Arthur Shawcross: A Serial Killer

In 1836, the gruesome death of a prostitute encaptivated the public eye and began a newspaper frenzy that centered on a morbid fixation of the life and death of Helen Jewett. Patricia Cline Cohen's The Murder of Helen Jewett pieces together the facts of Helen's life and death in an attempt to describe gender inequality in America by giving a meticulous account of life in the 1830s. (Insert small biography)

In a small Southern California town, a woman calls police to report her husband never returned from his afternoon run. The police determine that Robert Dorotik was a marathon runner and suspected he had experienced a medical episode until they discover his body the next morning. Initial examination indicated death by blunt force trauma to the head. Additionally there was a rope around Bob’s neck and signs of strangulation. The tire tracks around the body implied the body had been dumped at the location. From the beginning, the evidence pointed to a sloppy or naïve murderer. The victim’s blood and scalp hair were under his clothes, indicating he was dressed after the murder. His shoes were tied with the bow on the outside, not as if he had tied them himself. The running shoes were clean and pristine, despite having rained on the day Robert was to have left the house to run. Investigation of the tire tracks showed mismatched tire treads. The expert determined that the vehicle was a pickup truck with three tires of one brand, and one tire of a different brand. The ME determines that Bob died not long after dinner, based on the contents of his stomach. This belies the statement made by his wife that he went running the next afternoon.

Have you ever looked at society and wondered if anyone is truly safe? The answer is no; no one is ever truly safe because of the pure evil that rests in society. One of the forms of true evil is John Wayne Gacy. Gacy is highly ranked for his number of kills. John Wayne Gacy is a cruel serial killer. Looking at the murders of Gacy is enough to keep a fearless man awake at night.

There have been many serial killers over the years, one in fact is a man named Jeffrey Dahmer.

Schmid’s motive for murder was that he had always wanted to know what it felt like to kill. On May 31, 1964, Allen Rowe was raped, killed and buried in the desert. The detail of Arnold’s and Schmid’s crime are parallel. For example, both Connie and Alleen Rowe were 15 at the time of their assaults. Schmid was 21 when he killed Rowe, Arnold is seemingly older than Connie, “he wasn't a kid, he was much older- thirty, maybe more” (5). In addition, both the victims were alone at their home the night of their assaults. The night of Connie’s assault, was the first time her and Arnold had met. Seeking out Connie after Arnold had “put [his] sign in the air,” reflects how Schmid choose Rowe to be his first victim (5). Arnold’s strategy is to talk, first about music and the car, then he asks Connie if she “wanta go for a ride” (3). One the night Rowe was murdered, Rowe was asked the same question. In both cases, no force is necessary to kidnap the victim. Connie goes with Arnold under fear, she is under his control with just his words. Furthermore, the friend in Arnold’s car, Ellie, resembles Schmid’s girlfriend, who as the murder took place remained in the car listening to the radio. In addition, the criminal acts start in both cases when both the girls step into the men’s gold color cars. The rape of Rowe and Arnold’s intentions are parallel: “Yes I am your lover […] I’ll come inside you where its all secret and you'll give in to me and you'll love me” (6). The murder of Alleen Rowe corresponds with the assaults against Connie. It is the best to read the story with the approach of Charles Schmidt because the criminal acts reflect each other. Reading the story with this view will close the open ended ending, as we can assume that Connie will be murdered. Oates makes details throughout the story that both Schmid and Arnold had done in their cynical

In his play Twelve Angry Men, Reginald Rose brings us back in time to 1957, to a jury room of a New York Court of Law where one man, Juror #8, confronts the rest of the jury to look at a homicide case without prejudice, and ultimately convinces Juror #2, a very soft-spoken man who at first had little say in the deliberation. Throughout the play, many of the jurors give convincing arguments that make one think about whether the boy is “guilty” or “not guilty.” Ultimately, one is convinced by ethos, logos, and pathos. We can see ethos, logos, and pathos having an effect on Juror #2 as he begins as a humble man and changes into someone brave at the end. Although all three modes play a part in convincing Juror #2, pathos was the most influential

Edmund Kemper was a serial killer who was known for the murdering of his grandparents, his mother and her friend, and six female hitchhikers. During his childhood, there were many early signs of violence and criminality. Kemper was said to have a “dark fantasy life” and would often dream about killing his own mother when he was younger (Biography.com Editors). Furthermore, Kemper participated in the act of animal torturing at a very young age. When he was ten years old, Kemper “buried a pet cat alive; once it died, he dug it up, decapitated it and mounted its head on a spike”. He then stated that lying to parents about the murder of his cat, gave him pleasure. He later killed another family cat because he believed that it was favoring his younger sister over him. He cut up the cat into pieces and stashed the remains in his closet.

