Serial Killer Definitions and Their Impact on What We Know About Serial Killings

• In Event: Methodological Issues in the Study of Violence

Abstract

Serial killer research suffers from the lack of an agreed-upon definition of the phenomenon. Initially, the FBI defined it as three separate killings, with a cooling-off period in between each killing. Early definitions also often focused on the need for the killings to have a sexual element in order to be part of a series. The FBI has since changed the criteria to two killings and removed the sexual element. There is debate among researchers about how to define the phenomenon, which has led to disparities in research findings due to differing definitions. This study examines and compares characteristics of serial killings using the original FBI, the revised FBI, and Reid’s Criminally Compulsive Homicide definitions of the phenomenon. We discern how these definitions impact what we know about serial killings.

Authors

• Meridith Spencer, Fisher College

• Olivia Leo, Fisher College

• Jackson Hennessey, Fisher College

• Jeremy Blau, Fisher College