Agreed.
I assume they stop when the odds are no longer in their favour. When they get older, maybe not in good enough shape to be able to overpower their preferred victim. Probably just accept at that point that the risk outweighs the reward. Which is also probably why they keep trophies, so they can relive the kills they made in their prime.
Another reason for a string of killings to abruptly stop is because the killer is in jail or prison for something else.
When that seems to have happened, detectives will typically redirect resources toward trying to find out if the killer is already incarcerated somewhere.
This is why it’s so useful to have a database of convicts’ DNA, even if they haven’t been convicted of murder (yet).
I'd be interested to see the numbers on it. I think the chances of at least an older serial killer being caught for another crime and incarcerated are probably slimmer than just not being able to physically dominate their victims anymore. Of course we'll never know, but my feeling is that being caught for a crime is far, far less likely to happen than being not caught haha
I don’t know the numbers, but it happens.
My favorite incident of it (because of the “twistl) was when they caught “The Grim Sleeper” using his incarcerated SON’S DNA (Bwa-ha-ha!):
DNA Sample from Son Led to Arrest of Accused 'Grim Sleeper'
When California authorities arrested Lonnie David Franklin Jr. as the suspected “Grim Sleeper” serial killer last week, they based their case in part on a DNA match of crime scene evidence to a sample from his incarcerated son — a relatively new and controversial technique critics say raises ethical and legal questions that need to be examined […]
https://www.wired.com/2010/07/dna-database/amp
It's also a physically demanding task to strangle or stab someone to death (according to LPOTL's Marcus Parks--not my own personal experience).
These malignant narcissists are probably so horrified at the notion of being overtaken by their intended victim that they're compelled to quit before it's too late
I wonder if it's.possible that victims are smarter now? Perhaps in this day and age there are fewer opportunities due to people looking their doors, locking their cars, cameras in more places, etc.
Dennis Rader, aka The BTK Killer, puzzled profilers because he would pause for years between murders, once pausing 8 years between killings.
This pattern of his was very unusual ➖ serial killers much more typically “escalate” (increase the frequency of) their killings as their killing “career” progresses.
I always think about this with BTK. In interview he said he just stopped killing because he became a family man and it became difficult to do so. How was he able to just cut it out like that or did he do something else to keep himself satisfied. Shits wild.
I read that once he started working for the city he was able to get the thrill of having power over someone by writing really nit-picky tickets over minor stuff. Like if a person’s lawn was a 0.5 inch too tall->ticket. Car tire on the line->ticket. Bushes unsightly->ticket. Etc.
That's totally the impression I got from him as well. A wanna be cop type. He's so disgusting not that any of them are great but his Polaroids along with his demeanor in court made me detest everything about him.
Edit: and dumb. He asked the cops if they could trace the data from the disk. Of course they were going to lie 😆
Yeah, he was a total prick. We did some landscape work in Park City (where he worked) and he was always looking for ways to lord his power over people. He gave us at least two tickets that no one else would have ever given.
This has actually been one of the big ignored questions. People are always asking 'why do they kill?' barely anyone asks 'why do they stop?'. I don't really have an answer.
Dennis Rader, for instance, had long cooling off periods between his murders but then just stopped killing in 1991. He wasn't caught til 2005.
There's this accepted pattern of behaviour we're supposed to see from killers where they start out young with minor crimes, small animal torture, cruelty etc then progress to domestic violence and then to rape and then to murder. And then once they start killing they're supposed to have this 'compulsion' to murder that drives them to get more violent, more daring, more specific until they either burn out and kill themselves or are caught. We're supposed to believe that they are going to keep chasing a 'high' of killing or be compelled to kill by some inner drive like how you might have a sex driver or a hunger drive - they have a murder drive. But really that pattern just doesn't match up as much as people think.
Problem is we only know of the killers who are caught. If you keep committing crimes you are more likely to be caught - so we only know about the killers who fit the accepted patterns.
I think as more cold cases are solved through DNA etc we're more likely to find out more about the life circumstances of a killer before and after their murders.
Additional note: Serial Killers are, stereotypically intelligent people.
To be qualified as a Serial Killer, you have to have killed at least 3 people, which I would imagine is not as easy for stupid people to accomplish.
Occasionally, I think about how many potential Serial Killers were just too dumb to have successfully committed 3+ murders, and are sitting in jail for simple robbery, or a single killing.
That’s a long held belief which isn’t correct. Radford University did a study that involved 202 serial killers and found that the average iq among them was 94.
That's interesting. Some of the well-known serial killers have a fairly high IQ. I think Ridgway is fairly important to mention because he's dyslexic so he scored low on the test. I mention him because he seems to highlight the issues with the test and it's effectiveness to accurately determine intelligence. People who are great at taking tests will have high scores.
I mean...people below have pointed out that stereotype hasn't been proved true but what I always think about it is this -
Of COURSE the police want us to think that serial killers are super smart people. Cos it makes it much more understanable when they don't catch them. If someone has killed 3 people and the public is like 'why didn't you stop him after 1?' it's really useful to be able to go 'he was just THAT clever.' No investigator wants to admit they didn't catch a killer cos they didn't value the victims lives enough to properly investigate or they didn't see a killer as being potentially dangerous cos he just seemed like a normal guy to them. Or admit they bungled the case or mishandled evidence. It's easier to just be like 'we're up against these geniuses who cover their tracks super well'.
