

Like serial killers, mass murderers also display psychopathic tendencies, such as being cruel, manipulative, and uncompassionate. Rather than being a psychopath like most serial killers, mass murderers tend to be paranoid individuals with acute behavioral or social disorders. According to Stone, 96.5% of mass murderers are male, and most of them are not clinically psychotic. Generally, the motives of mass murderers are less obvious than those of serial killers. Michael Stone, professor of psychiatry at Columbia, mass murderers are generally dissatisfied people, and have poor social skills and few friends. With some exceptions, many mass murders end with the death of the perpetrators, either by self-infliction or by law enforcement. Mass murderers kill many people, typically at the same time in a single location. Serial killers such as Ted Bundy are known to be organized and psychologically motivated to commit murder, which separates them from mass murderers who appear to kill randomly at one time. He committed an estimated thirty murders from 1974-1978 before his eventual capture. Ted Bundy is classified as an organized serial killer he methodically planned out his murder and generally stalked his victim for several weeks before committing the crime. The most notable example of a charming serial killer is Ted Bundy, who would fake an injury to appear harmless to his victims. Serial killers often employ a “mask of sanity” to hide their true psychopathic tendencies and appear normal, even charming. Serial killers often lack empathy and guilt, and most often become egocentric individuals these characteristics classify certain serial killers as psychopaths. For a serial killer, the murders must be separate events, which are most often driven by a psychological thrill or pleasure. The numbers and timing are important factors.Ī serial killer is conventionally defined as a person who murders three or more people in a period of over a month, with “cooling down” time between murders.
#WORST SERIAL KILLERS MOVIE#
James Holmes shot and killed twelve people and injured fifty-eight others at a Colorado movie theater, making him a mass murderer.

Jack the Ripper, an unidentified person, infamous for murdering several women in the slums of nineteenth century London, is a serial killer. Both are murderers, right? However, these two killers fall into two completely different categories of murderers. Some would say nineteenth century Jack the Ripper is synonymous with James Holmes, the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooter.
