'Spree' shooter straying from typical serial killer motivation
Posted on 10/12/2002 6:52:21 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
'Spree' shooter straying from typical serial killer motivation
Gunman's main desire is to provoke terror in community, experts say
10/12/2002
Experts who study serial killers say the Maryland sniper, unlike most serial killers, kills from a distance because he is more interested in causing terror in the community than he is in getting to know his individual victims.
The Maryland gunman is a "spree killer," someone who kills several people in a small window of time, some experts say, as opposed to a serial killer, who may space his killings over months or years or a mass murderer, who kills many people all at once.
Charles Patrick Ewing, a professor of law and psychology at State University of New York at Buffalo, said the sniper, who has used a rifle at distances of more than 100 yards, appears to be more like the anonymous attacker who mailed last year's anthrax-laced letters.
The anthrax attacks "were driven by the desire to terrorize the community, and the person who mailed the letters didn't appear to really care about who died as a result of them."
"I don't recall a case like this where the murders have been committed at such a distance," Mr. Ewing said. "It is so impersonal."
Classic serial homicide theory is based on sexual motivation, and the killer often stalks or tortures the victim and kills at close range.
The classic view is spelled out by Robert Ressler, a former FBI agent who pioneered psychological profiling and interviewed infamous killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz and Ted Bundy.
"To a man, they [serial killers] were dysfunctional sexually," Mr. Ressler wrote in his 1992 book, Whoever Fights Monsters. "They were unable to have and maintain mature, consensual sexual experiences with other adults, and they translated that inability into sexual murders."
Several Northern California cases underscore the classic view. The Zodiac killed six during a series of homicides in the late 1960s, then taunted police in letters to newspapers and law enforcement agencies. Though the Zodiac killer was never captured, many officials who worked the case are convinced that he was Arthur Leigh Allen, a convicted child molester who died in 1992 at age 58.
Similarly, Ed Kemper killed eight Northern California women in the early 1970s and enjoyed visiting his mother afterward while his victim's body was hidden in the trunk of his Volkswagen.
Mr. Kemper said he hated his mother, and she was one of his final victims before he turned himself in.
And Charles Chitat Ng, who killed 11 people in the mid-1980s, made videotapes of himself and his accomplice, Leonard Lake, sexually torturing two of their victims in an isolated shack.
Brent Turvey, a professional profiler from Sitka, Alaska, and author of the textbook, Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis, agrees that the Maryland sniper is different from classic serial murderers.
"Those comparisons are completely inappropriate," he said. "The reason why everybody is making those comparisons is because they are all talking to the retired profilers who made those kinds of cases in the 1970s."
Mr. Turvey said he thinks the Maryland sniper is more like Andrew Cunanan, who killed five people, including designer Gianni Versace, during a cross-country rampage in 1997.
"Cunanan was a classic spree killer," Mr. Turvey said. "A serial killer will kill multiple people on multiple dates with a nice cooling-off period in between. A spree killer will kill a bunch of people in a very narrow window of time.
"Most of these Maryland-area crimes occurred in a very short period," Mr. Turvey said. "He did his killing, then went home to watch the coverage on TV."
Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.
"I don't recall a case like this where the murders have been committed at such a distance. It is so impersonal."
Charles Patrick Ewing, a professor of law and psychology at State University of New York at Buffalo
LOL
What I would like to know is the time the shootings occurred relative to the locations of the shootings. Any idea where I can find that out?
All valid points. Question, why do you think there's more than one? And, if there is, it seems they'd be twice as likely to get caught....now we'd be looking for two: a shooter and a get-a-way person. Many posters thinks the sniper's shooting from inside a vehicle or hotel room. I'm guessing he's standing outside, in the woods, waiting for people to come into position at gas stations where they're easy prey. If so, and there's two, the driver's waiting down the street, while the sniper calmly walks to the car. If that's the case, a gun would be in plain view. I have no knowledge of guns. But if he's walking around with it, then it'd have to be smaller rather than larger, so as to be hidden while the guy walks.
Whatever the shooter's criteria is will govern target selection. I doubt taunting is part of the program.
The one thing in particular makes me think that it's not Al Qaeda terrorists are not doing the shooting ... the Tarot card supposedly left behind at one scene. Two things about it ... as I understand it, no self-respecting Mooselem would touch or look at, or even write upon, a graven image of God, let alone write on it in manner so to present himself as a God to others, even his infidel prey.
Who told you that?
as I understand it, no self-respecting Mooselem would touch or look at, or even write upon, a graven image of God, let alone write on it in manner so to present himself as a God to others, even his infidel prey.
You may be correct, but there are two other possibilities, the Tarot card may not have been left the sniper, and two, he (they) may be home grown Muslims and are not as adverse to using “graven images”.
why do you think there's more than one?
These shootings are being done in broad daylight. The last one was done within 50 yards of a police officer. I think there is at least one shooter, and one driver and lookout. While the shooter is selecting a target, the driver is looking around to make sure the coast is clear, and the escape route is open. As soon as the shot is fired, the escape begins. One shooter would have to put away the weapon and then make sure the escape route was still open. The fact there are no reports of a vehicle speeding away would indicate to me that it is almost as if they come to a stop at either a stop sign or a stop light, shooter fires, and the vehicles moves away normally, no wasted time.
And, if there is, it seems they'd be twice as likely to get caught
There are many crimes committed with more than one person. I think you would be correct if this was a normal crime but I still believe it is a sleeper cell that has been activated,
Many posters thinks the sniper's shooting from inside a vehicle or hotel room. I'm guessing he's standing outside, in the woods, waiting for people to come into position at gas stations where they're easy prey. If so, and there's two, the driver's waiting down the street, while the sniper calmly walks to the car. If that's the case, a gun would be in plain view. I have no knowledge of guns. But if he's walking around with it, then it'd have to be smaller rather than larger, so as to be hidden while the guy walks.
They are not outside the vehicle, just for the very reasons you suggest. They are not in a building as this would expose them to being seen. No, they are in a vehicle. One that has been specially prepared. With a little thought I think I could design a shooting perch inside a truck that would not be noticeable unless you were looking for it.
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