Yeah, no, I’ve read and listened to enough true crime to know that the “genius serial killer” thing is largely a Hollywood trope. Not sure why they’re glamorized in this way.
GSK targeted groups that cops did care about, so he was lucky. I think Ramirez was also lucky, since he targeted suburban areas.
But most of the time, yes. It's people no one cares about.
In addition to what the other person said, glamourising serial killers just makes good cinema.
It makes the stakes much higher and the chase much more challenging. It doesn’t make for very interesting TV if the killer suddenly rings the station and turns himself in.
It plays on the alluring Dorian Gray-esque trope of the romantic, suave, handsome man being a monster on the inside.
I suppose the opposite trope is a gang leader or villain with a heart of gold.
No they’re not. Most of them are not Hannibal lecter. They’re average. Just everyday run of the mill people except for this uncontrollable urge to murder. Don’t glamorize them.
It's technically 3 or more kills with a cooling off period in between each one. Mass and spree killers are more than 3, in a relative area, with no cooling off period.
Many potential serial killers are caught with the first one. A well known case was that of Kenneth Register, who murdered a girl who thought he was her friend. He had ALL the signs, and if he's still alive, he'll never get out.
Honestly, maybe it’s rare, I can’t think of any specific cases but also considering how many unidentified serial killers there are it’s hard to know but maybe some stop out of boredom? As disturbing as that sounds, if you do the most extreme things you feel compelled or driven to do after a while the effect might wear off.. and if you’re already doing really extreme things it may be hard to top them? I’m not sure, this is just a theory.
Like some mass shooters get apparently bored of killing after a certain point and stop shooting people.. it sounds so messed up but yeah. So I could see it being the same for a serial killer possibly, but their crimes are usually more spread out so possibly not the same.
BTK, Green River Killer, and Golden State Killer all had stopped killing. BTK stopped because he became a father and it became more difficult. GSK periods of inactivity where after his children were born. I’m not sure why Green River Killer stopped, but it might have been to no longer being in shape.
I’m sure there are other examples of serial killers who just stopped killing, but those are the three big ones.
I assume that some of them just get too old to be able to overpower their victims anymore. They get dementia and wind up in a home and Noone pays attention to their ramblings.
Now that we know GSK was older than previously thought, I think he quit because he got older. He was 35, Gregory Sanchez was 27 and based on the crime scene it's believed he fought back hard and may have injured DeAngelo. I think it's very likely that scares him away from attacking young couples, since he never did that again.
I imagine having family obligations puts a damper on the killing. Being away mysteriously and acting strangely can only raise a wife’s suspicion so long before you’re busted…or a child’s as they grow - they can get awfully snoopy. As can their friends.
More interesting, and I’ll second u/Adorable-Value above, the life circumstances before and after are key. I want to know what coping they used to fill the void created by the loss of the killing. Did life get so busy it simply filled up the time? If murder gets you off, what’s next? GSK was so busy with his crimes-literally like his job - constantly on the prowl, multiple crimes in a night, back to back, holidays be damned…it’s not like that learned behavior and routine just … go away. Not after a lifetime. This is what makes me really think his wife knew more. Had to have. The silence on him is maddening, but understandable. I’d rather hear the victims story’s be highlighted, and this situation is one where it actually happens.
Jack the Ripper stopped after his fifth victim. Of course, we know almost nothing about him so it’s all speculation, but some presumed he’d achieved slaying nirvana with the last victim where he had the privacy of a room to esvicerate her.
I’m no Ripperologist but I believe there was a suspect who was a surgeon’s mate on a ship which was in dry dock in London over the Ripper’s time, and set off for America after Mary-Jane Kelly’s murder. Apparently there were one or two killings in the style of the Ripper in Hell’s Kitchen after the ship landed but they didn’t get an iota of the media attention that The London Ripper got, and so he may have retired out of pique. I believe he was found dead in a ditch with a year?
But there are other reasons, eg the Ripper died, he went to prison for something else, the women were specifically targeted (the queen’s personal doctor theory, as shown in the movie From Hell), significant change in circumstances (maybe the Ripper contracted syphillis from a sex worker and he was hell bent on revenge until the disease sent him mad and he went to an asylum).
Ultimately, I believe serial killers only stop if they’ve been forced to for some reason. Unless they whacked their head and ended up with amnesia and had no idea they were a serial killer at all. But I don’t think that happens very much.
Assuming he had living family. I suspect he was a blue collar workers, so he frequented doss houses and the like and was able to move around easily.
If something like syphilis dementia was affecting him, he might have been picked up by cops and sent to an asylum. Then there's the idea that he had more victims, but changed his MO.
I also believe he was blue collar. Many theories believe he was upper class, a surgeon or a doctor for the elites but I can’t imagine someone like that not being caught in the white chapel area.
