ft (400 meters) north of where the body was found. When Thomson was interviewed by police, she claimed she had no idea who the man was or why he had her phone number. However, detectives and Thomson’s daughter Kate, claimed she was being evasive and was “taken aback” when showed a plaster bust of the man. Thomson gave a copy of Rubáiyat to Australian Army Lieutenant Alf Boxall while working in Sydney during World War II. However, Boxall was found living in Sydney in 1949 with his copy of the book intact. There was no evidence of any correspondence between Thomson and Boxall since 1945. In 1949, the man was interred at West Terrace Cemetery marked only as the “Somerton Man”.

The case is considered one of Australia’s most “profound mysteries”. There have been numerous theories put forward about the identity of the man and the cause of death. A popular theory states that the man was a spy due to the political tensions at the time, the apparent use of a secret code, the apparent use of an undetectable poison, and the inability by the authorities to identify the man: even investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States and New Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom turned up nothing. In 2022, Adelaide University professor Derek Abbott and Genealogist Colleen M. Fitzpatrick believe they have identified the man as Carl Webb, an electrical instrument maker from South Yarra, a suburb of Melbourne. The South Australia Police have not verified this information and have remained “cautiously optimistic” about it.

Death of Elisa Lam, 2013. In 2013, 21-year-old Canadian university student Elisa Lam was staying at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, California. On January 31, she was reported missing by her family after they received no word from her on the day she was meant to check out. Hotel staff who had seen her that day reported that she was alone. The LAPD and her family searched the hotel and put up flyers around the neighborhood. On February 15, police released surveillance footage from one the hotels elevators. The two and a half minute video is the last known sighting of Lam. The footage shows her behaving strangely, making erratic hand gestures, talking to someone who isn’t there, pressing all the buttons on the elevator, and leaving the elevator while doors are open before coming back and seemingly hiding in the corner. She leaves for a second time and doesn’t return. The doors close soon after. Many who viewed the video found it unsettling. Theories explaining her behavior include being under the influence of ecstasy, attempting to evade someone pursuing her, or psychotic episode after it was made known she suffered from Bipolar Disorder. Some claimed the video was tampered with. During the search, hotel guests began complaining about low water pressure, and some complained about the taste and color of the water, saying it was black and tasted strange. On February 19, hotel maintenance worker Santiago Lopez discovered the body of Elisa Lam floating in one of the four of the buildings 1,000 gallon water tanks. She was found naked with her clothes and personal belongings floating near her. The tank was drained and taken apart to get her body out. The Coroners report found no evidence of physical trauma, sexual assault, or suicide. Toxicology tests found traces of the prescription medication she had among her personal effects, though there was evidence she was either under medicating or had stopped medicating all together recently. There was also a very small quantity of alcohol in her system. The authorities ruled the death an accidental drowning with Bipolar Disorder as a major factor. Many questioned how she got onto the roof and into the tank in the first place. All roof access doors were locked and only staff members had the keys. Any attempts to force the doors open would trigger an alarm. Though the fire escape would allow someone to bypass these security measures, her scent trail was lost near a window connected to the fire escape. How she got into the tank was another mystery. The tank was a 4 by 8 feet cylinder and supported by cinder blocks with no fixed access. Staff use ladders to get inside. The lids are heavy and difficult to move, although Lopez said the lid was open. Police dogs who searched the roof found no trace of her. Some argue that the autopsy information is incomplete. For example, the report does not state if the rape kit was processed. It also records blood pooling in the anal area, which some claim is a sign of sexual abuse. Since her death, Lams tumblr blog has been updated, presumably through the sites queue option. Her phone was never found so it is unknown if it’s the option, hacking, or facilitating by the stolen phone causing these updates. Numerous theories have been put out, including paranormal involvement as the Cecil Hotel is famous for its history of murders and deaths that have taken place in the building.

The Dyatlov Pass incident, Soviet Union, 1959. In January of 1959, a skiing expedition was organized by a group of 10 people from the Ural Ploytechnic Institute led by student Igor Dyatlov. All group members were experienced hikers and skiiers and all except one were students at the institute. The expedition was planned to last three weeks and take the group to the top of Gora Oterton, a mountain in Russia. The group traveled by train to the town of Ivdel and then by truck to the village of Vizhai, the last inhabited settlement before the mountains. The group stayed the night in Vizhai before starting the trek the next day. On January 27th, the group began their expedition. On the 28th, group member Yuri Yudin turned back because of joint pain. That was the last time anyone saw the 9 other group members alive. Cameras and diaries found at the camp detailed the events leading up to the incident. On January 31st, the group stored surplus food and supplies in a wooded valley for their return trip. The next day the group began through the pass. However, due to bad weather conditions, the group got lost and strayed from their route, and instead of turning around they set up camp at the base of Kholat Syakhl (literally ‘Dead Mountain’ in the Mansi language). The group planned to send a telegram to their sports club when they had returned to Vizhai on February 12th. However, Dyatlov expected the trek to take longer, so the 12th came and went with no contact from the group with little alarm. By February 20th, relatives of the hikers demanded a search and rescue operation. The institute sent out volunteer groups consisting of students and teachers which were eventually joined by members of the military. On February 26th, searchers found the groups campsite. The tent had been torn open from the inside and all the groups shoes and personal belongings were still in the tent. Nine sets of footprints showed that the hikers fled the tent wearing only socks, a single shoe, or simply barefoot. Two bodies were discovered along the edge of some woods under a Siberian pine along with the remains of a small fire. The bodies were dressed only in underwear and evidence shows that one of them attempted to climb the tree. Three more bodies were discovered between the woods and camp apparently attempting to return to the tent. Two months later, on May 4th, the remaining bodies were found under 13 feet of snow at the bottom of a 247 foot ravine. Signs show that clothing belonging to the deceased were removed for use by the others. Examination of the bodies posed even more mysteries. While six died of hypothermia, one had a major skull fracture and two had fatal chest fractures. The force needed for these injuries would need be the equivalent of a car wreck. One hiker was missing her eyes, tongue, and part of her lips, one was missing his eyes, and a third was missing his eyebrows. Clothing on some of the bodies tested positive for trace amounts of radiation. Soviet authorities declared that a “compelling natural force” was responsible for the deaths. Numerous theories have been put out including aliens, avalanche, wild animal attacks, attacks by Mansi natives, infrasound panic, and military involvement. In 2019 the case was reopened by Russian authorities who claimed that an avalanche had caused the deaths. These claims have been disputed.

When someone say's they know everything about Columbine then says it was on April 23,1988

Yuka Takaoka: A Speculative and Statistical Analysis

Introduction

Yuka Takaoka, a twenty-three-year-old Japanese woman, was arrested for attempting to murder her boyfriend with a kitchen knife on May 23rd, 2019, after she was allegedly exposed to photos of him being intimate with another woman. Stating afterward, “since I loved him so much, I just couldn’t help it”.

Speculation, Comparisons to Other Killers, Statistical Traits The motivation behind Takaoka's assault remains unclear; the only motivation surrounding the "love" she felt for him. A psychological complex common in serial killers is one of gaining control via owning the corpse of the victim. Jeffery Dahmer, an American serial killer who often dismembered and tested upon his young male victims, claimed he murdered his victims due to the fact that he believed owning his victim's bodies placed him in complete control over them, thus fulfilling a sexual fetish.

