Internet/Serial Killing

[pjpiazza]

Do you think there are less serial killers/rapists now because the internet may curb their appetite to commit these crimes? I believe there is a correlation. Thoughts. I can't think of any past 1997 yet the early 90s, 80s, 70s had their fair share. Christopher Wilder, Stanton, Dahmer, Berkowitz, McDuff, etc.

[pardilia]

Originally Posted by pjpiazza

Do you think there are less serial killers/rapists now because the internet may curb their appetite to commit these crimes? I believe there is a correlation. Thoughts. I can't think of any past 1997 yet the early 90s, 80s, 70s had their fair share. Christopher Wilder, Stanton, Dahmer, Berkowitz, McDuff, etc.

I know it's not the best source, but wikipedia lists a bunch:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._United_States

I think the difference between now and the 70s/80s/maybe early 90s is that the term "serial killer" is now common knowledge and lacks some of the 'novelty' that it had back then. I remember Time Life advertising books on serial killers because at the time it was more of a mystery as to how people became serial killers. Now there is much more information out there about them and even the basic profile is fairly common knowledge thanks to shows like Law & Order and CSI.

If anything, I would think that the internet would be more of an aid than anything else between Craigslist and all the online dating sites and whatnot.

[1990 UM fan]

Dale Wayne Eaton fits the profile of a serial killer. Not only did he kill Lisa Kimmell, but they even suspect he might've killed Amy Bechtel and Kristi Krebs too. The Great Basin killer killed young women from the early 1980's through the mid-90's. They think Eaton and the killer are one and the same but have no solid proof as of yet and Eaton isn't saying if he killed other women.

[TracyLynnS]

While we still do have serial killers around, I guess it seems that they're not as many who are as prolific (if I can use that word) as those in previous decades.

I'm sort of thinking that maybe modern forensics helps catch these guys much earlier in their killing "careers" by tracking them on their computers and cell phones, catching them through DNA after one or two murders instead of dozens, etc.

[SheRaaa]

Originally Posted by TracyLynnS

While we still do have serial killers around, I guess it seems that they're not as many who are as prolific (if I can use that word) as those in previous decades.

I'm sort of thinking that maybe modern forensics helps catch these guys much earlier in their killing "careers" by tracking them on their computers and cell phones, catching them through DNA after one or two murders instead of dozens, etc.

I agree. I think there's probably a similar amount of people who would (oddly enough) LIKE to become serial killers, but that type of crime is very hard to get away with nowadays. Thanks to cell phones, the internet, telecommunications "pings," increased awareness, paranoid parents, kids/teens that play inside all day instead of outside...technology and our culture have just made it really, really, really hard to be a serial killer these days (thank god!)

[soilentgreen]

I don't doubt that some people with violent tendencies tend to be more focused on indoor activities, like the net or video games, rather than running around the streets as they would have been thirty years ago. It could even be said that the internet provides a soap box for attention seekers and venting anger. It still seems like a double edged sword. Several serial killers have met their victims online, the same way they use to meet them from personal ads. The internet fosters a sense of connection, and there's both beneficial and negative aspects to that. People assume that they know someone from their online persona, even when they haven't met the person in real life and know nothing of their background.

The Long Island killer had no trouble implementing technology to his advantage (using his victim's cell phone to make calls to her sister) and making sure that he couldn't be traced by calling from a populous location. For someone motivated to harm people, technology's another tool at their disposal.

[UMFaninMD]

It seems that serial killings have now gave way to mass killings. With the recent tragic events that have happened in Aurora, the mall in Oregon and Newtown, it seems those that want to kill a lot of people now just decide to go to one general area that has a reputation for being secure and murder as many as they can with no regard to age, gender, race or any certain characteristic.

Serial killers will always be out there, but they aren't as widely reported on or as prevalent, for lack of a better term, as they used to be. And because of our technology and the tendency for the majority of them to prey on populations today's media virtually ignores, those may be reasons why we don't hear about them too much anymore.

[everybodylovesrs]

Originally Posted by SheRaaa

I agree. I think there's probably a similar amount of people who would (oddly enough) LIKE to become serial killers, but that type of crime is very hard to get away with nowadays. Thanks to cell phones, the internet, telecommunications "pings," increased awareness, paranoid parents, kids/teens that play inside all day instead of outside...technology and our culture have just made it really, really, really hard to be a serial killer these days (thank god!)

Yes, I know there are kids out there but I never see any of them outside.