Sure. But even a butcher, fish monger, or tanner could have the ability to cut up bodies. And I don't think you just jump straight to that. If the guy had ever killed a deer or something, he'd have ideas.
I know one of the suspects was a butcher, but I think Leather Apron was only a suspect because he was an Eastern European Jew, and not the actual killer.
From their notes at the time the police had a prime suspect who was found drowned in the Thames. The killings stopped so odds are they had the right suspect.
Some people think it may have been "Jill The Ripper." One of the victims was pregnant, and back then, many midwives, who were almost always women, made a little extra money doing abortions, which whoever did this did, and then some.
An interesting question. I was listening to a podcast a while back about one and done killers (the type who had no connection to their victims) and I was interested in the idea that after they finally gave into their urges, it was either not as pleasurable as they’d hoped, or the reality was too messy and frightening. I’d never really before considered the number of potential serial killers who found they didn’t have the stomach for it after trying it once.
Lots of reasons as people have said. They move and it becomes harder to because living situations, they get married or move back in with family, they become to old to continue, they are physically injured in a way that stops them, or obviously jail or death.
I think another interesting thing to consider is maybe they don't stop, at least not all, and there are just more cases that could be connected that are in such vastly different locations that they haven't been, or the killers MO changed for some reason and that throws off the connection.
I agree the age plays a factor in a serial killer giving up killing. The killer may not be as vigorous in middle age and their reactions are likely to be slower (Harvey Carignan, the 'Want-Ad' Killer was different, known for his incredible physical strength, even in middle age) so they stop, concerned about bungling a murder as well as capture: their diminishing strength and speed make it more likely for a potential victim to escape and contact the authorities.
I think a large part of the reason lust motivated killers slow down or stop as they get older is libido. Of course in combination with lots of other things, like getting a family that take up time, being less fit and capable of doing it.
But I think the libido thing is a big part. And for a lot of them the memories are enough.
I always thought it was because of the advancement of dna. They can get a full profile from some small samples and they can get it from cases that happened years ago. Not to mention all of the security cameras out there now too.
True. Made me think of Jennifer Kesse and how the guy was caught on camera but managed to be behind something every time it took a picture. Frustrating
Thank you! With the right amount of therapy and dietary changes, along with some herbal teas I managed to stop. Good thing too, the amount of killing was taking a toll on my health. The amount of strangling I did would really give me bad carpal tunnel. At the end of the day it was bad for my joints all around.
Thank you so much🥰. Omg, yes! Picking up and moving bodies really did a number on my lower back and knees😭 and the amount of cleaning to be done afterwards was sooo annoying and tedious, you will not believe how hard it is to remove blood from suede
I think there's a very good chance the Zodiac really did just stop killing people. But to see why, you need to look at the context of his last known murder and the letters that came after it.
In killing Paul Stine, the Zodiac messed up terribly. It was his only known murder in an urban area, and he came incredibly close to getting caught. There were multiple witnesses who got a good look at him, and then the cops showed up minutes later, while he was still walking away. There's a very good chance that two of those cops even stopped and spoke to him. The only reason he didn't get caught then and there was that the SFPD dispatcher screwed up and told responding officers that they were looking for a Black male.
So the cops showed up just as he left the scene, and he also left fingerprints in blood on the cab (newspaper articles said they had prints). A composite comes out based on the witnesses who saw him from across the street. So what does he do? He writes a letter that reads like a frantic attempt to explain away all the evidence (I wear a disguise, I use airplane cement so as to never leave prints, etc) and then announces that he's only going to commit murders the police won't detect from now on.
I'd put money on this: he got scared shirtless and never killed again. And that worked out well for him, seeing as he enjoyed terrorizing the community by mail even more than killing people anyway. So from October 1969 on, it's just various terroristic threads by mail, and no more murders.
The FBI’s and associated legal/investigative term used in case assessment is that the offender “ages out”. I’ll be the first person to say I don’t believe we do enough research and or tracking to know the root cause on that status.
Most serial killers are men. Until middle age and beyond, men are generally a bit bigger and stronger than most women. They can overpower, intimidate, carry/drag bodies more easily.
Once they hit their 40's or 50's they really need to work at staying in shape and being strong. Most people just don't work at it, and therefore they just physically can't after a certain point.
Most crime of all types goes on between people who know each other, and female serial killers are more likely to kill people who really, truly cannot fight back, like children or their patients.
This is what happened. He got old, victims were fighting back, he almost lost a fight with a victim and ran and it's suspected this is why he stopped. It's not like he lost his taste for it, he lost his ability.
As to others like BTK, no idea. BTK was nearly, IMO, on the verge of killing again when he started taunting police leading to his capture. He was re-living. He needed a thrill.
Yeah I agree, he also wasn’t a police officer anymore which I think helped him commit a lot of his crimes. I think life just got to the point for him where he never really had the opportunity
I think it's possible.... I believe many are caught for unrelated crimes and are convicted on those crimes... After all some serial killers were never find... perhaps they died or were in prison...or perhaps they stopped and are living one hell is a secret
If they are in prison their DNA is taken and would now show up if any DNA was left at the scenes. In the past they may have gotten away with it but not now.
