Serial killers and Animal Abuse

The Phoenix Police Department has been investigating animal abuse as part of their ongoing investigation. 

A little historical date on notorious serial killers linked to animal abuse in the
United States:

As a child, serial killer and rapist Ted Bundy—ultimately convicted of two killings but suspected of murdering more than 40 women—witnessed his father’s violence toward animals, and he himself subsequently tortured animals.

Earl Kenneth Shriner, who raped and stabbed a 7-year-old boy, was known in his neighborhood for hanging cats and torturing dogs.

David Berkowitz (a.k.a. “Son of Sam”), who pleaded guilty to 13 murder and attempted murder charges, shot a neighbor’s Labrador retriever.

Brenda Spencer, who opened fire at a California school, killing two children and injuring nine others, had repeatedly abused cats and dogs, often setting their tails on fire.

Serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer impaled the heads of dogs and cats on sticks.

The following site for an informative article on serial criminals and animal abuse:  

http://www.helpinganimals.com/ga_humanAbuse.asp

Violent acts toward animals have long been recognized as indicators of a dangerous psychopathy that does not confine itself to animals. “Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives,” wrote humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer. “Murderers … very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids,” according to Robert K. Ressler, who developed profiles of serial killers for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Studies have now convinced sociologists, lawmakers, and the courts that acts of cruelty toward animals deserve our attention. They can be the first sign of a violent pathology that includes human victims. 

Animal abuse is not just the result of a minor personality flaw in the abuser but rather a symptom of a deep mental disturbance. Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty toward animals don’t stop there; many of them move on to their fellow humans.

The FBI has found that a history of cruelty to animals is one of the traits that regularly appear in its computer records of serial rapists and murderers, and the standard diagnostic and treatment manual for psychiatric and emotional disorders lists cruelty to animals as a diagnostic criterion for conduct disorders.

A study conducted by Northeastern University and the Massachusetts SPCA found that people who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against humans. The majority of inmates scheduled to be executed for murder at
California’s San Quentin penitentiary “practiced” their crimes on animals, according to the warden.

School Shooters Share Violent Past  

April 1999/Littleton, Colo. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot to death 12 fellow students and a teacher and injured more than 20 others. Both teens had reportedly boasted about mutilating animals.

May 1998/Springfield, Ore. Kip Kinkel, 15, killed his parents and opened fire in his high school cafeteria, killing two and injuring 22 others. He had a history of animal abuse and torture, having boasted about blowing up a cow and killing cats, chipmunks, and squirrels by putting lit firecrackers in their mouths.

March 1998/Jonesboro, Ark. Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, pulled their school’s fire alarm and then shot and killed four classmates and a teacher. Golden reportedly used to shoot dogs “all the time with a .22.”

December 1997/West Paducah, Ky. Michael Carneal, 14, shot and killed three students during a school prayer meeting.  Carneal had been heard talking about throwing a cat into a bonfire.

October 1997/Pearl, Miss. Luke Woodham, 16, shot and killed two of his classmates and injured seven others after stabbing his mother to death. Woodham’s journal revealed that, in a moment of “true beauty,” he and a friend had beaten, burned, and tortured his own dog, Sparkle, to death. 

According to Charles Bahn a forensic psychologist at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, serial predators are rare.

To have two on the loose at the same time is almost unheard of. Bahn did not believe the killers were directly competing with one another; however, they appear to be “influencing” each other.

Said Bahn, “When they are reading about the attacks in the news the feeling is that the other person is satisfying the hunger –  a satisfaction they themselves are not getting.”  For the complete article including information from other behavior experts, please visit KVOA News 4, Phoenix serial killers latest in string of repeat criminals

It appears that we have a couple very sick individuals in Phoenix who are lashing out at with opportunity to kill humans and animals.  Should the people of Phoenix tremble in fear, heck no.  Sounds like the people of Phoenix are being very proactive about the killers in their city.  The citizens of Phoenix are going about their daily routines, banding together to keep a watchful eye over their city.  It is a matter of time before the serial killers make a mistake and get caught.  One can only hope that they are caught soon before they murder another innocent victim.

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