Clues from Killers: Serial Murder and Crime Scene Messages

by Dirk C. Gibson

Overview

Serial killers come from different backgrounds, attain different levels of education, and hold various types of jobs. However, many serial killers do have at least one thing in common: the desire to communicate regarding their crimes. Killers from Jack the Ripper to the Son of Sam often provide clues to their identities, their motives—even their future targets—through crime scene notes, letters to the media, calls to police, messages scrawled on victims, and, increasingly, email and other technology. Here, Gibson takes a look at ten notorious serial killers, their crimes, their victims, and their communications to uncover the hidden clues into the minds of these unusual and dangerous people.

What compels a serial killer to leave a crime scene message or to call the police to discuss their crimes? What are the purposes of the messages themselves? What do they say about the individuals? How can investigators use such communications to track down these elusive killers? How do killers use these communications to attract new victims? Through a careful examination of messages from such killers as the D.C. Snipers, the BTK Killer, the Zodiac Killer, Jack the Ripper, the Black Dahlia Avenger and others, Gibson reveals aspects of their communications that give us a window into the psyches of these criminals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275983604
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/30/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	1,148,203
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

DIRK C. GIBSON is Associate Professor of Communication and Jourbanalism at the University of New Mexico. He has published numerous articles on a variety of topics in such jourbanals as Public Relations Quarterly, Public Relations Review, and Southern Communication Jourbanal. He has also published several book chapters and one book, The Role of Communication in the Practice of Law (1991).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Dedication
List of Illustrations
Introduction
The Son of Sam
The DC Sniper
The Mad Butcher
The Unabomber
The Zodiac
The BTK Strangler
John Robinson Sr.
Jack the Ripper
William Heirens
The Black Dahlia Avenger
Conclusion
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"This book provides audiences with an extensive amount of information...Gibson's book allows all readers to understand and appreciate the complexity of this topic. It is an excellent introduction to the subject."

Deborah L. Laufersweiler-Dwyer, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice University of Arkansas, Little Rock

From the Publisher