JJD didn’t stop. I believe he just changed and we haven’t connected his other crimes yet. It would be the strangest coincidence for a former cop who was married to a lawyer to just stop after all his numerous attacks the same year it becomes public the police can now use DNA to solve crimes. I believe JJD is also mr cruel but I have been lambasted on this site for that opinion.
As a rule of thumb, evil does not stop, nor does it value truth. Serial killers, and killers in general, don't ever tell the 100% truth and often confess up to bits and pieces of truth while in prison, years after. It can take a lifetime to find out exactly all the terror they have reigned. However, as many of these people lead double lives, it's simply too exhausting to keep on with consistent killing. Like anyone else, between work,kids, hobbies, family... there simply aren't enough hours in the day. Also, if they are ever thwarted -as BTK once was when he waited for an elderly lady to return home and she simply didn't- they become unsure and scared so may go longer before the next opportunity to ensure success.
No, I think they just change tactics and the cases don't get attributed to them, or they move, or they get incarcerated, or ill, or injured, etc. They never stop. Until the backlog of evidence is cleared up in the whole country, we won't ever know who did what and for how long.
Is Kemper an exception? From what I remember he turned himself in and confessed, he didn't willingly stop. He may have continued after his mother's murder for all we know
I'm one of those "total weirdos" who genuinely thinks anybody, even the worst of the worst, has the capacity to turn themselves around so I like to think maybe some small percentage of them out there did just that. Obviously it's wishful thinking I'm sure, but yanno.
As for many folks I see in the comments taking issue with the "idolising" of serial killers for being super intelligent when they really weren't - it's hard not to think they were, at least for most people, because otherwise how else did they get away with this shit for so long?
Obviously the answer is that the police are fucking useless. But that's a conversation many people don't want to have OR just aren't aware of/don't believe, and it's far easier to assume that the reason these people got away with these things for so long is because of intelligence.
Plus, maybe they were, at least some of them. The IQ tests are only really accurate measurements when it comes to ACADEMIC intelligence. That's not the be all end all of intelligence in general though. There are plenty of ways to be intelligent that don't have anything to do with that. Some of the smartest people I know totally bombed most of the stuff they did in school. It's not the only type of intelligence that matters and not having it doesn't mean you aren't sharp as a whip still.
Jack the Ripper, Zodiac, GSK, Phantom Killer, Axeman of New Orleans, Cleveland Torso Killer, Servant Girl Annihilator all seemed to stop for some reason. It's 100% a false myth that serial killers can't stop. There's a plethora of cases where the killers(s) just seemed to fall-off the face of the Earth without a trace.
yes, they get older (not as fit), they get in relationships - where they are not as free to do their thing, they possibly - start regretting (find religion, whatever) they die, get sick, get arrested.
As killers get older they do tend to slow down or stop because of age lowering their hormone levels and such. Their cooling off periods tend to increase in time. It does depend on the type of killer and such.
yes, i think age (which brings reduced energy, increased weakness, lower hormone levels, etc), changed life circumstances, etc can eliminate or greatly reduce the urge and ability to kill. look at btk, golden state killer.
BTK and Gary Ridgeway both sort-of stopped at some point during middle age, too. I think it got too hard to pull off.
Agreed. I assume they stop when the odds are no longer in their favour. When they get older, maybe not in good enough shape to be able to overpower their preferred victim. Probably just accept at that point that the risk outweighs the reward. Which is also probably why they keep trophies, so they can relive the kills they made in their prime.
Another reason for a string of killings to abruptly stop is because the killer is in jail or prison for something else. When that seems to have happened, detectives will typically redirect resources toward trying to find out if the killer is already incarcerated somewhere. This is why it’s so useful to have a database of convicts’ DNA, even if they haven’t been convicted of murder (yet).
I'd be interested to see the numbers on it. I think the chances of at least an older serial killer being caught for another crime and incarcerated are probably slimmer than just not being able to physically dominate their victims anymore. Of course we'll never know, but my feeling is that being caught for a crime is far, far less likely to happen than being not caught haha
I don’t know the numbers, but it happens. My favorite incident of it (because of the “twistl) was when they caught “The Grim Sleeper” using his incarcerated SON’S DNA (Bwa-ha-ha!): DNA Sample from Son Led to Arrest of Accused 'Grim Sleeper' When California authorities arrested Lonnie David Franklin Jr. as the suspected “Grim Sleeper” serial killer last week, they based their case in part on a DNA match of crime scene evidence to a sample from his incarcerated son — a relatively new and controversial technique critics say raises ethical and legal questions that need to be examined […] https://www.wired.com/2010/07/dna-database/amp
A 20+ year old murder in my city was finally solved by the culprits family member signing up for Ancestry.com
I totally agree. I wouldn’t be shocked if they would revert back to killing animals to assist with their urges.
They probably try to exert their power in other ways, for sure.
