Serial killers' occupations

[Lord Buckley]

sutcliffe was also a grave digger

[DarkPassenger]

Remember how Dennis Rader, the BTK killer, became (I think) a park ranger with a very bad reputation for making women's lives hell, and he no longer needed to kill, at least for a bit. It's like methadone for a serial killer.

[Shelley]

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.

It seems that most of them were all jobs that suited people of low intelligence, apart from Ted Bundy. It's interesting that Dr George Simon PhD ( Psychologist ) diagnosed Aileen Wuornos as a psychopath, she really didn't have any remorse for her victims and she admitted to killing in cold blood and not self defense when she was awaiting execution. You can download a video to her admittance here : http://www.mediafire.com/?g4dlthysnw3x0xj

[sdreid]

For men, there were probably more doctors than anything as well as drifters who had no consistent profession.

Women-housewives

[Scorpio]

John Christie was employed at various stages of his life as an army signalman,postman and clerk;but his most satisfying vocation was as a police officer. Reggie loved having the authority of a uniform to hide behind, a textbook inadequate.

[Zodiac]

John Christie was employed at various stages of his life as an army signalman,postman and clerk;but his most satisfying vocation was as a police officer. Reggie loved having the authority of a uniform to hide behind, a textbook inadequate.

Hi Scorpio,

He was indeed a total inadequate, or even a "murdering sack of sh*t".... As we Doctors say!

Spookily enough, Dennis Nilsen, who would go on to make 23 Cranley Gardens almost as imfamous as 10 Rillington Place, had also been in the army, then served, for a short time, as a police officer!!! Not much good with plumbing though!! Not to be Confused with Donald Neilson, aka, "The Black Panther" (real name Donald Nappey, can't think why he changed it!!! ) who, when not out committing burglary, armed robbery, multiple counts of murder or kidnapping/holding to ransom an heiress, was a jobbing builder. Which brings us nicely along to Fred West, Gloster's finest builder/serial killer!!! We know a song about him, don't we children???

WARNING

This is a link to a song on YouTube that you may find either humorous or SICK and OFFENCIVE. I am sorry to labor the point, but I cannot stress enough that if you feel that you may be, in any way, offended by a song making light of a serial killer, sex offending, incest etc, etc. Then please DO NOT click on this link. If you still choose to and become offended/upset, don't say that you weren't given fair warning!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyzdeEFn_zc

Best wishes,
Zodiac.

[ChainzCooper]

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

I thought the most prolific as far as body count goes was Pedro Lopez. Guess I was wrong. BTW, didn't he get released? Thank you South America
Jordan

[Ausgirl]

I had a few thoughts on this, as I read along the various occupations mentioned, and another poster was thinking along the same lines:

Maybe we're missing something here. If people who kill strangers for the hell of it generally pick on victims they feel confident they can 'handle', their handling experience may in some cases come from what they do for a living - Dr Shipman being an obvious example. But in other cases it could come from some other aspect of their lives, eg something they are used to doing in their spare time, that would not necessarily be known about, or at least not single them out from the crowd. Bundy, for instance, used the charm offensive he knew he could adapt from his personal experience of being able to chat up the girls. Wright took advantage of his familiarity with the habits of the local prostitutes in Ipswich. So I do feel that Jack would have had some prior knowledge or experience of the type of victim he selected, either as a result of his occupation, or because of how he occupied himself when he had a few hours to kill (pun intended) and money in his pocket.

I also thought that a killer's occupation could influence the type of victim he chose, due to what the skills/opportunities their job offered to their motive, MO, mobility, risk of detection and body disposal.

Ted Bundy was a glib and charming man, well-spoken. And a law student, no surprise there. Hotline work - he was used to soothing people. A very handy skill for a serial killer, if he needs to fool a victim or keep them quiet with promises they won't be hurt.

Gacey was a builder - and hid his victims under the boards of his house. But he wasn't just that, he was also glib and charming, working in his spare time in civic service - around kids. Not suprising for a paedophile, and that glibness surely aided in him luring kids.

Truck drivers? Add Ward Weaver Jr. to the list. There's a lot of truck drivers - I suppose the high level of mobility and access to hitch-hikers and prostitutes makes that job really attractive to a serial killer.

I read once that more than a few serial killers had applied and been turned down for jobs that offered them some level of social control - police work, mainly, and animal control. Some have succeeded in becoming police officers (what a scary thought) but I noticed were often dismissed - problems with authority? I think this is a desirable occupation to somebody with that sort of mind probably from a desire to feel powerful, or to feel clever in getting away with crimes as an 'insider' in the police force, or maybe they think it's a way to remain off the radar as a suspect.

Another common occupation I have noted in murderers is handyman - access to apartments and houses, excuses to observe the victims close at hand?

Jack targeted poor prostitutes, women who would have seemed and probably were easy targets. Most of them were drinkers, and had been observed to be drinking on the night of their deaths. Overpowering them wasn't hard, to judge by the swiftness of the crimes. I have to wonder whether Jack was a failed medical student, or had always wanted to be a doctor. I actually believe his 'dissections' were a means to feel godlike and powerful over the women he killed. He inflicted most of his injuries on prone/dead victims so it seems to me he was less interested in watching them suffer as a true sadist would, than in proving a point about how powerful he was - maybe in a warped way mimicking (with intent focus on wombs/hearts/organs for other reasons) the doctors/surgeons he could have perceived as holding the kind of power over life and death that he, himself, craved?

[Sis]

Two infamous serial killers occupations in Vancouver BC Canada:

Clifford Robert Olson, Jr (The Beast of British Columbia) Serial killer of 11 victims between the ages of 9 and 18. There was only 4 yrs in his adult life that he wasn’t in prison but job descriptions are self employed contractor and racetrack. He lured his victims with business cards and a promise of work.

Robert Pickton (The Pig Farmer) Serial killer convicted of killing 6 prostitutes (originally charged with 27), DNA of 33 women was found on his property, he also told undercover police officer that he killed 49. His occupation was he raised and butchered pigs on his family pig farm (he also used his occupation to dispose of the bodies).

[GUT]

G'Day Sis

Robert Pickton (The Pig Farmer) Serial killer convicted of killing 6 prostitutes (originally charged with 27), DNA of 33 women was found on his property, he also told undercover police officer that he killed 49. His occupation was he raised and butchered pigs on his family pig farm (he also used his occupation to dispose of the bodies).

Not too familiar with this one, but was he the fellow who they said fed the bodies to his pigs?

[Sis]

G'Day Sis





Not too familiar with this one, but was he the fellow who they said fed the bodies to his pigs?

Yes, there was little left of the victims. It was said he ground them up in a chipper and fed them to his pigs. He also took some body parts to a plant that turns animal bones, guts, blood, pig entrails and other reusable wastes into a number of consumer products, like lipstick base, soaps, shampoos, and perfumes that are shipped all over the world. I remember a newscast asking anyone who had received pig products from him, which was still in their freezer to contact the police.
I know a lady who had an immediate family member who was one of his victims.

[GUT]

Enough to ALMOST make me give up Ham and Bacon.

I said almost!

[sdreid]

Not too familiar with this one, but was he the fellow who they said fed the bodies to his pigs?

Serial killers Joseph Briggen and Belle Gunness also fed victims to their pigs.

[GUT]

g'day Stan

Thanks it was Briggen I was thinking of.

[PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 1]

Most doctor serial killers have committed murder using their work as a cover for their evil deeds, often killing their patients by administering overdoses or poisoning them.

They were not in the habit of walking the streets looking for women to eviscerate and scarper before anyone discovered them.