A Look to the Future

In many instances, one of the three theoretical models seems directly applicable to understanding a particular case of compulsive murder. For instance, Albert Fish, Peter Kiirten, and Albert DeSalvo were all raised in terribly abusive social environments; Edmund Kemper and Edward Gein had disturbed relationships with their mothers; and Earl Nelson sustained a childhood head injury that caused brain damage. But for every case involving an abusive background, hatred of the mother, or some level of organicity, there are many other cases where these factors are totally absent. In fact, in many instances the compulsive murderer is raised in a family with other children, all with the same mother, and everyone (except the offender) turns out to be a reasonably well-adjusted citizen. Thus, the displaced- matricide theory now appears less applicable than it once did. Although disturbed (sexual) relationships with one’s mother are never helpful in a child’s upbringing (e.g. Schlesinger, 1999), many compulsive murderers have not had this experience, and many individuals who are abused in this way do not become sexual murderers.

Although social and psychological factors clearly play a role in compulsive murder, the biological component, as complicated as it might be, seems indispensable. In fact, the role of biology in most psychiatric and addictive disorders is paramount (Hedaya, 1996). Even general criminality has been demonstrated to have a strong biogenetic etiology (Raine, 1993; Mednick, Moffitt, and Stack, 1987), especially violent criminality (Volavka, 2002). There is a long list of well-known serial sexual murderers with a documented history of head trauma such as John Wayne Gacy (Amirante and Broderick, 2015), Henry Lee Lucas (Cox, 1991), and Albert Fish (Schechter, 1990). And Allely, Minnis, Thompson, Wilson, and Gillberg (2014) found over 20% of the serial and mass murderers they studied had suffered some type of head injury. Thus, a biological abnormality will surely be a necessary, but not a sufficient, part of any explanation of the compulsive murderer. Such an abnormality could arise from multiple factors (such as genetics, brain injury, hormones, and electrical and chemical difficulties), all of which might have an etiological role.

Within the next 50-75 years, as technology becomes more sophisticated, such an underlying neurobiological component will most likely be uncovered in the compulsive murderer. Ultimately, a biopsychosocial model, perhaps similar to an addiction model (Blanchard, 1995), that takes all three factors into account will be needed to explain compulsive murder, but it will have an indispensable neurobiological foundation (Rafter, 2000; Raine, 2014). The final theoretical model is likely to be as complex as the behavior of compulsive murderers themselves.

Because so many different things must go wrong in order for an individual to develop a compulsion to kill (multiple biological abnormalities and abusive social and psychological experiences), the incidence of compulsive, repetitive, sexually motivated murder should be low. In fact, the incidence of this type of offense is extremely low. The compulsive murderer has been present in different countries, in different cultures, and in different time periods. Compulsive murder has always been, and continues to be, a rare crime, with no evidence (contrary to popular myth) that it is increasing (Schlesinger, 2001a).