Jeffrey Dahmer claimed that killing was "the least satisfactory part... No, the killing was not the objective. I just wanted to have the person under my complete control, not having to consider their wishes, being able to keep them there as long as I wanted". Takaoka shared similar sentiments, “I thought I would kill him because I thought that was how I could be with him. I thought that expressions such as ‘I like you’ and ‘I would like to be with you’ would become a reality if [we both] die" before stating "After killing [him], I, too, wanted to die”. It seems that Takaoka's sole motive wasn't necessarily the thrill of killing her boyfriend, but rather the means to an end surrounding fulfilling the gratification of a sexual and romantic fetish surrounding complete control. The victim being a romantic partner already establishes that the perpetrator most likely felt some sort of physical attraction to the victim, strengthening the hypothesis. It is possible that the obsession was further activated by the photographs taken of the victim and the anonymous woman, which struck the perpetrator's obsession with "ownership" over the victim.

When looking more specifically at statistical analyses, it seems Takaoka does not fit the stereotypical profile of a female murderer or serial killer. Though Takaoka did know her victim, both common traits in female killers, Takaoko's motivation was not material, she waited for authorities to place her into custody, the victim was not elderly nor adolescent, nor did Takaoka kill due to physical aggression from an intimate partner.

Outro

The case of Yuka Takaoka, though tragic, highlights an important point surrounding the predictable link between killing and the need for dominance. It will most likely go down in history as one of the strangest cases of attempted murder of all time.

Sources:

https://www.tokyoreporter.com/crime/yuka-takaoka-incident-gruesome-details-emerge-about-crime-of-passion/

https://www.oxygen.com/dahmer-on-dahmer-a-serial-killer-speaks/blogs/9-mind-blowing-quotes-made-by-serial-killer-jeffrey

https://www.tokyoreporter.com/crime/yuka-takaoka-incident-victim-survives-holds-no-grudge/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CI%20thought%20I%20would%20kill,a%20knife%20from%20the%20residence.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/story-behind-graphic-photo-of-beautiful-woman-covered-in-blood-092601608.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACIq1Ov01V9NGiTuH5OA3orzQa15-vyY5qhb02fh7Faam0E5nO3xUjQ8xxQ0fniD7MjrfNE64Ud1P-yzAtJ1xa8N08MpO94rf_y4LiJhDE1NanG-XLDTUk5Dvwm9Ncyi3K7vxaWpc0iwrUPg7aikx9xjVsaY6A9OAH80F1d4nE3S

https://dra.american.edu/islandora/object/1213capstones:214/datastream/PDF/view#:~:text=Dahmer%20initially%20tried%20to%20avoid,in%20complete%20control%20of%20them.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2098088/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289702828_A_study_of_female_serial_killers

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272291806_Female_serial_killers_in_the_United_States_Means_Motives_and_Makings

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6947987_Female_serial_killing_Review_and_case_report

(Note: I am not a psychologist, just interested in criminology)

Jack the Ripper: A Statistical and Typological Analysis

Introduction

Jack the Ripper was an uncaught British serial killer who operated in London from August of 1888 to November of the same year. He has five canonical victims, all of which were prostitutes. The confirmed victims include Mary Ann Nichols (31st of August), Annie Chapman (8th of September), Elizabeth Stride (30th of September), Catherine Eddowes (30th of September) and Mary Jane Kelly (9th of November).

Typology of Jack the Ripper

Serial killers can usually be organized into six typologies each with their own unique incentive, ideas, thoughts and methods of killing. The varieties of these types are the organized killer and disorganized killer and the main types are the visionary killer, the mission-oriented killer, the hedonistic killer (thrill, lust and comfort) and the power-oriented killer.

Though the killing of prostitutes may suggest a mission-oriented motive, the letters loosely suggest a thrill variety hedonistic killer (he gained obvious enjoyment of taunting of the police and the "Dear Boss" letter had a generally jovial or humorous attitude) and crime scene characteristics match the lust variety (controlled crime scene, overkill, specific victim and body mutilation after death).

The organized vs. disorganized concept is another system of criminal typology that uses crime scene analysis. Using this system we can use conjecture to determine certain personality traits (organized killers might have a higher IQ, for example). I’ll use this rating system to figure out his orientation on the O/U scale:

-Victim known: 0

-Stranger targeted: 1

-Poisoned: 0

-Chaotic scene: 0

-Controlled scene: 1

-Weapon planned: 1

-Weapon left: 0

-Body transported: 0

-Act focused: 1

The answers to this checklist suggest an organized typology by a minor amount. Though the closeness of results his organization and calmness during the course the crime suggests the result is accurate.

For personality factors we can use the OCEAN model:

-Openness: Moderate to high. Somewhat open and creative. He named himself and was one of the first serial killers to send letters. -Consciousness: Unknown. Likely moderate to low. He was organized during the course of the murders. -Extraversion: Unknown. Likely low. Considering the statistical likelihood of feelings of loneliness he'd likely have low social adequacy and social introversion. -Agreeableness: Low. Uncooperative and hostile. Partakes in crime behavior, taunting police and murder. -Neuroticism: Mid to low. Calm and unemotional. Was able to calmly avoid police and surgically remove body parts of victims precisely without anxious slip-ups.

An extra cluster will be included in the next section not discussed here. Specifically statistical analysis of prostitute homocides.

Speculation, Comparisons to Other Killers, Statistical Traits

We know that the Zodiac Killer could be profiled into both the visionary and hedonistic category based off motivation. However, what could possibly be the cause for these behaviors and what could be gleaned from these classifications?

From statistical analysis of prostitute murderers and the earlier typological analysis it's most likely he had these traits :

1. Poor academic record. [Statistics]

2. Average to high intelligence. [Statistics]

3. Highly lost in thought or a daydreamer. [Statistics]

4. Unsteady employment and holds low-level jobs. Though he was most likely employed at the time of the murders due to most of his killings taking place on weekends or holidays. [Statistics & Conjecture]

5. Chronic feelings of isolation or loneliness. [Statistics]

6. Was in his early thirties. This indicates a most likely correct witness description of Jack. [Statistics]

7. Even if he had poor academic performance he was most likely educated considering the use of a paragraph indent and correct spelling in the "Dear Boss" letter. This supports the idea has had parents with stable work. [Conjecture]

8. Has a controlled mood in general or during the crime. [Typology]

9. Follows the crime in news media. [Typology]

10. Parent's work was generally stable. [Typology]

11. If he was a lust killer he most likely gained sexual gratification from murder, killed strangers, planned the murders and was highly organized. [Typology]

12. If he was a thrill killer he likely enjoyed of the thrill of killing itself, killed strangers, created processes for murder and was highly organized. [Typology]

13. Uncooperative, calm affect, introverted, moderately hardworking/organized and somewhat creative. [OCEAN]

Outro

Even over one-hundred and thirty-three years later Jack the Ripper is still one of the most discussed Serial Killers in history. The shadowy moustached figure stalking the misty streets of London's name will most likely always be Jack, however, even now we can possibly still shed some light on who was behind the name Sources:

https://www.casebook.org/ripper_letters/

https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/198117.pdf

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/jack-the-ripper

https://www.casebook.org/victims/

https://europepmc.org/article/med/30544084

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307819660_The_Traits_and_the_Thrill_of_Serial_Killers

https://www.marshall.edu/forensics/files/Baber_Seminar2014_ODcsp.pdf

(Note: I am not a psychologist, just interested in criminology)

Delphi Murderer: A Short Typological Analysis #3

Introduction

I've been interested in psychologically profiling the Delphi murderer for a while. However, this is a difficult undertaking considering the notable lack of crime scene description. So this is going to be a rather short analysis and highly speculative analysis without references to Jung nor personality typologies derived from witness description.

On February 13, 2017, Liberty German and Abigail Williams were visiting the train tracks on a day off school in Delphi, Indiana. During the course of their trek, Liberty German recorded a video using the camera of her phone of a suspicious man following them. The man recorded was a 5'6" to 5'10" heavyset male with reddish-brown hair. The man later had approached the two girls at which point an audio recording was taken where the suspect can supposedly be heard saying, "Hey guys... Down the hill". The bodies of the two girls were later found on February 14th. The case remains unsolved to this day.