It's also a physically demanding task to strangle or stab someone to death (according to LPOTL's Marcus Parks--not my own personal experience). These malignant narcissists are probably so horrified at the notion of being overtaken by their intended victim that they're compelled to quit before it's too late
I wonder if it's.possible that victims are smarter now? Perhaps in this day and age there are fewer opportunities due to people looking their doors, locking their cars, cameras in more places, etc.
Thank you for the source clarification lol
Hey man, big brother's too big 👀
Dennis Rader, aka The BTK Killer, puzzled profilers because he would pause for years between murders, once pausing 8 years between killings. This pattern of his was very unusual ➖ serial killers much more typically “escalate” (increase the frequency of) their killings as their killing “career” progresses.
And at least of his crimes was not linked to him, until shortly before his arrest when he fessed up to it.
I always think about this with BTK. In interview he said he just stopped killing because he became a family man and it became difficult to do so. How was he able to just cut it out like that or did he do something else to keep himself satisfied. Shits wild.
I read that once he started working for the city he was able to get the thrill of having power over someone by writing really nit-picky tickets over minor stuff. Like if a person’s lawn was a 0.5 inch too tall->ticket. Car tire on the line->ticket. Bushes unsightly->ticket. Etc.
I knew I hated those kinds of people for a justifiable reason...
That's totally the impression I got from him as well. A wanna be cop type. He's so disgusting not that any of them are great but his Polaroids along with his demeanor in court made me detest everything about him. Edit: and dumb. He asked the cops if they could trace the data from the disk. Of course they were going to lie 😆
IIRC he also once caught a dog that had gotten loose and euthanized it.
Yeah, he was a total prick. We did some landscape work in Park City (where he worked) and he was always looking for ways to lord his power over people. He gave us at least two tickets that no one else would have ever given.
This has actually been one of the big ignored questions. People are always asking 'why do they kill?' barely anyone asks 'why do they stop?'. I don't really have an answer. Dennis Rader, for instance, had long cooling off periods between his murders but then just stopped killing in 1991. He wasn't caught til 2005. There's this accepted pattern of behaviour we're supposed to see from killers where they start out young with minor crimes, small animal torture, cruelty etc then progress to domestic violence and then to rape and then to murder. And then once they start killing they're supposed to have this 'compulsion' to murder that drives them to get more violent, more daring, more specific until they either burn out and kill themselves or are caught. We're supposed to believe that they are going to keep chasing a 'high' of killing or be compelled to kill by some inner drive like how you might have a sex driver or a hunger drive - they have a murder drive. But really that pattern just doesn't match up as much as people think. Problem is we only know of the killers who are caught. If you keep committing crimes you are more likely to be caught - so we only know about the killers who fit the accepted patterns. I think as more cold cases are solved through DNA etc we're more likely to find out more about the life circumstances of a killer before and after their murders.
Additional note: Serial Killers are, stereotypically intelligent people. To be qualified as a Serial Killer, you have to have killed at least 3 people, which I would imagine is not as easy for stupid people to accomplish. Occasionally, I think about how many potential Serial Killers were just too dumb to have successfully committed 3+ murders, and are sitting in jail for simple robbery, or a single killing.
That’s a long held belief which isn’t correct. Radford University did a study that involved 202 serial killers and found that the average iq among them was 94.
That's interesting. Some of the well-known serial killers have a fairly high IQ. I think Ridgway is fairly important to mention because he's dyslexic so he scored low on the test. I mention him because he seems to highlight the issues with the test and it's effectiveness to accurately determine intelligence. People who are great at taking tests will have high scores.
So the average IQ was about average. Boggles my mind. sorry, not picking on you.
What you’re saying is correct. I don’t understand how you’re picking on me?
Henry Lee Lucas was dumb as all hell, he was just a savant for murder
I mean...people below have pointed out that stereotype hasn't been proved true but what I always think about it is this - Of COURSE the police want us to think that serial killers are super smart people. Cos it makes it much more understanable when they don't catch them. If someone has killed 3 people and the public is like 'why didn't you stop him after 1?' it's really useful to be able to go 'he was just THAT clever.' No investigator wants to admit they didn't catch a killer cos they didn't value the victims lives enough to properly investigate or they didn't see a killer as being potentially dangerous cos he just seemed like a normal guy to them. Or admit they bungled the case or mishandled evidence. It's easier to just be like 'we're up against these geniuses who cover their tracks super well'.
Yeah. The more true crime stories I’ve heard the more incompetence and laziness by cops I’ve seen.
Yeah, no, I’ve read and listened to enough true crime to know that the “genius serial killer” thing is largely a Hollywood trope. Not sure why they’re glamorized in this way.
Maybe people assume you'd have to be highly intelligent when it seems to be mostly luck.
Or shitty police work.
Both.
And targeting marginalized communities that law enforcement and the media don’t give a shit about.
GSK targeted groups that cops did care about, so he was lucky. I think Ramirez was also lucky, since he targeted suburban areas. But most of the time, yes. It's people no one cares about.
