serial killer
Sign in to saveindividual who has killed three or more people over a period of more than a month
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A serial killer is someone who commits multiple murders—at least three—over an extended period of time, rather than all at once. Understanding serial killers matters because it helps law enforcement, criminologists, and the public recognize patterns of crime that might otherwise go undetected across different locations or time periods.
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1829 illustration of Irish serial killer William Burke murdering Margaret Docherty
A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is an individual who murders three or more people, with the killings taking place over a period of more than one month in three or more separate events. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) states that the motives of serial killers can include anger, thrill-seeking, attention seeking, and financial gain. The victims tend to have things in common, such as demographic profile, appearance, gender, or race. As a group, serial killers have a variety of personality disorders. They are often not adjudicated as insane under the law. Although a serial killer is a distinct classification that differs from that of a mass murderer, spree killer, or contract killer, there are overlaps among them.