Typological Analysis

Serial killers can usually be organized into six typologies each with their own unique incentive, ideas, thoughts and methods of killing. The varieties of these types are the organized killer and disorganized killer and the main types are the visionary killer, the mission-oriented killer, the hedonistic killer (thrill, lust and comfort) and the power-oriented killer.

Typology of the Delphi Killer

Typology of killers using the O/U dichotomy is near useless on its own, but it's all we really have in this scenario. The murderer was most likely of a disorganized variety with an unknown main type. It's unlikely this murder was pre-meditated because, considering the location of the crime, it'd be almost impossible to know when and where the victims would be alone in the days preceding the murder. Murderers who kill children are also more likely to have low scores across all areas of cognitive functioning, were less likely to pre-meditate their murder and were also more likely to have a history of mental illness. So, both the statistical analysis and specificities of the crime fit perfectly into the disorganized killer category.

Interestingly, a moment of insight on his main typology may come from an unexpected source. In Supt. Carter's message to the killer he stated, "we know this is about power to you", in reference to the killer's motivation. This suggests they know of a power-oriented typology. If he is power-oriented it suggests his victims fit a type, are strangers but were stalked beforehand. A power-oriented disorganized mix can be contradictory.

Sadly, we cannot speculate on his big five personality typology considering the lack of crime scene analysis and dialogue between the killer and others.

Speculation, Comparisons to Other Killers, Psychological Profile

Because of his disorganized typology, we can speculate he has a low IQ, has an impulsive personality, is odd and socially awkward, most likely lives near the location of the crime, is sexually incompetent, is highly introverted, made rituals of the bodies after, has father or mother's who's work was unstable, lives alone, was harshly disciplined as a child and is in an unskilled field of work.

From research on child murderers, we can speculate multiple traits of the killer. He most likely has low scores on all forms of cognitive functioning, has a history of mental illness, is aged nineteen to forty-two, has previous child sex abuse charges, partakes in unskilled work or is unemployed, he also most likely killed out of opportunity and actually lived in the area. The idea of him being a local in the area is interesting, considering many people believe he was a local of Delphi. This could mean he had excellent spatial memory or awareness.

Traits that carry across statistics:

-Low IQ

-Local

-Unskilled work or unemployed

From this we can assume he has extremely low conscientiousness.

Outro

The tragic case of Liberty German and Abigail Williams is one of frustration and unanswered questions. It's been four years and no closure have been provided to the family or the concerned public. All we can really do now is speculate and possibly bring to light who this criminal was in other ways.

Sources:

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/liberty-german/@@download.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307819660_The_Traits_and_the_Thrill_of_Serial_Killers

https://www.marshall.edu/forensics/files/Baber_Seminar2014_ODcsp.pdf

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170405144216.htm

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0093854817699437

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Exploring-Potential-%E2%80%98Extra-Familial%E2%80%99-Child-Homicide-Pritchard-Sayer/8352eddf79ae0f570a85d1339d96dbefc1f4a841#paper-header

https://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/media/document/201316.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0snT740jhtw&ab_channel=WTHI-TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seWlExTA5Ns&ab_channel=ABC7Chicago

(Note: I am not a psychologist, just interested in criminology)

Audio of Zodiac killer suspect Richard Gaikowski whose voice was identified as the same as the Zodiac's by police dispatcher Nancy Slover. His voice was so similar she went as far to say "it's the same guy". https://www.zodiackiller.com/SuspectGaikowski.html

The Zodiac Killer: A Jungian and Typological Analysis #1

Introduction to The Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac Killer was a Californian serial killer who took the lives of a confirmed five victims and a speculated seven to thirty-seven victims from December 20th, 1968 to October 11th, 1969. To this day he remains unidentified.

Murder (December 20th, 1968 - Lake Herman Road): David Arthur Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen are both shot at 10:15pm. 

Murder (July 4th, 1969 - Blue Rock Springs Park Grounds): Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau are both shot with a 9mm luger. Mageau survives and later recalls the suspect as a short, heavyset male with short brownish-blonde hair and a round face.

Event (August 1st, 1969): The killer, now operating under the name “The Zodiac”, sends three letters written in code to the Vallejo Times, San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner. 

Murder (September 27, 1969 - Lake Berryessa): Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard are approached by The Zodiac who binds them with fishing line under the false pretense he was a recently escaped prison convict. Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard are then promptly stabbed a total of sixteen times before the perpetrator vanishes. Hartnell survives and later recalls the suspect as a heavyset man clad in a black, executioner style hood and cross-hair symbol drawn on his torso with greasy brown hair.

Murder (October 11th, 1969 - Geary Street): At 9:35 The Zodiac enters the cab of Paul Stine, directing him to drop him off at Cherry Street. At 9:55pm Paul Stine is shot and killed by Zodiac; at the same time the murder is witnessed by three teenagers. The teenagers and other witnesses later recall the suspect as a 35-45 year old male with reddish-brown crew-cut hair, a medium to heavy-build and who was wearing heavy rim glasses. This description is used as the basis for the police sketch.

Event (October 14th, 1969): Another letter is received by the Zodiac containing a portion of Paul Stine’s shirt and multiple threats.

Aftermath: More letters by The Zodiac were received by newspapers, most prominently the chronicle. Notable highlights of these letters include The Zodiac claiming to have taken the lives of up to 37 victims, a letter that supposedly had his name coded into it, a plan to use a technically plausible bomb, a letter claiming the murder of one Sgt. Radetich, a letter written entirely in cypher stating he believed his victims will work as his slaves in the afterlife, a custom made halloween card meant to be received by reporter Paul Avery and a letter that alluded to the idea he was the kidnapper of Kathleen Johns thus giving credence to the Lawrence Kane hypothesis. The Zodiac Killer has also been the main suspect in multiple other cases, such as Betsy Aardsma case where a college-aged girl was murdered by a stab wound to the torso.

Typological Analysis

Serial killers can usually be organized into six typologies each with their own unique incentive, ideas, thoughts and methods of killing. These types are the organized killer, the disorganized killer, the visionary killer, the mission-oriented killer, the hedonistic killer and the power-oriented killer. 

Typology of the Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac Killer is an example of a mixture between two types, mainly a visionary and hedonistic (thrill variety) killer. The visionary killer is driven not usually by thrill or enjoyment but rather by a break from reality. In some cases, this type of killer shows the unique trait of remorse. On the other hand, the hedonistic thrill killer is driven by the thrill of murder, this type is similar to the power-oriented killer as they both commit murder out of enjoyment, however, the hedonistic killer does not derive gratification from dominating the victim.

An example of his visionary side was displayed in one of his many letters sent to the San Francisco Chronicle where he gloated that he wasn’t afraid of the gas chamber as his murders have already secured him enough slaves for paradise. From this we can assume his dominant incentive for killing was the belief that he needs a certain amount of servants for the afterlife. However, his hedonistic thrill seeker side is usually what is focused on when psychologists or people interested in the case first point out when discussing his psychology. For example, in The Vallejo Times letter he stated that killing was the most thrilling experience and was, “better than getting your rocks off with a girl”, though reasserted his belief in paradise afterward. An interesting thing to note is the Zodiac’s connection between sex and murder.