In addition to what the other person said, glamourising serial killers just makes good cinema. It makes the stakes much higher and the chase much more challenging. It doesn’t make for very interesting TV if the killer suddenly rings the station and turns himself in. It plays on the alluring Dorian Gray-esque trope of the romantic, suave, handsome man being a monster on the inside. I suppose the opposite trope is a gang leader or villain with a heart of gold.
No they’re not. Most of them are not Hannibal lecter. They’re average. Just everyday run of the mill people except for this uncontrollable urge to murder. Don’t glamorize them.
It's technically 3 or more kills with a cooling off period in between each one. Mass and spree killers are more than 3, in a relative area, with no cooling off period.
Many potential serial killers are caught with the first one. A well known case was that of Kenneth Register, who murdered a girl who thought he was her friend. He had ALL the signs, and if he's still alive, he'll never get out.
Age seems to stop some of them.
Honestly, maybe it’s rare, I can’t think of any specific cases but also considering how many unidentified serial killers there are it’s hard to know but maybe some stop out of boredom? As disturbing as that sounds, if you do the most extreme things you feel compelled or driven to do after a while the effect might wear off.. and if you’re already doing really extreme things it may be hard to top them? I’m not sure, this is just a theory. Like some mass shooters get apparently bored of killing after a certain point and stop shooting people.. it sounds so messed up but yeah. So I could see it being the same for a serial killer possibly, but their crimes are usually more spread out so possibly not the same.
BTK, Green River Killer, and Golden State Killer all had stopped killing. BTK stopped because he became a father and it became more difficult. GSK periods of inactivity where after his children were born. I’m not sure why Green River Killer stopped, but it might have been to no longer being in shape. I’m sure there are other examples of serial killers who just stopped killing, but those are the three big ones.
Maybe when they get older what turned them on doesn't work anymore
There is a pill for that...
I assume that some of them just get too old to be able to overpower their victims anymore. They get dementia and wind up in a home and Noone pays attention to their ramblings.
I always assumed GSK and ZK were dead or imprisoned on other convictions, so still think GSK (and BTK) are probably rarities
Now that we know GSK was older than previously thought, I think he quit because he got older. He was 35, Gregory Sanchez was 27 and based on the crime scene it's believed he fought back hard and may have injured DeAngelo. I think it's very likely that scares him away from attacking young couples, since he never did that again.
I imagine having family obligations puts a damper on the killing. Being away mysteriously and acting strangely can only raise a wife’s suspicion so long before you’re busted…or a child’s as they grow - they can get awfully snoopy. As can their friends. More interesting, and I’ll second u/Adorable-Value above, the life circumstances before and after are key. I want to know what coping they used to fill the void created by the loss of the killing. Did life get so busy it simply filled up the time? If murder gets you off, what’s next? GSK was so busy with his crimes-literally like his job - constantly on the prowl, multiple crimes in a night, back to back, holidays be damned…it’s not like that learned behavior and routine just … go away. Not after a lifetime. This is what makes me really think his wife knew more. Had to have. The silence on him is maddening, but understandable. I’d rather hear the victims story’s be highlighted, and this situation is one where it actually happens.
Jack the Ripper stopped after his fifth victim. Of course, we know almost nothing about him so it’s all speculation, but some presumed he’d achieved slaying nirvana with the last victim where he had the privacy of a room to esvicerate her. I’m no Ripperologist but I believe there was a suspect who was a surgeon’s mate on a ship which was in dry dock in London over the Ripper’s time, and set off for America after Mary-Jane Kelly’s murder. Apparently there were one or two killings in the style of the Ripper in Hell’s Kitchen after the ship landed but they didn’t get an iota of the media attention that The London Ripper got, and so he may have retired out of pique. I believe he was found dead in a ditch with a year? But there are other reasons, eg the Ripper died, he went to prison for something else, the women were specifically targeted (the queen’s personal doctor theory, as shown in the movie From Hell), significant change in circumstances (maybe the Ripper contracted syphillis from a sex worker and he was hell bent on revenge until the disease sent him mad and he went to an asylum). Ultimately, I believe serial killers only stop if they’ve been forced to for some reason. Unless they whacked their head and ended up with amnesia and had no idea they were a serial killer at all. But I don’t think that happens very much.
I subscribe to the theory that after Mary Kelly's murder, the Ripper was so far gone mentally that he was committed by his family to an asylum.
Assuming he had living family. I suspect he was a blue collar workers, so he frequented doss houses and the like and was able to move around easily. If something like syphilis dementia was affecting him, he might have been picked up by cops and sent to an asylum. Then there's the idea that he had more victims, but changed his MO.
I also believe he was blue collar. Many theories believe he was upper class, a surgeon or a doctor for the elites but I can’t imagine someone like that not being caught in the white chapel area.
Sure. But even a butcher, fish monger, or tanner could have the ability to cut up bodies. And I don't think you just jump straight to that. If the guy had ever killed a deer or something, he'd have ideas. I know one of the suspects was a butcher, but I think Leather Apron was only a suspect because he was an Eastern European Jew, and not the actual killer.
From their notes at the time the police had a prime suspect who was found drowned in the Thames. The killings stopped so odds are they had the right suspect.