Albert DeSalvo was born on September 3rd, 1931, in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He was born to Frank and Charlotte DeSalvo. His father Frank DeSalvo, was of Italian descent and was a violent alcoholic. Frank was also very abusive towards his wife and children. At a very young age Frank was said to have taught Albert how to shoplift. Frank beat Albert as well as Charlotte, Albert’s mother. One particular incident involved Frank beating Albert with a lead pipe. From these incidents, the police knew the DeSalvo’s very well, as they had arrested Frank numerous times. The money that Charlotte made as a seamstress fueled Frank’s alcohol addiction. This addiction lead to his inclination to prostitutes, and frequently abused their services. This horrible

John Wayne Gacy was born into a rough household. His father was an abuser. His father, John Stanley Gacy, was an alcoholic, and he beat his wife and kids. John Wayne’s sister Karen once said the kids grew so used to the beatings that John Wayne would not even cry. The rough family life brought him very close to his two sisters and his mother.

Truman Capote’s nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, effectively explores the effects of the Clutter family’s unexpected murder on the small community of Holcomb, Kansas. This unexpected murder had lasting and detrimental effects on the people of the town. Having been in Kansas during the time the trials and court cases had been executed, Capote observed that the murder had destroyed the community’s sense of trust, shattered their image of the American Dream, and prompted them to reevaluate their stance on the death penalty.

In the court of law, everyone is guilty until proven innocent. Thus, Hobart Ison was guilty when killing Hugh O’ Connor. Though by law Hobart was a murderer, many question that very decision. Though a killer, locals of urban Kentucky would argue that his actions are justifiable. Elizabeth Barret creates Stranger with a Camera as a tool to look into those justifications and see the reasons Ison murdered O’Connor. She delves into the Kentucky hills and retraces the steps of O’Connor and what could have led to his death. In the end, the local poverty, ill-timing, and quick temperament of Hobart led to the murder of Hugh O’Connor.

The rarest form of murder is the one of serial murders. It is defined as the murder of three or more individuals with a ‘cooling-off’ period in-between. Serial killers have intrigued people for years and we still don’t fully comprehend what drives them to murder countless people. John Wayne Gacy, also known at the famous “Killer Clown” became a national phenomenon when his 33 rape and murder victims were uncovered in his home and other areas. The purpose of this research paper is to consider John Wayne Gacy’s abusive father, internal struggle with his sexuality, and constant need to be accepted and praised as possible reasons that led Gacy to murder 33 teenage boys. At the conclusion of this research, there will be no dominating factor to explain

John Wayne Gacy is a serial killer who killed 33 people in total. He was born on May 17th 1942 in Chicago where he was physically and verbally abused by his father. Since this age he showed unusual behaviours and avoiding society, but then was determined that he has a psychological disorder.

In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, epitomizes the varying sentiments associated with the murder of the Clutter family; these emotions range from shock, to grief, to pride, and everything in between. However, through Capote’s specialized descriptions about each character, the relationships between their feelings and their actions become further elucidated. As a result, the readers begin to feel sympathy for the victims, their friends and family, the investigators, and even those who brutally murdered an innocent family. In order to create this connection, he utilizes the rhetoric device of pathos to strengthen the audience’s ability to sympathize. By using a multitude of tones to describe every facet of those involved, whether it is their childhood, their family, or their emotions, he succeeds in creating these multidimensional personalities that many can relate to. Bobby Rupp, Nancy’s boyfriend and Perry Smith, one of the murderers, are two people who readers sympathize with due to their unique characterization; although they are both nonfictional, Capote’s ability to accentuate specific traits makes them more relatable.

James Huberty was born on October 11, 1942 in Canton, Ohio. At the age of three James was diagnosed with polio, leaving him with permanent damage to his walking. Polio can be spread person to person and when it does, it will invade the brain and spinal cord leaving that person paralysed. In the early 1950’s James father had bought a farm in Pennsylvania Amish Country, but his mother refused to move there with them so she left them. As time went on and James was in his early adulthood life he had gain a likening of firearms and began using them. When James got old enough in 1962, he attended Malone College, getting his bachelor degree in sociology. James also attended Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, receiving his license for embalming.