The organized vs. disorganized concept is another system of criminal typology that uses crime scene analysis. Using this system we can use conjecture to determine certain personality traits (organized killers might have a higher IQ, for example). I’ll use this rating system to figure out his orientation on the O/U scale:

-Restraints: 1

-Victim known: 0

-Stranger targeted: 1

-Poisoned: 0 

-Chaotic scene: 1

-Controlled scene: 0 

-Weapon planned: 1 

-Weapon left: 0

-Body transported: 0

-Act focused: 0

From this ranking we can determine that the Zodiac Killer was directly in between a disorganized and organized killer. However, he matches 5/11 descriptor of a disorganized killer (minimal conversation, sloppy crime scene, minimal use of restraints, body left at crime scene, body left in open) and only 4/11 descriptors of the organized variety (planned offense, victim a stranger, aggressive acts prior to death, absent weapon).

For personality factors we can use the OCEAN model:

-Openness: High. Inquisitive and creative. Created his own suit, strapped a flashlight to his gun and sent coded letters.

-Consciousness: Low. Disorganized and spontaneous. Left victims alive, allowed his face to be seen multiple times and didn’t hide victims.

-Extraversion: Unknown. Likely low. Introversion is associated with disorganized killers.

-Agreeableness: Low. Uncooperative and hostile. Crime behavior and taunted police.

-Neuroticism: Mid to low. Moderately emotional and anxious. Was possibly anxious during the course of the Mageau attack, however was perceived as calm and monotone in other murders. 

Speculation, Comparisons to Other Killers, Psychological Profiles

We know that the Zodiac Killer could be profiled into both the visionary and hedonistic category based off motivation. However, what could possibly be the cause for these behaviors and what could be gleamed from these classifications? A good method for this type of speculation is by comparing him to other serial killers with similarities in already established psychology. So here are some related speculations. 

-It’s possible that the Zodiac Killer gleamed sexual gratification from murder. Yang Xinhai, another hedonistic killer, stated he felt sexual satisfaction after killing his victims. It’s possible his specific type of victim (teenage couples) gave him the most satisfaction.

-When considering the fact he didn’t assault the victims afterward, his teasing of the police and creation of different methods of murder it could be assumed the Zodiac Killer enjoyed not killing on its own but rather the game of murder. He could’ve been hedonistic in the sense he gleamed pleasure from committing a murder, perfecting it and then getting away with it while receiving ludicrous amounts of media attention.

-It’s possible the Zodiac Killer has some form of schizophrenia, psychosis or a Cluster A personality disorder. David “Son of Hope” Berkowitz was strikingly similar to the Zodiac. Berkowitz and the Zodiac both killed couples, both killed their victims while they were in their cars, both sent letters taunting the police, both used guns to murder their victims, both didn’t assault their victims after and both had aspects of the visionary type. Berkowitz was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Berkowitz also gained sexual gratification from the murders, supporting the previous comparison.

-The Zodiac Killer likely took great pride in his public appearance. In his letter about the attack of Michael Mageau he said that he calmly left the scene as to not attract attention to himself, despite Mageau asserting he had left quickly in a panic. At the Lake Berryessa attack the Zodiac wore a specialized suit complete with a symbol on the torso. Sure this is strange on its own but the stranger part is that there’d be no need to wear the suit if he was planning on killing both victims, which indicates that he wore it because he wanted to tailor his image to his persona. The Zodiac even admitted this himself when he complained that he didn’t believe he got as much media attention as he deserved. All of this culminates with the Zodiac’s statement saying he didn’t look like the police sketch made of him, which could be his attempt to draw the public’s attention away from who he is under the façade of the notorious, mysterious and inventive Zodiac Killer.

-Another comparison could be made to Dennis “BTK’ Radar. Radar and the Zodiac both sent letters and penned their own name. Radar was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder, this could very well coincide with the Zodiac’s need for admiration and recognition. 

-If he does fall in line with the “disorganized killer” typology it’s possible he did not travel far from his home to commit the crime, was secluded or asocial and generally worked in a field that didn’t require much talent.

-The female victims of the Zodiac Killer may look like a past girlfriend such as Ted Bundy or any woman associated with pain. 2/3 of his female victims were twenty-two years of age and Betty Lou Jensen and Darlene Ferrin have strikingly similar facial proportions (specifically the spacing between the nose, mouth and eyes and the size of those areas). This could also link to sexual satisfaction being taken from murder.

-He was more focused on killing women over men, evident from him failing to kill the male side of the couple in two murders. Possibly this the result of a damaged ego after rejection as if he’s trying to regain power over women. This could be a result of his introversion linked to unorganized killers. This could also possibly disprove the hedonistic killer theory in favor of the power-oriented killer theory.

From this we can assume three possible motivations: 

-Paranoid or odd beliefs

-Sexual gratification

-Misogyny 

Jungian Analysis

Carl Jung (born July 26th, 1871 - died June 6th, 1961) was an early Swiss psychoanalyst and apprentice of Freud. Many of the concepts he built upon and created are still in use today including the concepts of introversion/extraversion, archetypes, the subconscious, the unconscious and persona.

Use of Intuition 

Intuition, explained simply, is the unconscious process which allows the user to see into or perceive conditions that are not obvious through logical thought. It presents its conclusions as whole or complete in the mind of the user. It's the ability for one to perceive and expect possible motions without logical deliberation. For example, one may get a bad feeling about an apple because it subconsciously reminds them of an apple pie they hated. 

The Zodiac Killer represents the perfect picture of an extroverted intuitive killer. Instead of receding from the object to transpose his internalized view of abstracted images from the subconscious onto the environment around him, the Zodiac Killer’s intuition is in good relation to the object. He’s not oriented toward transposing his view of the abstracted image onto the object but rather interested in the object's pre-existing string of possibilities and abstracted images as if he was searching for chaos.  

We could also see use of intuition in the very concept of The Zodiac Killer. The perpetrator of these crimes comprises his self of the multiple abstracted characteristics of what the symbol of the Zodiac Killer is. He tries to inhabit a single symbol of multiple characteristics including strength, mysteriousness, intelligence, creativity, etc. Though he may or may not inhabit any of these characteristics. 

Archetypes

On the topic of personas or symbols of self, in this paragraph we’ll discuss his use of The Joker symbol. Throughout his violent escapades he takes on the form of someone rather unaffected by conventional morals, beliefs or attention to organization. He rather takes on the persona of someone humorous, who likes playing games and is free form all conventional forms of organization. It seems as if the main archetype he tries to inhabit is the Joker, even if subconsciously.

Outro

The last Zodiac Letter was received in 1974, the last murder was in 1969 and all likely suspects are now dead. Even after all that time the remaining notoriety of this case is staggering, and new suspects are still coming up today. Even more staggering yet, after all that the case is still likely to never be solved.

Sources:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307819660_The_Traits_and_the_Thrill_of_Serial_Killers

https://www.zodiacciphers.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/son-of-sam-arrested

https://www.infjs.com/articles/jung-descriptions-of-each-dichotomy-i-e-n-s-f-t-j-p.37/

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna8929452#:~:text=Serial%20killer%20personality,more%20severe%20psychopathic%20personality%20disorder.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carl-Jung

https://www.marshall.edu/forensics/files/Baber_Seminar2014_ODcsp.pdf

https://zodiackillerfacts.com/ https://www.zodiackiller.com/AllenFile.html

(Notice: I am not a psychologist, but just interested in criminology and versed in Jungian theory) 

I created three photorealistic photos of the Zodiac Killer using eyewitness testimony and police sketches. The first photo is how he was described by witnesses of the Paul Stine murder, the second is how he was described by Michael Mageau and the third is the lake Berryessa sketch (Made in artbreeder)

Just a small sketch of jeff~(It's a w.i.p)

Ref photo on the right :33

(yes I'm aware my drawing of him kinda looks silly but its a sketch so :/ )

Bro

Buzzfeed unsolved true crime season 2 ending october 6 and supernatural season 3 starting October 13 is what I call loyalty

Guys should take notes smh

Drew listens to true crime podcasts in the mornings to start her day off

True crime fan memes

New books to read during my free time when I go back to school Monday

Hate when teacher crush bitches use the tccblur or tcc tags, like no this is for true crime not your pedo kink or whatever💔

love your blog as one true crime lover to another I must ask what’s what’s your favorite crime?