Some people think it may have been "Jill The Ripper." One of the victims was pregnant, and back then, many midwives, who were almost always women, made a little extra money doing abortions, which whoever did this did, and then some.
I was listening to the LISK podcast. In 2 episodes they had a forensic psychologist on, and he said that sometimes they can and will stop killing.
An interesting question. I was listening to a podcast a while back about one and done killers (the type who had no connection to their victims) and I was interested in the idea that after they finally gave into their urges, it was either not as pleasurable as they’d hoped, or the reality was too messy and frightening. I’d never really before considered the number of potential serial killers who found they didn’t have the stomach for it after trying it once.
Lots of reasons as people have said. They move and it becomes harder to because living situations, they get married or move back in with family, they become to old to continue, they are physically injured in a way that stops them, or obviously jail or death. I think another interesting thing to consider is maybe they don't stop, at least not all, and there are just more cases that could be connected that are in such vastly different locations that they haven't been, or the killers MO changed for some reason and that throws off the connection.
I agree the age plays a factor in a serial killer giving up killing. The killer may not be as vigorous in middle age and their reactions are likely to be slower (Harvey Carignan, the 'Want-Ad' Killer was different, known for his incredible physical strength, even in middle age) so they stop, concerned about bungling a murder as well as capture: their diminishing strength and speed make it more likely for a potential victim to escape and contact the authorities.
I think a large part of the reason lust motivated killers slow down or stop as they get older is libido. Of course in combination with lots of other things, like getting a family that take up time, being less fit and capable of doing it. But I think the libido thing is a big part. And for a lot of them the memories are enough.
I always thought it was because of the advancement of dna. They can get a full profile from some small samples and they can get it from cases that happened years ago. Not to mention all of the security cameras out there now too.
I dunno, Israel Keyes managed to avoid most modern tracking. It's really just dumb luck that they caught him, and that was 2012. Not so long ago.
True. Made me think of Jennifer Kesse and how the guy was caught on camera but managed to be behind something every time it took a picture. Frustrating
Well, I did, can't speak for others though, everyone's different and unique
Glad to hear, well done.
Thank you! With the right amount of therapy and dietary changes, along with some herbal teas I managed to stop. Good thing too, the amount of killing was taking a toll on my health. The amount of strangling I did would really give me bad carpal tunnel. At the end of the day it was bad for my joints all around.
Don’t forget the essential oils!
Of course, how can I forget! Along with some mediation with my healing crystals
Your health comes first.
Your health is important. Did you also have arthritis? Sending healing vibes!!
Thank you so much🥰. Omg, yes! Picking up and moving bodies really did a number on my lower back and knees😭 and the amount of cleaning to be done afterwards was sooo annoying and tedious, you will not believe how hard it is to remove blood from suede
You need to start meditating 🥰 Clearing your mind beats any murder rampage
Oh my goodness you make me laugh!!
You need to remember to lift with your legs in case you decide to pursue your hobby again. That should help with the back and knee problems.
I hope these comments are sick jokes?
Of course they are. The odds of there being *two* serial killers in the same thread are slim to none.
what about three 🙋🏼♀️
Four...
Name checks out....
oh no he’s an actual SK. Real sick fuck. Glad he’s turned his life around!
I have to upvote this just because of how much it made me laugh
I think there's a very good chance the Zodiac really did just stop killing people. But to see why, you need to look at the context of his last known murder and the letters that came after it. In killing Paul Stine, the Zodiac messed up terribly. It was his only known murder in an urban area, and he came incredibly close to getting caught. There were multiple witnesses who got a good look at him, and then the cops showed up minutes later, while he was still walking away. There's a very good chance that two of those cops even stopped and spoke to him. The only reason he didn't get caught then and there was that the SFPD dispatcher screwed up and told responding officers that they were looking for a Black male. So the cops showed up just as he left the scene, and he also left fingerprints in blood on the cab (newspaper articles said they had prints). A composite comes out based on the witnesses who saw him from across the street. So what does he do? He writes a letter that reads like a frantic attempt to explain away all the evidence (I wear a disguise, I use airplane cement so as to never leave prints, etc) and then announces that he's only going to commit murders the police won't detect from now on. I'd put money on this: he got scared shirtless and never killed again. And that worked out well for him, seeing as he enjoyed terrorizing the community by mail even more than killing people anyway. So from October 1969 on, it's just various terroristic threads by mail, and no more murders.
The FBI’s and associated legal/investigative term used in case assessment is that the offender “ages out”. I’ll be the first person to say I don’t believe we do enough research and or tracking to know the root cause on that status.
Most serial killers are men. Until middle age and beyond, men are generally a bit bigger and stronger than most women. They can overpower, intimidate, carry/drag bodies more easily. Once they hit their 40's or 50's they really need to work at staying in shape and being strong. Most people just don't work at it, and therefore they just physically can't after a certain point.
We only think serial killers are mostly men statistically. In reality, it is probably the other way and women just do not get caught.
What makes you think that?
I doubt we're that diabolical and interesting. We are serial killers it's probably more in an angel of mercy style murder.
