Do serial killers just stop?

[DrPL]

Hi,
I remember posting this years ago but I gather that a lot of posts have been lost since then (?)
Is it possible that Jack just stopped killing? There is acceptance that he either died or was incarcerated after Mary Kelly, but I recall reading a book (the name of which I can't recall now but I think it was from 1988) that said that Jack could have stopped killing. We have at least another case of a killer stopping, or lying dormant for a long time- the BTK killer. And there was a long gap between the last and penultimate victims of Fred and Rose West (though there may be more that we know nothing about so far).
Is it possible that Jack has sated his desires and had burnt out his murderous desires?

Best wishes

Paul
--

http://www.paullee.com

[Mascara & Paranoia]

Personally, I think that's the most plausible explanation as to why the Ripper ceased his killings after MJK.

Serial killers choose when to start their criminal careers, so they can just as easily choose to stop them too. Just because some serial killers become addicted to killing doesn't mean that they all do. Each serial killer is an individual, not a statistic. For all we know the Ripper could've gotten bored of his mutilations and set out to do something else, or may have thought that it was too risky to repeat a murder of the MJK caliber. He clearly escalated; what was he going to do after Millers Court, have his victims invite him into their homes so that he could have the appropriate time and space to do what he wanted to do to a female body instead of doing it outside? Not only would it have been like finding a needle in a haystack to find a prostitute living alone in her own room where he'd be able to pull that off time and again, but the risk factor would've mounted with each kill, just like it did with his C5 murders.

I think he may have realised just how lucky he was to have gotten away with what he did after the MJK murder and decided to cool it down (and maybe pursue other avenues).

The Ripper probably wasn't suicidal and going by the physical strength he had at the time of the murders I doubt he died of an illness either; he seemed to have been in relatively good health. I guess he could've been arrested for something else, but I doubt he would've been caught for murder. I'm not too convinced he'd have been institutionalised either; if he showed any obvious signs of a mental illness then I would've thought that people would've been wary of him, and given the amount of mental instability that was reported all over London as possible Ripper cases at the time of the murders, he would've been homed in on and we'd have known about him. But nothing.

[mattwill]

I know of one such case where a serial killer stopped, and gave himself up. That would be Edmund Kemper. After killing his mother and a friend of hers he went on the run, or so he thought, and called the police to turn himself in. He did so out of exhaustion and because he thought they were already on to him, but they weren't just yet. Also, it was his hatred for his mother that compelled him to kill, so with her gone his rage was satisfied I guess. But then why kill her friend afterwards?

Another case that comes to mind is Bela Kiss. He escaped capture by faking his death (sort of, he was thought to have died in WW1 but it turned out to be someone else). He was a sort of Bluebeard type in the 1910s. There were sightings of him for years to come but no trace of him otherwise, so I guess it's not safe to say he just stopped killing, just that there was no sign one way or the other. It's possible he just stopped to play it safe but who knows?

[DVV]

But then why kill her friend afterwards?

I remember Kemper explaining why...but I've forgotten the reason he gave...

Whatever, it's worth noting that he didn't mutilalate her, etc...

The same could be true with the Ripper if he killed McKenzie and/or Coles.

Amitiés,
David

[The Good Michael]

I stopped for a while when I cut my finger. It really hurt!

Mike

[j.r-ahde]

Hello you all!

Well, I have a very faint memory of an Italian serial killer, who killed about every ten years or so...

At the time, when I read about him, he hadn't been caught.

So, not necessarily a serial killer, who stopped, but having long breaks at least...

All the best
Jukka

[jonwilson]

Hi,
I remember posting this years ago but I gather that a lot of posts have been lost since then (?)
Is it possible that Jack just stopped killing? There is acceptance that he either died or was incarcerated after Mary Kelly, but I recall reading a book (the name of which I can't recall now but I think it was from 1988) that said that Jack could have stopped killing. We have at least another case of a killer stopping, or lying dormant for a long time- the BTK killer. And there was a long gap between the last and penultimate victims of Fred and Rose West (though there may be more that we know nothing about so far).
Is it possible that Jack has sated his desires and had burnt out his murderous desires?

Best wishes

Paul
--
http://www.paullee.com

If you look at the dates each of the murders occurred, you will see that it wasn't day after day, so clearly he must have been able to stop if he could go weeks without murdering a prostitute. It is def. a possibility that he stopped. I think people get wrapped up too much in believing criminal profiles. Not all serial killers are gonna do the same things or act the same way. I would think of Jack couldn't stop, he would be murdering day after day if he couldn't control his killing. Clearly Jack had control.

[DVV]

Hi Jukka,

Il Mostro, I think..."The Monster of Florence"... more than 15 murders, if I'm correct... Weren't there two murderers actually ?

Hi Jonwilson,

agreed. Surely, Jack could stop. In fact, he stopped, no doubt. When and why...we'll never know for sure.

Amitiés,
David

[Mike Covell]

Fred West's last victim, Heather Ann West, was killed in 1987, with West being caught and tried in 1994.

[DVV]

...by one Inspector West ?

Amitiés,
David

[DrPL]

Fred West's last victim...*snip*.

....that we know of....

[Steven_Rex]

I wonder, are there any precedents for serial killers who start and stop within such a relatively short time frame?

[Siobhan Patricia Mulcahy]

I wonder, are there any precedents for serial killers who start and stop within such a relatively short time frame?

Dennis Rader started, stopped and started again but not in a very short time frame.
He killed 5 in 1974, 2 in 1977, 1 person in 1985, 1 in 1986 and didn't kill again until 1991. Then in 2004, he resurfaced again and the police caught him.
He seemed to be able to stop whenever he wanted. He told police that the reason he resurfaced in 2004 was that his kids had grown (and left home) and he was bored!
He doesn't sound like a compulsive killer if boredom was his motivation.

There are other examples of serial killers who just disappeared from the headlines. Didn't the so-called Zodiac killer do exactly that?
Best,

Siobhán

[Wickerman]

People are not born killers, the compunction to kill can be triggered by something in their life, but equally if this trigger is removed the compunction fades away.
Chikatilo explained how a change in his life also changed his attitude for a time.

We can't box these killers away and wrap them up as if they are something special, they are not special, killers are people too. Whether their 'trigger' is the memory of the way their mother treated them, or the neighbours loud music next door, they just respond to their 'trigger' with extreme prejudice. But whatever 'turns them on' if then removed, can just as easily 'turn them off', just like everybody else.

Regards, Jon S.

[Errata]

It's all about priorities. A serial killer will stop if something takes priority over killing. Which is what happens with every serial killer. The problem is eventually the murder priority reasserts itself for most. They say that only prison or death stops them, and they certainly do... but other things do as well. I think pain might be a huge factor. As a killer gets older, say he throws out his back. Having just had this happen to me, I can say with a certain authority that people give up a lot of things they enjoy just to make sure they never feel that level of pain again. Arthritis would make struggling with a victim a terrible ordeal. Knee or hip injuries, head injuries certainly... If not hurting has the highest priority, then he won't kill.