Oh a fellow true crime lover I see 🙈, hello to you too! And I have a long list of true crimes that I find interesting, but here are my top three!

1. The Burari Deaths : this case really shook me to the core, especially after watching the Netflix documentary. I wasn't quite aware of the extent of its case as the media here likes to embellish things quite a lot, but really behind all the mysteries and unfortunate deaths was the sad truth about society demonising mental health to the point talking about it becomes a taboo. Sometimes I wonder if the perpetrator(not gonna mention his name) had gotten help with his mental health maybe things could've been different. Plus this was my first case about the topic of shared psychosis, which in itself is so intriguing!

2. The case of Taylor Parker Morton : this was my very first (and possibly last case) related to fetal abduction that made me more madder than I had ever felt in my lifetime. And although the topic is itself very interesting (albeit horrifying) the case surrounding it will make any empathetic persons blood boil

3. The case of India's (and the world's) youngest serial killer : really brings out the age old debate on Nature vs Nurture when you go through this case. And idk what's more terrifying, the fact that this kid did it when he was 8 or that he's out and living his best life rn, with a changed name and all that. Makes you wonder who the person you're walking or sitting beside really is and how many skeletons they are hiding in their closet

So there are my top three true crime cases that I found really impactful and interesting 🤔, feel free to tell me yours 😁

Why did I just see fanart of Tyler The Creator (Normal! 😁) and Adam Lanza (Oh... ☹️) - The Sandy Hook shooter - together.

Oxford apartments neighbor speaking about Jeffrey Dahmer

One evening in June of 1990, I held my first conversation with our neighbor who lived across the hall. I introduced myself to him as Vern and he introduced himself to me as Jeff.

He appeared to be very polite as he and I stood in the hall in front of our apartments. He stated he was leaving to go to the corner store to buy a pack of cigarettes and when he saw I had a pack in my shirt pocket he asked if I had a cigarette I could spare.

Of all the times I had seen this guy he was always casually dressed in faded jeans, a flannel shirt and casual shoes. He wore glasses and his hair was cut medium length always looking well groomed. He had the appearance of a college student or someone who had been to college. He was clean shaven and had boyish look.

I guess the word I would choose to describe my impression of him is intelligent, highly intelligent. He had a slim built appearing to be 6 feet tall, weighing maybe 165 pounds. I'd guess his age to be 30 or 31 years old.

Through the times that I'd see him our conversations would mainly be small talk about my car, my job, the weather, his job and the building or something of that nature. He always appeared to be soft spoken as we would stop in the hall on his way in or out of his apartment.

Never did he give me any impression that he had hang ups about living in a dominantly black building or living in the neighborhood which also was dominantly black. As time went on Pam also had begun to have small conversations with him. She also thought that he was pretty pleasant to talk to. We were neighborly with all the tenants living in the building.

Being that I was the only black man at my place of employment and Pam being raised in Madison where blacks were few, neither she nor I had a problem with him being white. Our typical conversations went something like this whenever we would talk to each other in the hall.

"What's happening?"

"Hey Vern, not much."

He would notice that I would be just getting in from work most of the evenings when we'd see each other...

"How was your day?"

"Not too bad," I'd reply. From earlier conversations in our passing, I had informed him that I was a Draftsman. He like-wise told me he worked 3rd shift at a chocolate factory downtown and that he's been employed there for a couple of years.

"Do you have to punch in tonight?"

"Yeah, got to pay rent."

"Talk to you later," I'd respond. His reply was... "yeah, take care."

There had been various other conversations and I must admit talking to him made me feel appreciative of our small conversations. I felt sad for the guy living alone, never seeing him associate with anyone or have friends visit him at his apartment.

Amongst all of the tenants in the building Jeff stood out the most, not only because he was white but to me because he never had visitors or a girlfriend which to me appeared strange but not the type of out of the way strange. He was always alone.

He didn't own a car therefore, his means of transportation was the city bus. After becoming acquainted with him, we'd see Jeff standing on the bus stop or getting off the bus walking towards the apartment building.

He appeared to be weird to the other tenants but I never thought of him as such because of the fact that the area where we lived was nothing but a danger zone and keeping to himself was a safe thing to do. It was not safe for anyone walking that didn't fit in.

It was no surprise to see Jeff wearing his light gray jacket walking at 9:00pm through someone's backyard or taking a short cut through the alley headed towards the Oxford Building. He'd walk among dope peddlers to have them approach him and ask him "you looking..?" "You straight..?"

Meaning do you want to buy drugs but He would either shake his head negatively or ignore the peddlers all together.

He would be approached by addicts trying to con him in any way possible for money and women working the streets would confront him with offers of sexual pleasures for money but he would ignore them all.

I recall once telling Pam that I thought he had a lot of heart to live in this area. He never showed any sign of being fearful, he didn't have a kick ass type of attitude. It was more of an "I don't bother you and you don't bother me" type of attitude.

In June there was a series of burglaries and apartments in our building were broken into. Everyone was on lookout for any strangers walking through the halls. The police were called and they questioned everyone that lived in the building to see if anyone may have seen anyone or knew anything. Two apartments were broken into and everyone in the Oxford Apartments had high concerns about the break-ins.

The tenants began to look out for each other's apartments when the tenant was away. I had two of my nearest neighbor's phone numbers and I had also given them our number to inform each other when we were going to be out of our apartments. Our neighbor Jeff had gotten a phone but said he had it for only a week or so because he couldn't afford the bill.

"Hey Jeff, we're starting to look out for each other's apartment due to the break-ins. Give me your telephone number so that we can call you to just let you know when we're not going to be in so that you can keep an eye on our apartment."

"Vern, my phone was turned off because I'm having a hard enough time paying my rent and feeding myself, so there's no reason to give me your phone number. I do however intend to get a burglar alarm for when I'm away at nights working. There's no way I can afford to have my stuff ripped off and there's no real security around here that I trust."

"Yeah, it's getting pretty tough around here." I said.

"Yeah Vern I know what you mean. Any news about the guys' stuff that was stolen?"

"None! You know how that goes."

"Well I'll talk to you later."

"Sure Jeff, later."

Extract from Vernell Bass’ book “Across the Hall”, chapter 2. If you’re interested to know more support the author and get the book!

The Dahmer Case and The Cannibalism Topic

“Cannibal” was the adjective used by media to refer Dahmer the most as they learnt of the man’s gruesome acts. It was synonymous of terror and horror at that time, the name of Jeffrey Dahmer echoed not only in the city of Milwaukee but also around the entire world. It was unusual to hear of a criminal who eat his victims, it was a shocking news, and the name of Jeffrey Dahmer was remembered under the name of "The Milwaukee Cannibal”. But what was behind this name? What did it mean for Dahmer and where's cannibalism come from?

Jeffrey Dahmer in 1991

The Cannibalism for Jeffrey Dahmer

The cannibalism act didn’t occur immediately but it happened later with his sixth victim Raymond Smith (aka Ricky Beeks). Jeffrey Dahmer just moved in his new apartment in Milwaukee, at 924 N. 25th St., and he was ready to live by himself after leaving his grandma's house. It was already some years that Dahmer decided to attend gay clubs, where he frequently had encounters with strangers for one night stands. It was 1990 and Dahmer already doped and raped many boys, killing five of them too. But it was starting to not be enough, Dahmer was unsatisfied and he needed more. Cannibalism presented itself as a "simple" next step for Dahmer: after experiencing gay sex, to then having an unconscious body on his hands, on wishing to preserve all that pleasure, and seeing the people as objects, cannibalism subsequently followed as a inevitable action.

