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The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing

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International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

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The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

1

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

Criminology, December 2020

Read Final Published version: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0306624X20981030

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

2

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

Criminology, December 2020

Read Final Published version: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0306624X20981030

THE LIFE-COURSE THEORY OF SERIAL KILLING: A MOTIVATION MODEL

S. A. Deepak1 | S. Ramdoss2 1Department of Criminology, D.G. Vaishnav College, Chennai, India 600 005

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6760-5755 2Department of Criminology, University of Madras, Chennai, India 600 106

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7125-5498

To cite this work: Deepak, S. A, Ramdoss, S. (2020). International Journal of Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology, 00(0), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X20981030

ABSTRACT

Case studies were conducted on eight serial killers in India who were inmates in central prisons

of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The study is a pioneering one on serial killers in the locale of the study.

All available information about the lives of offenders were collected through multiple sources,

including in-depth interviews with serial killers in the prisons, interviews of relatives of the killers,

surviving victims, Investigators, crime scene studies, etc. The collected data have been

chronologically arranged to construct biographies of the offenders. The rich biographies were

carefully analyzed to construct an inclusive motivation model that can explain the process of

individuals evolving into serial killers from a life-course approach. The motivation in each of the

eight cases was explained with the proposed motivation model. The constructed motivation model

is unique from the existing models, which were mostly rigid, therefore, not applicable to cases

outside the studies. The model proposes three critical determinants for explaining the evolution of

a person into a serial killer, 'nature,' 'Deep Resting Life Factor' and 'key Incidents.' The study

found a relatively short incident named 'trigger' in the lives of six serial killers, which played a

significant role in bringing out the dormant killer instinct and push the subjects towards the first

murder. The comparative analysis of the motivation in different cases revealed that though there

were recurring factors in the lives of serial killers, their interactions were more important than

standalone factors. The study also found that there are no predetermined recipes for the making

of a killer like some past researchers claimed.

KEYWORDS

serial killers, motivation, case studies, nature, DRLF, trigger, killer instinct

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

3

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

Criminology, December 2020

Read Final Published version: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0306624X20981030

The majority of the studies probing into the motivation behind serial killings were built upon

secondary data resources. Such researchers mainly relied upon information on commercial books,

police and court documents, confession statements of the accused, etc. Although such studies had

the advantage of collecting a vast volume of information without the hassle of on-field data

collection, all these studies have one common disadvantage. The resources of the studies are not

primarily compiled for empirical research. This means the source data was made to satisfy the

popular expectations of the reading community, or purposely made to withstand the necessities of

the criminal justice system. Such exaggerated languages to impress readers, possible customization

of crucial information to get convictions, and evidence building, may interfere with the findings

of the studies relied on such contents.

The primary objective achieved in this study is the development of a motivation model by studying

a set of in-depth qualitative cases constructed primarily for research. The proposed theoretical

model can be applied to understand the evolution of a person into a serial killer by analyzing the

life history. The constructed model is broad enough, and has the potential to be applied to cases

not included in the study.

During the initial stages of the study, an extensive content analysis of reported incidents of serial

killings in India was conducted. The review of the online and print media brought around 60 serial

killing incidents reported in India for the last three decades (1990 to 2019). Since India's official

crime statistics do not differentiate murders based on motivation, a review of news reports is one

possible way to understand the frequency of serial killings. Except for a few states in the north-

east and the State of Jammu and Kashmir, serial killings are occasionally reported in all Indian

States. The numbers should be treated with caution since there are marked differences in media

activism between states.

In India, problems such as serial killings are seldom addressed by the scientific community, and

in scientific language, serial killing is a ‘western phenomenon.’ Therefore, to understand who can be included as subjects for the study, a screening of multiple murderers in the prisons was

conducted during the initial stages of the project. Past researchers, mostly from the western

countries, defined the concept of serial killing with some variations. Consequently, an operational

definition of the subjects included is given to clarify the premises of the present study.

A lone person who has committed three or more murders with a cooling-off period between them

which lasts beyond a day committed not as a part of an organized criminal gang.

The given definition is operational, and the study does not generalize this definition. To circumvent

group dynamics, those who had committed murders with co-offenders were excluded from the

study. Those who have committed murders as members of organized criminal gangs or with

political motives were also excluded. This exclusion was because of the focus of the study on lone

murderers who have operated alone.