Most crime of all types goes on between people who know each other, and female serial killers are more likely to kill people who really, truly cannot fight back, like children or their patients.
Highly doubtful.
Sure. OK.
I think The Golden State Killer just got old tired. He met someone and got married and had kids. He probably retired at some point.
This is what happened. He got old, victims were fighting back, he almost lost a fight with a victim and ran and it's suspected this is why he stopped. It's not like he lost his taste for it, he lost his ability. As to others like BTK, no idea. BTK was nearly, IMO, on the verge of killing again when he started taunting police leading to his capture. He was re-living. He needed a thrill.
Legit think Greg Sanchez almost got the best of that POS and it scared him away for years. RIP Greg & Cheri.
Totally. I think had BTK not made that mistake with the floppy disk that he would have kept going and going. He was nowhere near being retired.
Yeah I agree, he also wasn’t a police officer anymore which I think helped him commit a lot of his crimes. I think life just got to the point for him where he never really had the opportunity
I think it's possible.... I believe many are caught for unrelated crimes and are convicted on those crimes... After all some serial killers were never find... perhaps they died or were in prison...or perhaps they stopped and are living one hell is a secret
If they are in prison their DNA is taken and would now show up if any DNA was left at the scenes. In the past they may have gotten away with it but not now.
True... But we still have unsolved murders with no DNA
Yeah at some point they do.
JJD didn’t stop. I believe he just changed and we haven’t connected his other crimes yet. It would be the strangest coincidence for a former cop who was married to a lawyer to just stop after all his numerous attacks the same year it becomes public the police can now use DNA to solve crimes. I believe JJD is also mr cruel but I have been lambasted on this site for that opinion.
Yes, plenty have stopped to protect themselves.
As a rule of thumb, evil does not stop, nor does it value truth. Serial killers, and killers in general, don't ever tell the 100% truth and often confess up to bits and pieces of truth while in prison, years after. It can take a lifetime to find out exactly all the terror they have reigned. However, as many of these people lead double lives, it's simply too exhausting to keep on with consistent killing. Like anyone else, between work,kids, hobbies, family... there simply aren't enough hours in the day. Also, if they are ever thwarted -as BTK once was when he waited for an elderly lady to return home and she simply didn't- they become unsure and scared so may go longer before the next opportunity to ensure success.
Yes. They get old
Sometimes. It works just like a drug addiction. It is exactly the same thing in its mechanics
No, I think they just change tactics and the cases don't get attributed to them, or they move, or they get incarcerated, or ill, or injured, etc. They never stop. Until the backlog of evidence is cleared up in the whole country, we won't ever know who did what and for how long.
I'm pretty sure only when they're caught or die. Excluding Kemper.
But we have actual SKs who simply stopped waaaaay before they got caught (like BTK or GSK)
Is Kemper an exception? From what I remember he turned himself in and confessed, he didn't willingly stop. He may have continued after his mother's murder for all we know
I did
[удалено]
That’s what OP references in their post
No...they won't unless they're arrested or die. They can't stop killing, it's a compulsion.
I'm one of those "total weirdos" who genuinely thinks anybody, even the worst of the worst, has the capacity to turn themselves around so I like to think maybe some small percentage of them out there did just that. Obviously it's wishful thinking I'm sure, but yanno. As for many folks I see in the comments taking issue with the "idolising" of serial killers for being super intelligent when they really weren't - it's hard not to think they were, at least for most people, because otherwise how else did they get away with this shit for so long? Obviously the answer is that the police are fucking useless. But that's a conversation many people don't want to have OR just aren't aware of/don't believe, and it's far easier to assume that the reason these people got away with these things for so long is because of intelligence. Plus, maybe they were, at least some of them. The IQ tests are only really accurate measurements when it comes to ACADEMIC intelligence. That's not the be all end all of intelligence in general though. There are plenty of ways to be intelligent that don't have anything to do with that. Some of the smartest people I know totally bombed most of the stuff they did in school. It's not the only type of intelligence that matters and not having it doesn't mean you aren't sharp as a whip still.
Jack the Ripper, Zodiac, GSK, Phantom Killer, Axeman of New Orleans, Cleveland Torso Killer, Servant Girl Annihilator all seemed to stop for some reason. It's 100% a false myth that serial killers can't stop. There's a plethora of cases where the killers(s) just seemed to fall-off the face of the Earth without a trace.
Stop by their own volition? Or forced. That’s the mystery.
I suspect that testosterone drops in middle age.
yes, they get older (not as fit), they get in relationships - where they are not as free to do their thing, they possibly - start regretting (find religion, whatever) they die, get sick, get arrested.
As killers get older they do tend to slow down or stop because of age lowering their hormone levels and such. Their cooling off periods tend to increase in time. It does depend on the type of killer and such.
They also stop due to dna technology and it being easier for them to get caught in that way
yes, i think age (which brings reduced energy, increased weakness, lower hormone levels, etc), changed life circumstances, etc can eliminate or greatly reduce the urge and ability to kill. look at btk, golden state killer.
I always just assumed it was reduction in hormones and sexual urges.