Dahmer's desire was to keep people with him, to do not forget the experiences he had with them. The previous attempts as doping the person or seeking for a corpse were a way to feel people close to him at his complete availability for Dahmer, motionless. He thought about the next step: "I began to feel that I needed more of a rush. I thought to myself, I want more. I wanted to keep this one, but I wanted him in me. I wanted him to become a part of me. That's when the idea of eating part of his body occurred to me." (- s. Grilling Dahmer). Dahmer's act wasn't a way to feel more evil or powerful, this was an action of a man who wanted to feel his victims closer. It happened again on his act on cutting and wearing the victims' skin, he wanted to become one with them, wrapped on their skins. At the end he also had the idea of "creating" living zombies willing to follow his orders and to stay with him forver.

The first article ever published on July 23, 1991, on The Journal, written by reporter Anne E. Schwartz, the first and only reporter to come to the scene visiting Dahmer's apartment.

Public’s Take on Dahmer’s Cannibalism

Predictably, people's reaction to Dahmer's cannibalism was shock. Local Milwaukee citizens didn't expect something like Dahmer's case to happen, Milwaukee was a pretty quiet city in Wisconsin where nothing like that ever happened. Soon the morning after Dahmer's arrest, Oxford apartments were already printed in the first page of The Journal, and Jeffrey Dahmer's case was already in people's mouth.

The most concerning, disgusting and shoking element on the case was surely the cannibalism, as already expressed before. At the beginning the cannibalism was an unverified uncertain information, and the reporters had to confirm it by looking at the confession, but soon after that it quickly became a first page topic. Dahmer’s cannibalism was printed on the first pages of newspapers, aimed at shocking people even more. For this reason journals of that time looked for the most unconcerning news, making fake news at times as well. Cannibalism became a topic of so much discussion, almost distorted, the main Dahmer’s case object to be so overused that journalists kept inventing fake news just to shock people even more. They made Dahmer appear like a sadistic monster who felt pleasure when eating all his victims, while the story was quite different as expressed in the paragraph before. Even Dahmer himself had fun with these kind of articles: “Isn't it amazing what they come up with?” he said.

(1)(2)Two articles taking about Dahmer’s cannibalism. (1) Courtesy of jdapt213. (3) Dahmer showing the fake news in court, 1992.

Specialists talking about Dahmer's cannibalism

Psychiatrists and experts tried to give an explaination on Dahmer’s cannibalism. Writer Brian Masters develops an interesting point when talking about infantile play, of parents pretending to be animal ready to devour them and the kids responding to be ferocious cannibal animals. Dr Morrisons also says: "Jeffrey Dahmer was not the only individual who was a cannibal or bit his victims, using his teeth as a weapon. If you remember about infancy, if we go purely psychologically, the only way an infant interacts with the world around him is to touch, feel and teeth, and this is a way that babies explore their world with their mouths. That’s what they use, that’s how they relate to the world. What is evident in all the serial murders is this trait of very oral or mouthing or biting or eating, ingesting, which is very infantile. But it seems a way in which they can be with their victim.”

Even through sexual acts, mouth is an important way to express love. Activities as biting or oral sex rekindle the childish instinct where loving and eating are bounded together. “The adult who prefers oral sex above other sexual experiences indicates an infantile need for nourishment, a wish to recreate the moment of being mothered.” Brian Masters writes. If we look back at Dahmer’s infancy, we notice some early behaviours which indicates some connections to his cannibalism. As already expressed before, cannibalism was just a consequence which came after as Dahmer’s needs continued to evolve. Yet Dahmer always had a lack of social skills, he had difficulties on creating bounds with other people and he was often so isolated. His father Lionel was out bacause of his job, while his mother Joyce struggled with her mental health. Jeffrey found himself alone with the mother's unconscious body some times, there it might have been the moment where he put his hear on his mother's chest to check if her heart was still working, action which was subsequentially repeated with his classmates in highschool and later with his victims. People always left, he was alone, and his lack of social bonds brought him to be even more introvert. Eating an individual is the deepest connection a person can ever get, it removes the feeling of alienation since the victim will live inside them forever and become a permanent part of themselves.

Jeffrey Dahmer's drawing project on creating a shrine where to put his victims' skulls and skeletons, a place to remember and collect his thoughts (Dahmer - 1993 interview).

Cannibalism in history and religion

In modern society cannibalism is almost seen as a taboo, something vile and inhumane. However, this isn't an exact definition, and cannibalism is deeply rooted in our origins. During Europe’s Age of Exploration distant people were often portrayed as cannibals, almost rapesented as bestial creatures. Instead, during 20th Century, the figure of the cannibal was studied more, the new approach wanted to explain more of this behavior, inserted into a certain context. The reasons that lead people to a person could be multiple: a warrior could eat the heart of his opponent to feel more powerful and take his power; a person can eat a relative body to express love and grief for the loss; or again some people can eat a human body as a necessity to survive.

The firsts reports on cannibalism can be found in ancient Greek times with the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer or Histories by Herodotus, but anthropologists suggest that cannibalism dates back to prehistoric times. Moving on, the discovery of cannibals by Cristoforo Colombo in America made people question about the topic on Christian doctrine of the resurrection for example. For that reason Christianity is probably the best example to take in consideration: one fo the most diffused religion in the world, the tenet of paganism, has a mystic ritual of "eating and drinking" the flesh and blood of Christ. For love, the person can be ate, based on this religion. In other cultures, the Iroquois and Fijians ate the flesh of their defeated enemies in order to absorb their power; for peoples of Papua New Guinea ate the heart or brains of their deceased elders to honour them; In medieval and modern European culture the practice of eating human was prevalent for religious or medicinal purposes. About medicinal purposes again, Chinese compounds included human organs as well as nails and hair, while, in early Greece, human blood was thought to treat epilepsy.

The Sons of Pindorama, Cannibalism in Brazil in 1557 as described by Hans Staden. Gravure de Théodore de Bry, 1562.

Cannibalism around the world

Dahmer was obviosly not the first criminal cannibal, names as Albert Fish, Issei Sagawa and Andrei Chikatilo are still remembered for their crimes and their cannibalism. As said before, the reason of cannibalism change based on the person and his deeds- the cannibal Armin Meiwes (aka Rotenburg Cannibal) ate 20 kilograms (44 lb) of human flesh of his victim, after that this last one agreed and wanted to be slaughtered, for sexual pleasure; Joachim Kroll (aka The Ruhr Cannibal) had a practical view and consumed his victims’ meat to save on his grocery bills, because meat was expensive. Albert Fish, on the other hand, eating the meat of the victims was like a trophy and liked to describe how the kids tasted to their parents.

Today, cannibalism among the population is rare, but still exists. Because of poverty, people living in Olinda slum are usual to consume human meat. Otherwise, there are tribes and cultures where cannibalism is still present. In Western New Guinea there’s a tribe called Korowai, whose tribesmen believe mysterious deaths are attributed to a demon, and their duty is to consume the dead’s meat in order to take revenge. In Fiji (previously named “Cannibal Island”) was famous for cannibalism, even if now this practice almost died out in the recent years. In India there’s a sect of Indian Monks called Aghori, whose few remaining members are used to drink from human skulls and cover their body in burnt human remains. There are also rumours of some cannibalism acts happened in The Democratic Republic of The Congo, Cambodia, Nuku Hiva and Liberia.

