The Son of Sam, BTK, Jeffery Dhamer, and the Zodiac Killer. They all have one thing in common. They were the source of hundreds, even thousands of people’s fear and paranoia for a period of time. For some it was months, for others it was years of fear that built up and simmered in the air. Over the years and the culmination of so many killers, a sort of ‘trend’ started, idolizing and almost romanticizing these killers. Where did it start? How did it change over the years?

The idea of serial killers started in the late 19th century, one example being the notorious British killer, Jack the Ripper. Throughout his reign, he claimed the lives of five women, sending London into a pit of fear and despair. This is where the idea that one person can be responsible for more than one crime really started to circulate. In the end, Jack the Ripper still remains one of the most infamous killers in history, seeing as he was never identified. However, recent DNA findings concerning the case indicate that his true identity could be revealed soon. 

However, this idea was not very popular in the Americas until the late 1900’s. One such example of this could be the Villisca House Axe murders, where an octuple murder took place on an unsuspecting family in Iowa. In the case, one of the townspeople was convicted, although new evidence has come to life of a serial killer who was operating at that time, and it may have been a wrong conviction.

Moving on from this, the ‘trend’ surrounding serial killers hasn’t taken shape in the form most people expect. It’s not a mainstream topic that everyone talks about with a burning passion; if anything, it revolves around people almost defending the killers in a way, and in some cases, it turns into obsession and eventually, love.

One such example of this that indirectly correlates can be the case revolving around the notorious ‘Milwaukee Cannibal’, Jeffery Dhamer. When Dhamer was incarcerated, he received numerous letters, many coming from women who expressed their devout love and devotion for him. He would receive money and many other things so that they could prove how much they loved him. 

This happened on more than one occasion, such as the case of Ted Bundy. When talking about Bundy’s case, it went to another level that has not really occurred again since his case. While his trial was happening, Bundy rekindled a connection with an old coworker, Carole Ann Boone, who was testifying on his behalf. Throughout the course of the case, they eventually had a daughter together, getting married in 1980. This is one of the more extreme cases of obsession and romanticization over serial killers.  

Now, when looking over the course of history and how the term ‘serial killer’ came to be, the general term was always present, especially in homicide, but it had a variation of names, such as serial homicide. However, the term first came from Germany, evolving to a serial killer in 1974. 

All in all, when looking at the term ‘serial killer’, there is a multitude of layers involving the people pertaining to that category, and many have nothing to do with them. Whether it’s about advancing forensic work, or ‘coining’ a new way of going about committing the act, the term is constantly evolving with the environment surrounding it. This only covers the surface of the phenomena, proving that there is still much to be discovered, and much to learn with what is already there.