Sam Flynn: Possibly, but not necessarily. Why take any chances? Why help the police in any way?
Possibly? Probably, if not certainly.
Why take any chances, you ask - but he wouldn´t take any chances by not hiding the identity of the victim if he killed strangers, would he? If that was the case, the police would be none the wiser about his identity if they had an ID. The only reason to try and ID a murder victim - apart from being able to bring the news to the family - is to allow for a search of the victims circle of aquaintances, friends, enemies or whatnot. The general idea is that somebody who knew the victim also killer her or him.
That does not apply with a killer of strangers.
So would it help the police if they got the ID? No. If nything, it would slow them down considerably, as they had to go through all the people in the vicinity of the victim to rule them out first.
The ONLY logical reason a killer can have for obliterating all the identification options with a victim (and the Torso killer did not do that) is to disenable to make out a connection between the killer and victim. I don´t think we should add a will to be obnoxious on the killers behalf.
Like I said, however, there was more than one benefit to disposing of the bodies in this way. It wasn't just about preventing identification,
... and indeed, the killer did not prioritize that matter, as we can see.
...although this certainly transpired to be true in all but one case,
...and far from speaking about getting lucky on the polices behalf, we may need to do so about the killer - there WERE marks and such that could have given away the ID:s of the other victims too - but if I am correct, he could not care less.
...but also about slowing down the investigation.
He did not have to worry about that, as I have shown you. Not, that is, if he was a killer of strangers. No investigtion will nail him in such a case, it is instead down to observations made that he has no influence over and/or traces left - and he left no traces that could lead to him, he only left traces that could lead to the victims´ identities.
There were also the very practical benefits of making the bodies more portable for transportation to the dump-sites and more easily concealed en route.
Alternatively, he cut to enjoy himself.
Possibly? Probably, if not certainly.
Why take any chances, you ask - but he wouldn´t take any chances by not hiding the identity of the victim if he killed strangers, would he? If that was the case, the police would be none the wiser about his identity if they had an ID. The only reason to try and ID a murder victim - apart from being able to bring the news to the family - is to allow for a search of the victims circle of aquaintances, friends, enemies or whatnot. The general idea is that somebody who knew the victim also killer her or him.
That does not apply with a killer of strangers.
So would it help the police if they got the ID? No. If nything, it would slow them down considerably, as they had to go through all the people in the vicinity of the victim to rule them out first.
The ONLY logical reason a killer can have for obliterating all the identification options with a victim (and the Torso killer did not do that) is to disenable to make out a connection between the killer and victim. I don´t think we should add a will to be obnoxious on the killers behalf.
Like I said, however, there was more than one benefit to disposing of the bodies in this way. It wasn't just about preventing identification,
... and indeed, the killer did not prioritize that matter, as we can see.
...although this certainly transpired to be true in all but one case,
...and far from speaking about getting lucky on the polices behalf, we may need to do so about the killer - there WERE marks and such that could have given away the ID:s of the other victims too - but if I am correct, he could not care less.
...but also about slowing down the investigation.
He did not have to worry about that, as I have shown you. Not, that is, if he was a killer of strangers. No investigtion will nail him in such a case, it is instead down to observations made that he has no influence over and/or traces left - and he left no traces that could lead to him, he only left traces that could lead to the victims´ identities.
There were also the very practical benefits of making the bodies more portable for transportation to the dump-sites and more easily concealed en route.
Alternatively, he cut to enjoy himself.
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