In animals cannibalism is common as well, mostly in invertebrates and fishes, but it occurs in other animal groups too. The filial cannibalism (usually when the young can’t last much because is sick, deformed or the mother can’t provide enough food, it becomes nutrient for the parent) is present in major species as leopards, African lions, Tonkean Macaques and fishes. The infanticide (males killing infants who aren’t theirs) is present in North American red squirrels, lions and chimpanzees. The matriphagy is when the mother is ate by the infants, another cannibalism form diffused within insects and arachnids. At last but not least, cannibalism can be diffused way earlier with eggs. The Burton’s Mouthbrooders carry their eggs in their mouths, and sometimes more than three-quarters eggs are been ingested. The female sharks instead, carry hundreds on eggs inside them, while they’re mating with multiple male sharks. Inside the womb, developing sharks will eat the unfertilised eggs and their siblings, leaving at the end only two unborn sharks, each one for each uterus.

(1) Tadpoles eating another tadpole, picture by Georgette Douwma, Nature Picture Gallery. (2) Korowai tribesmen, picture by Kristian Cabanis.

Sources: The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer; Grilling Dahmer; Monster: The True Story Of The Jeffrey Dahmer Murders; Britannica; Anthroencyclopedia; Jeffrey Dahmer trails on Court.tv; NBC; The Sun; National Geographic.

Dahmer’s Books Reviews

I decided I could post my personal reviews about Dahmer’s books I’ve read, with a unique review template I created hoping it works well. I hope these can help people who wants to buy Dahmer’s books or just create a discussion with people who read them as well. With this I don’t mean to say my opinion is absolute, tastes are different and I saw people who have different opinions than mines already. I also want to state I’m not a professional at this, everything is amateurish and I manly did this for fun. I’m not even a big reader too. So let’s take it easy, everything is personal! Also: I’m currently reading more, so as I’ll finish the other books I can post the new ones too!

These are all the books I’ve read till now, but more are coming since I have some more few books at home which are waiting. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to start/finish them, but for now I can offer you the most discussed Dahmer books at least.

Books I’m going to do a review next:

The Psych Reports by Taylor James*;

Monster: The True Story of the Jeffrey Dahmer Murders by Anne E Schwartz*;

Milwaukee Massacre: Jeffery Dahmer and the Milwaukee Murders by Robert Dvorchak;

The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: An American Nightmare by Don Davis.

*the books I’m planning to read next

Jeffrey Dahmer was a terrifying person and no one should forget that

Because of the Dahmer Netflix series, always more people approached the case and informed themselves by reading books or following old interviews. Jeffrey Dahmer’s figure is been brought back and became subject of discussion worldwide again after 30 years. He became a trend topic but it has also aroused much criticism, especially from the families of the victims.

But Jeffrey Dahmer was different, he was a unique type of serial killer, and this is the reason why he made people feel so fascinated. His crimes were gruesome, horrible and extreme, something that the human mind struggles to understand, yet Jeffrey Dahmer wasn’t a sadistic psychopath and he felt some kind of remorse too. At the end, he also wanted and tried to help victims’ families he felt sorry to. He’s indeed a man who surprised people with his behaviors and so many people came close trying to figure him out. But like a double-edged sword, some people’s response isn't all puppy dogs and rainbows.

Jeffrey Dahmer in 1991 in his first court appearance - via The Milwaukee Journal

People felt close to him, after the news broke out many people find themselves to feel for Jeffrey. It’s not a very big new news, the most infamous serial killers always found out themselves having “groupies” often assisting at their trials, or people writing to them stating how similar they felt. In the worst occasions, it was a case of Hybristophilia.

In modern days the same thing is happening and it’s too easy to forget the man’s abhorrent crimes. Too easily people tend to minimize the eerie of the acts, making appear Jeffrey like a wounded victim as well. Jeffrey suffered for some things too, and had a couple of mental diseases. It was undeniable that he too was a human being and displayed of human emotions. “Humanising” a serial killer is not a bad thing, it makes us realise we don’t have a monster but another person. Defining a criminal “monster” or “devil” only help us to dissociate from him, not considering him “one of us”. It makes us feel safer, having a demoniac entity to point the finger to, but the sad truth criminals are humans as well. Jeffrey was human.

Jeffrey Dahmer during Inside Edition interview with Nancy Glass in 1993.

But in the other side, some people tended to overemphasize the man’s problems too much, and made him become a new victim. But Jeffrey Dahmer was a murder first of all and took the life of 17 innocent people. He was selfish and careless, he saw people as objects for his own sexual purposes and he disposed of them when they were no longer needed.

“Reflecting on the invitation, Jackson remembered how he and Dahmer were outside on the rear landing. Dahmer on the steps going upstairs to the second floor while Jackson was below. Dahmer starred straight ahead, transfixed, never looking at Jackson when he extended the invitation.”

- From ‘Monster The True Story of Jeffrey Dahmer Murders’. Writer Anne E. Schwartz describes the meeting she had with a Oxford Apartments tenant Doug Jackson

Jeffrey Dahmer was aware of what he was doing, and even if he knew it was wrong, he allowed himself to act how he wanted. His modus operandi was the same: inviting the person at home, drugging them, raping them, killing them, using the corpse how he wanted to then disposing the body. Jeffrey Dahmer was responsible for the following crimes:

Serial murder

Rape

Child molestation

Sexual assault

Sexual harassment

Public nudity

Necrophilia

Cannibalism

Jeffrey Dahmer victims. From left to right: Steven Hicks; Steven Tuomi; James Doxtator; Eddie Smith; Oliver Lacy; Matt Turner; Ricky Beeks; Richard Guerrero; Ernest Miller; David Thomas; Joseph Bradehoft; Curtis Straughter; Errol Lindsey; Anthony Hughes; Konerak Sinthasomphone; Anthony Sears; Jeremiah Weinberger

“Konerak, colloquially known as ‘Khum’ or ‘Kolack’, was a friendly, high-spirited youngster who did not make enemies. The next evening, Saturday, 25 May, he went to a party at Crystal Palace with Laotian friends. On Sunday morning he took a shower at 10 a.m., then went downtown. That was the last time his brother saw him. The brother was called Somsack; for Konerak Sinthasomphone was about to be the second member of this immigrant family to fall into the hands of Jeffrey Dahmer”

- The Shrine Of Jeffrey Dahmer

Jeffrey’s first victim was named Steven Hicks. It was 1978 and Jeffrey was just 18 years old. He found himself alone at home and decided to take a ride with his car. It’s when he met Steven, a hitchhiker, and together reached Dahmer’s house to have some fun. June 18 1978, the last day Steven Hicks was seen alive, his parents were waiting for him to come home to celebrate his dad’s birthday. Dahmer killed him because he didn’t want to let him go, he tried to dispose the body throwing the parts from a ravine he knew but when a police office stopped him he decided to spread the rests on the yard behind his house. After 9 years he tried to behave correctly trying to moderate his impulses, but in September 15, 1987 he fell again and Steven Tuomi, a 24 years old man, became his second victim. Dahmer put him in a suitcase and disposed of the body at the grandma’s house. Following these two killing accidents, many more would follow, and Dahmer would eventually surrender. He gave in to his impulses, making a total of 17 victims, among which two were minors of 14 years old of age. In between of the years before the homicides arrest, Dahmer was arrested for other crimes as indecent exposure, disorderly conduct and sexual assault of a 13 year old boy, Somsak Sinthasomphone. After that he was followed by probation officer Donna Chester, they had to meet twice a week, and even if Dahmer was a cooperative client, he never expressed himself about the crimes he was committing and he didn’t seek for help. He continued to commit his crimes, drugging and raping attractive gay men he found, killing some as well. He kept rests of the victims, reducing what was left to three black garbage bags, and so from a day to another a human being was wiped off the face of the Earth. And more he continued, less careful he became, turning himself into a killing machine. He lost his job, he was going to loose the apartment as well, but he was only interested to follow a sexual pleasure, trying to find more boys to carry home. He wondered around the place unstoppably asking from a man to another to come to his house, when the escape of Tracy Edwards followed and Dahmer was subsequently arrested.