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

4

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

Criminology, December 2020

Read Final Published version: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0306624X20981030

I. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

What motivates a person to commit serial killing is the most intriguing question in research on

serial killing. Past researchers on serial killings proposed biological, psychological, and

sociological factors as the driving forces behind individuals committing serial killings. Some of

the researchers had a narrow approach, while some of them had a broader approach to the problem

of serial killings. Gavin, 2015; Hickey, 2013; Haggerty, 2009; Beasly, 2004; Hur and Bouchard,

1997; and Lange and Dwitt Jr, 1980 argued that the motivation for serial killing could be

understood by explaining a range of factors which mostly falls under a particular field of study.

Allely, Minnis, Thompson, Wilson and Gillberg, 2014; Lee and Choi, 2014; Knight, 2006; and

Norris, 1988 had an integrated approach while pointing out factors behind the motivation.

Few researchers who delved into the etiology of serial killings tried to look at the problem with a

processual approach. They have studied the process through which a person becomes a serial killer

rather than merely identifying factors which contributed to serial killings. These studies assume a

special significance in serial killing research since they have gone a step ahead from other studies.

Such relevant studies worth looking at in the context of the present study are discussed below.

Some of the processual approaches were comprehensive with their multidirectional methods.

Burgess, Hartman, Ressler, Douglas, and McCormack (1986) constructed ‘a motivation model for sexual homicide’ focused on cognitive and psychosocial factors. Similarly, Silva, Ferrari, and Leong (2002) proposed a biopsychosocial psychiatric model for understanding the origin of sexual

serial homicidal behavior from both neuropsychiatric and developmental perspectives. Another

prominent work in this direction was from Reid, Katan, Ellithy, Stua, and Denisov (2019). In a

trans-disciplinary study, they have probed the salient life experiences found across the lifespan of

sexual serial killers and how have these experiences shaped them into serial killers. Contrasting

such integrated approaches, in a unidirectional study, Simkin and Roychowdhury (2014) applied

stochastic modeling to understand the case of Andrei Chikatilo, a Russian serial killer, who during

12 years, had murdered 53 people.

There were some unique approaches aimed at identifying risk factors for future serial killing

behaviors. One such approach which requires special mention is Giannangelo’s (1996) attempt to discover why some people become serial killers, while others are not by creating a predictor-based

theory of serial murders. Likewise, Weatherby, Buller, and McGinnis (2009), to pinpoint

commonalities shared by serial killers, studied the link between specific characteristics and future

homicidal behavior. The study resulted in the proposal of the Buller-McGinnis Model of Serial

Homicidal Behavior.

There were few unique processual approaches for understanding violent criminals and their

making. ‘The Violentization Theory' of Athens explained the making of dangerous, violent criminals through a violent socialization process (1989). Another unique approach was Hickey’s Trauma-Control Model which described the process of how an individual takes a fantasy of murder

and acts on it (1997).

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

5

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

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There were marked differences in the Research Strategies adopted by the above researchers. Reid,

Katan, Ellithy, Stua, and Denisov (2019) studied 70 sexual serial offenders from North America

and the United Kingdom. The researchers have sourced the data for the study from a variety of

online sources, court documents, police records, etc. Simkin and Roychowdhury (2014) analyzed

the time pattern of the activity of Andrei Chikatilo, a Russian serial killer, and further backed up

their claim by analyzing time pattern activity data from two other serial killers. The Buller-

McGinnis Model of Serial Homicidal Behavior was the result of an examination of the life of four

serial killers (Weatherby, Buller, and McGinnis, 2009). Silva, Ferrari, and Leong (2002) used the

case of convicted U.S. serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer as the focal point for their theory. Burgess,

Hartman, Ressler, Douglas, and McCormack (1986) analyzed the motive and pattern of violent

criminal behavior, by using the information gathered from interviews of 36 convicted and

incarcerated male sexual murderers along with psychiatric, police, court, and prison archival data

sources. In this study, 29 of the subjects whom they interviewed committed more than one murder.

Giannangelo (1996) used the case study of four well-known serial killers in 'the Diathesis-Stress

Model of Serial Murder.’

