Serial killers' occupations

[kensei]

There's been so much speculation about what Jack the Ripper's profession was in his public life, or how much of a public life he even had. His crimes tended to occur on weekends- does this mean he was busy with work during the week and couldn't be out late, or were there just more victims available on the streets at those times? Etc. Etc.

I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the professions of some other serial killers. Feel free to add to the list.

Ted Bundy- Law student, suicide hotline volunteer, legal aid, political campaigner
John Wayne Gasey- Building contractor
Jeffrey Dahmer- Chocolate factory worker
Gary Ridgeway (Green River Killer)- Industrial truck painter
Dennis Rader (BTK)- City employee (maintenance, dog catching, etc.) and church president
Richard Ramirez (Night Stalker)- Professional burglar
David Berkowitz (Son of Sam)- Postal worker
Peter Sutcliffe (Yorkshire Ripper)- Truck driver
Aileen Wuornoss- Prostitute
Cary Stayner (Yosemite Park Killer)- Hotel handyman

Quite a cross section of professions.

[kensei]

What strikes me about the above list as I look it over is that few of these killers had a profession that bore any relationship to the skills they employed in dispatching their victims. Food for thought when it comes to Jack the Ripper, thought at the time to be a doctor or a butcher?

[Fisherman]

Hi Kensei!

I know that I have read somewhere - although it is some two decades ago, and I do not know whether it carries relevance - that many serial killers have at some stage been employed in businesses related to the handling of meat. That, of course, would cover butchers.

The best, Kensei!
Fisherman

[sdreid]

Hi Kensei,

I believe Gacy was a Democrat and a precinct captain also or something of the sort. Bundy was a Republican office worker so there's also a cross-section politically. As I recall, both men got their pictures taken with First Ladies (Carter and Ford).

There were actually quite a few doctors such as Palmer and Shipman but few butchers that I can think of.

[Pinkerton]

There's been so much speculation about what Jack the Ripper's profession was in his public life, or how much of a public life he even had. His crimes tended to occur on weekends- does this mean he was busy with work during the week and couldn't be out late, or were there just more victims available on the streets at those times? Etc. Etc.

I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the professions of some other serial killers. Feel free to add to the list.

Ted Bundy- Law student, suicide hotline volunteer, legal aid, political campaigner
John Wayne Gasey- Building contractor
Jeffrey Dahmer- Chocolate factory worker
Gary Ridgeway (Green River Killer)- Industrial truck painter
Dennis Rader (BTK)- City employee (maintenance, dog catching, etc.) and church president
Richard Ramirez (Night Stalker)- Professional burglar
David Berkowitz (Son of Sam)- Postal worker
Peter Sutcliffe (Yorkshire Ripper)- Truck driver
Aileen Wuornoss- Prostitute
Cary Stayner (Yosemite Park Killer)- Hotel handyman

Quite a cross section of professions.

One pattern that can be seen is that these are all "blue-collar" occupations as we say in the States. In fact I can't think of any "white-collar" serial killers off the top of my head. Of course most criminals come from poor to lower-middle class backgrounds so I guess this isn't surprising (though certainly not all).

Dennis Rader also worked for a security company before working for the city (installing security alarms). Berkowitz, Rader, Dahmer, Ridgeway, and Bundy all served in the military. Richard Ramirez's cousin was in the Special Forces during the Vietnam War and used to brag to him about raping and killing Vietnamese women while Richard was still a child.

Following this pattern I would say Jack could have been a soldier, butcher, knacker, etc. Very unlikely to be a doctor, medical student, lawyer, or accountant.

[DarkPassenger]

Fred West - builder and one time ice cream man
Dennis Nilsen - police officer, butcher and civil servant
Peter Sutcliffe - truckie

Anyone else think "Dahmer and the Chocolate Factory" has a ring to it?

[sdreid]

Per capita I'd say that there are far more doctor serial killers than any other occupation. Doctors certainly aren't blue collar. There are probably 100 truck drivers, if not more, for every doctor.

[Ben]

Hi Stan,

That doesn't invalidate Pinkerton's obsevation that the vast majority of serial killers are employed in blue-collar professions.

Best,
Ben

[sdreid]

Hi Ben,

That was just my observation. I wasn't trying to invalidate anything.

[Ben]

I know, Stan, no worries.

[Pinkerton]

Per capita I'd say that there are far more doctor serial killers than any other occupation. Doctors certainly aren't blue collar. There are probably 100 truck drivers, if not more, for every doctor.

You're right Stan, I had forgotten about doctors. Although Shipman & Swango are the only ones that come to mind. Are there many others? I may be ill-informed on this subject or just blanking out the ones I may have heard about in the past.

Now NURSES...that's a different story. I've heard of quite a few nurses who have been serial killers.

[sdreid]

Hi Pinkerton,

Yes, there were quite a few doctors - Palmer, Cream and Hyde for example. There was also Dr. Engelman who was a dentist.

And, lots of nurses.

[kensei]

As far as no one from my original list being white-collar, I would say Bundy certainly comes close and does not seem to have ever "gotten his hands dirty" while making a living.

[Graham]

The most prolific serial-killer of modern times, Harold Shipman, was a doctor. How easy it must be to hide behind a curtain of professional respectability as you steadily, one by one, bump off your victims. Dr John Bodkin Adams (tried and acquitted, but over whom still hangs a cloud of doubt) was another. I'm convinced of his guilt, as there were too many coincidences about his case, but he got away with it.

Bundy, Shipman and Haig all had a lengthy killing career, which sort of suggests to me that the police are never too comfortable in pinning guilt upon the white-collar professional classes. I wonder how many members of the professional class are on Death Row, USA?

Anyone happen to know what Peter Kurtin did for a living?

Cheers,

Graham

[Paul O'Henry]

Hi Graham,

I think your Peter Kurtin is Peter Kürten the so-called "Vampire of Düsseldorf" - according to "crime library" he worked in a factory - at least in the early 1920s - he probably worked as a lorry-driver as well. Before WWI he "worked" as a burglar - doing that he killed a 9 or 10 years old girl in May 1913 in Köln (Cologne), not his first killing, assaults on animals aside (drowning of two puppys as a five year old f. e.) he claimed to have drowned 2 boys when he was just 9 years old ...

kind regards
Paul O'Henry