From left to right: Shirley Hughes, mother of Tony Hughes; Catherine Lacy, mother of Oliver Lacy; Dorothy Straughter, mother of Curtis Straughter

“One of his workmates, Richard Burton, was driving with a friend when he saw him standing on a street corner and gave him a ride. Dahmer said he wanted to get out of Wisconsin and go to Florida. Burton wished him luck, and he got out. To his friend, Burton said he thought Jeff had ‘lost it all’ – no job, no friends. A little later he spotted him again talking to a black man at a bus-stop.

On 21 July, after dismembering the body of Joseph Bradehoft, he was wandering around the Grand Avenue Mall where, in two separate incidents, he propositioned Hispanic men with the invitation to earn money by posing for pictures and watching videos. They were Joseph Rosa and Ricardo Ortiz. Both refused.

The events of 22 July depict a mind at once unfocused, listless, and delirious, unhinged. Dahmer got up late, in the midst of his human debris, and went out for a beer. Sopa Princewill accosts him in the corridor with a 40-ounce bottle, and warns him that he may not last until his lease runs out at the end of the month – he may be evicted sooner because his place smelt so awful. He listens, but does not react in any noticeable manner. He goes downtown and is walking along 3rd Street near Wells Street at 2 p.m. when he sees a black man sitting on a sidewalk bench. This is twenty-year-old Ormell Holmes. He asks Holmes if he wants to earn $50. What do I have to do for that? asks Holmes. Pose for pictures and drink some rum. Holmes indicates that he is not interested in that kind of thing, and Dahmer moves on. He approaches another man in the same street, with the same result.

He now goes to his favourite haunt, the Grand Avenue Mall, and has some fast food. He is seen there at 3.30 talking to a man on one of the benches. A little later, he asks a sixteen-year-old black boy called Anderson to come home with him and watch movies, and his offer is again declined. At 4.30 Dennis Campbell, who works at Milwaukee’s famous German restaurant, Karl Ratzch’s, is in the Mall with his girlfriend Julie Weyer, and goes to the men’s room on the first floor. Having urinated, he is drying his hands on a wall dryer when the door opens and a scruffy white man with several days’ growth of beard walks in and stands behind him, then moves beside him. There is no long preparatory choreography. The white man says straight out, ‘Do you want to make fifty dollars real quick?’ ‘Doing what?’ says Campbell. ‘Come to my apartment and watch videos.’ ‘I don’t think so,’ says Campbell, and the man, whom he thought ‘weird, creepy and very unusual’, says, ‘O.K.’ He told Julie about it afterwards and she laughed.”

- The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer

Jeffrey Dahmer and the question of the “inside”

Jeffrey Dahmer, 1978

The hernia operation

In the year 1964, the three/four year old kid Jeffrey Dahmer, complained due to a pain in the groin area. The doctors found out he suffered from a double hernia, and soon after that he got operated. The recovery isn’t been easy for the kid, the pain was a lot and he even asked if they cut out his penis.

The operation is been traumatic indeed. He was very little, left in the hands of the doctors who he didn’t even know. He was left in a unfamiliar place where strangers operated him in a very private part, while he was immobilized, unable to react, while doctors could see the inside of him. As much as this is the procedure and doctors simply did their job, this was a huge trauma for Jeffrey Dahmer to digest, and it’s when he lost trust in doctors.

The corpses

Jeffrey Dahmer had this morbid fascination towards dead bodies. It was since the early adolescence he went looking for roadkill, dissecting the dead animals he found on the road. He cut them up all along the stomach, from neck to the groin area, exposing the internal organs, to then end preserving the bones.

In the adult age the dissection shifted on human corpses. At first it was born as a necessity to dispose the bodies, but then Dahmer found pleasure on cutting them, exposing the organs. He was attracted by the inside and he loved to place his hands between the innards and feel them. Like in the adolescence years, he preserved and kept the bones of the victims.

A withdraw man

The eldest son of the Dahmer family has never expressed his feelings but kept all to himself. The difference between the two Dahmer brothers was big, while David Dahmer was an extrovert, charismatic and successful boy, Jeffrey was an introvert, quiet and locked up man. He didn’t talk with family, he’d rather preferred to express himself in other ways like his brother remembers “[Jeff] never learned to be open with his feelings of frustration . . . he went out to the forest by himself and cut down trees for firewood.” (The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer). Indeed he felt lot of anger but yet he kept all inside.

When his mother was taken to an hospital due to her mental health, Jeffrey blamed himself for his mother’s illness and wanted to keep the house calmer as possible. He didn’t want to be a trouble and so made himself isolated. His father instead, tried to make him exit from his isolation. He tried to made the son interested in sports or hobbies, but none of that resulted successful. But it was the father himself who apparently made the son so withdraw and private, teaching him how to control his emotions and be quiet. But both father and mother didn’t give him too much attention at the end, they decided to ignore the signals thinking it was just the way Jeff was and there wasn’t nothing wrong at all.

“A little private world”

As the puberty came Jeffrey Dahmer realized his thoughts and sexual desires weren’t sane and normal at all. He started fantasizing about lifeless bodies he could explore while they were still, he even targeted a jogger hoping he could hit him with a baseball bat to make him unconscious. Adding to that he knew of his sexual orientation, but knowing he wouldn’t have meet the favor of his family he kept this secret to himself.

When he started to accept the thoughts, he put everything together and called the place where he kept them “a little private world”. It was a metaphor he used to describe his welcomed lifestyle where he was free to live and act how he wanted. At job or with his family he hid the thoughts and acted normally while inside of him he had a whole horror world he exposed only in gay bars or indoors his home.

I extended my hand.

"My name is Pat, and I'm the detective that will be investigating your case.”

The suspect looked bewildered but meekly placed his limp hand in mine. I directed him to take a seat, and he obediently sat in the corner chair.

“You're not going to let them hit me anymore, are you?"

These were the first words out of his mouth, and they came almost pleadingly. I assured him by my manner, voice, tone, and general approach that I was not there to fight, argue, belittle, or harm him in any way. He seemed to think I was in charge and had authority over the uniforms, and I let him continue to think so. From now on, he would only be talking to me, and fighting was not part of the program. For the first time, I really took stock of the guy. A hint of barely controlled hysteria was evident in his voice. The smell of alcohol was more than noticeable. His eyes were glazed and his speech slightly slurred. He appeared to be desperately trying to contain himself and talk straight.

“What's your name?" I asked, opening the interrogation.

"Jeff. Jeffrey Dahmer" he replied.

-Grilling Dahmer, Chapter 2.

Drawing note: this is been my last work about Dahmer’s case, I made it some time ago. As always, I’m a bit sad we don’t have enough materials about Det. Patrick Kennedy and Jeffrey Dahmer, and so I decided to recreate a moment again. At first it was born like a painting test, with a specific light analysis, to then decide to recreate a elevator moment with the two. I thought about the scene as if it was almost a series shot, how you can see from the canvas format, light study and the text below. I can’t hide I still feel a bit reluctant on posting this because I don’t want this drawing to be read as a Dahmer glorification/fictionalization or whatsoever, I only wanted to document an happened scene. Again, like my previous Jeffrey and Patrick piece, I ask you to do not repost/save the picture anywhere, reblogs are only allowed here on tumblr since reblogging comes from my blog directly and with it my artist’s statement is present. Please be respectful or your post will be shut down immediately. Thank you!