Most of the studies were conducted in western countries, and the majority of the studies relied on

indirect sources for data collection. For understanding serial killing the above researchers

concentrated on information on prolonged periods in the lives of serial killers. The approaches of

these researchers for understanding serial killings were mostly developmental. This is evident in

the way they explained the motivation for serial killings.

According to the model proposed by Simkin and Roychowdhury (2014), a serial killer commits

murders when neuronal excitation in the brain exceeds a certain threshold. When Simkin and

Roychowdhury explained serial killing as the result of a biological process most other researchers

explained motivation with a multi-factorial approach.

Reid, Katan, Ellithy, Stua, and Denisov (2019) argued mechanisms behind the makeup of a sexual

serial killer is profoundly complex and can be traced to painful experiences in life, and serial killers

are pathologically maladjusted. Silva, Ferrari, and Leong (2002) in their biopsychosocial

psychiatric model for understanding the origin of sexual serial homicidal behavior proposed

multifactorial causation involving psychological, social, and biological factors that are behind the

making of a serial killer.

Reid, Katan, Ellithy, Stua, and Denisov (2019) pointed at the intricacy of motivation whereas

Silva, Ferrari, and Leong (2002) comprehended its intensely interacting characteristics. Such

insights of complex interacting structure of motivation are articulated by other researchers also.

Burgess, Hartman, Ressler, Douglas, and McCormack (1986) explained sexual homicides are the

results of five interacting components, ineffective social environment, child and adolescent

formative events, patterned response to these events, the resultant reaction towards others, and the

killer's reactions via a mental feedback filter to his violent acts. The authors also noted that their

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

6

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

Criminology, December 2020

Read Final Published version: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0306624X20981030

study only focused on cognitive and psychosocial factors and did not deal with neurological and

genetic influences.

A considerable number of researchers have been loud about the importance of childhood problems.

An important work that probed this aspect is the Buller-McGinnis Model of Serial Homicidal

Behavior. This model mentioned two prominent traits, poor childhood, and isolation common

amongst serial killers (Weatherby, Buller & McGinnis, 2009). According to the model, an

individual's childhood social environment, fantasy life, and personality traits play a significant role

in the development of serial homicidal behavior (Weatherby, Buller & McGinnis, 2009).

The distinctiveness of ‘the Diathesis-Stress Model of Serial Murder’ is that it envisioned to predict risk factors for serial killers. Giannangelo proposed that the risk factors for serial murderers'

behavior are physiological anomalies, a history of severe emotional trauma, antisocial behavior,

and (or) early less serious forms of crime, problematic sexual deviance, and episodes of

dissociation into fantasy (Mackenzie, O'Neill, Povitsky & Acevedo, 2006).

A researcher who has seriously considered the role of fantasy in the making of a murderer is

Hickey. Hickey (1997) argued that traumatic events lead to fantasies of low self-esteem, which,

over time, become increasingly violent. These fantasies can eventually result in homicidal

behavior. Hickey's model included eight features, (a) predisposition factors, (b) traumatic events,

(c) low self-esteem and fantasies, (d) dissociation, (e) trauma reinforcers, (f) facilitators (g)

increasingly violent fantasies, and (h) homicidal behavior (1997). The model, however, does

emphasize on personality traits. Hickey (2002) stated that these factors might influence the

individual, but do not impact the process.

Conceivably none other than Athens (1992) came up with a model that demarcates the

developmental stages of a violent criminal. Athens (1992) proposed, the creation of dangerous,

violent criminals is the consequences of a four-stage violent socialization process, which involves

(a) brutalization, (b) belligerency/defiance, (c) violent performance/dominance engagement and,

(d) virulency. According to Athens, these four stages represent the critical development stages of

the personality of violent offenders. The first stage involves violent subjugation going beyond the

point of submission, personal horrification where the individual witness violent submission of

someone close and violent coaching by others that 'violence is the only way out.' Stage two

involves the desperation of the individual to stop the brutalization, a resolve to use violence if

provoked, and the initial step in the victim-aggressor transformation. Stage three comprises of

violent performances and dominance engagement. By the time the individual reaches the fourth

and final stage, he would have transformed from a defenseless victim to a perpetrator.

There were significant differences in the depth at which the theorists comprehended the concept

of motivation. Many of the researchers pointed at a complex interaction of multiple factors behind

the motivation for serial killings. Most models also pointed at the influence of various life incidents

in the making of a serial killer. Some models attempted to explain the process of a person

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

7

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

Criminology, December 2020

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developing into a serial killer as a step by step process, which follows a pattern or the interaction

of certain factors.

