October 2023

photo courtesy of Google

By Eli Landau

Content Warning: Mentions of serial killers, death, murder, murderers, execution, knifes, guns, strangulation, hanging, blood, abuse, sex

I’m sure it won't be a shock when I tell you that the United States of America is the country with the highest number of serial killers.  Currently there are 3,204 registered serial killers in the U.S.A.  The runner up being England with 166.

The classification of a serial killer in the United States is: “‘a person who murders three or more people, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them,’  Each country has a different classification of a serial killer, some classify them as someone that kills at least four people and other classify them as someone that kills two people,” as stated here.

More than 8,500 people have received the death penalty in the US.  In the late 2000s there were a solid 3,601 people on death row, while at the end of 2019 there were 2,570 people, having a decrease of 29% in 9 years.

Serial killers are most frequently caught in the act.  The common phrase “caught red-handed” was originally used to describe capturing a murderer that still had blood on their hands.  This common phrase today originated during the 15th century in Scotland.

Most commonly, serial killers find their victims based on physical characteristics such as gender, race, age, hair color, as well as other characteristics such as sexuality.  These characteristics are known as a killer's “type”.  

Over 90% of serial killers are male.  

Serial killers lack empathy and guilt, this is also known as antisocial personality disorder.

Majority of serial killers experienced some kind of abuse in their childhood, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, sexual, or all of the above.

In the United States, at least ⅓ (33%) of serial killers don't get caught in their lifetime.  Of the ⅔ (67%) that do get caught, around 5% of them get caught through forensic evidence, around 5% get caught after a witness calls the authorities, and only 1% get captured because of evidence left at the scene of their crime.  Around 70% of people that murder someone are caught after their first kill.  Most serial killers will continue to kill until they are caught.

Differences Between Male and Female Murders:

Males are more likely to target strangers; while women most often kill people that they know.  Women are two times more likely to murder a spouse/partner than males are.  Male killers generally take their victims' lives via hands-on killings, such as: strangulation or knife use.  This is different from female serial killers who customarily kill via poison.  The most common reason for a woman to murder is for financial gain; while men usually for sexual gain.

Who Was the First Serial Killer in The U.S?

Lavinia Fisher is recorded as the first serial killer, and surprisingly enough, she was a woman.  She was born in 1793 and was executed in 1820 at the age of 27.  However, she was not executed with the charge of murder, she was executed under the charge of highway robbery, which was a capital offense at the time; meaning that the crime was punishable by death.  She was executed by hanging and according to legend she screamed her last words, “If any of you have a messenger for the devil, tell me now, for I shall be seeing him shortly,”

The First Male Serial Killer in the U.S?

H.H. Holmes is considered the first male serial killer in the United States.  He is presumed to have been born on May 16, 1861 in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.  He was executed by hanging at Moyamensing Prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 7, 1896; convicted of the crime of murdering 1 individual, even though Holmes confessed to murdering 27, and today it is thought that he killed over 200.  It is said that the moments before his death he showed no signs of fear, anxiety, or nervousness.  Holmes claimed to have been “born with the devil in me.  I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than a poet can help the inspiration to sing,”

First Person Sentenced to Death:

Britain introduced execution into the American Colonies and Europeans brought the practice of capital punishment.  Hanging became the primary method of execution in the US.

The first recorded person to be sentenced to death and executed was in 1608.  Captain George Kendall was executed by firing squad in the Jamestown colony of Virginia under the terms of being a spy for Spain.

It wasn’t until the eighteenth century (the 1700s) that execution became illegal unless performed on killers (with a few exceptions). 🐾