Identifying factors alone may give some clues to understand the presence or absence of certain

situations in the lives of serial killers. However, in the absence of a thorough examination of the

lives of such individuals, it cannot be determined if the factors contributed to the serial killings.

Therefore, merely identifying the presence of some factors conventionally viewed as associated

with violent behavior may not be useful in understanding motivation. These major shifts in the

focus of the above-mentioned researchers from trying to understand serial killing from a purely

factor-oriented approach to a process-oriented approach should be considered as a step in the right

direction. The key take-aways from these studies are the need for a comprehensive understanding

of the killer and the recognition of the temporal nature of motivation.

However, there are certain degrees of rigidity, which incapacitate the models from being applied

to serial killers not included in the studies. There is a need for the models to be more inclusive and

broader enough to capture and analyze the unique aspects of each killer. The use of primary data

for building a model might improve the efficiency of the model. Therefore, this study was aimed

at preparing an inclusive model to explicate the process of motivation for serial killing with an

empirically collected data set. Detailed narratives of eight serial killers are made in this study and

a comprehensive theoretical model is proposed to explain the evolution of a person into a

murdering human being.

II. METHOD OF STUDY

The objective of the present research work was to develop a motivation model for understanding

serial killing from a life-course approach. The study was descriptive, fundamental, and qualitative.

The researcher has adopted a case study method for this research work. According to Stake (1995),

"case study is the study of the particularity and complexity of a single case, coming to understand

its activity within important circumstances." The choice of case study method is justified by the

researcher considering the depth at which each case needs to be studied to analyze complex

emotions and behaviors exhibited by each of the subjects. The researcher epistemologically

justifies this method of research by pointing at the prospect of creating a rich account of

scientifically collected data on the life of serial killers, in the absence of such data in the

geographical location of the study.

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

8

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

Criminology, December 2020

Read Final Published version: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0306624X20981030

a. Locale of the Study

The locale of the study includes two southern States of India, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. As an

extension of the primary data collection on one subject, the researcher also had to cover the

southern districts of the State of Karnataka. The specific locations of the study include central

prisons, police stations, police circle offices, police district offices, state police offices, and various

other locations relating to the cases in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

b. Sampling

The study was a qualitative research conducted on a rare category of offenders, and after much

deliberation, judgment sampling was adopted for including subjects (serial killers) for the study.

Judgment sampling is a non-probability method of sampling in which the researcher selects units

to be sampled based on existing knowledge or professional judgment (Marshall,1996). The

population of the study involved those inmates of Central Prisons in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, who

were convicted or accused in three or more murder cases (from 1986 to 2015). Confession to the

researcher about the commission of the murders by the subject was a mandatory criterion for

including subjects into the study. Also, the study excluded inmates who committed murders being

part of a gang, and those committed murders with political purposes or being part of organized

criminal units to avoid group dynamics in the motivation.

For the study, 48 cases were identified after inspecting the prison records and screening the inmates

of murder cases in three central prisons in Kerala and nine central prisons in Tamil Nadu. Based

on the outcome of the interviews with the subjects and inspection of records, eight cases were

chosen from the identified cases for the study. The willingness of the participants of the study was

a key determinant in the selection criteria. Of the eight cases, five were from Kerala, and three

were from Tamil Nadu. The socio-demographic details of the selected subjects are elucidated in

Table 1.

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

9

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

Criminology, December 2020

Read Final Published version: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0306624X20981030

Table 1 representing the socio-demographic details of the subjects

Cases Gender Education Financial

Status

Profession Marital

Status

Children

Subject 1 Male Primary School Poor Daily wager Married 3 S

Subject 2 Male Primary School Poor Rag Picker Unmarried Nil

Subject 3 Male School Dropout Poor Multiple Jobs Married 2 D

Subject 4 Male Graduate Poor Multiple Jobs Married 2 D & 1 S

Subject 5 Male School Dropout Poor Daily Wager Married Nil

Subject 6 Male Illiterate Poor Fisherman Unmarried Nil

Subject 7 Male School Dropout Poor Daily Wager Unmarried Nil

Subject 8 Male Primary School Poor Truck Cleaner Unmarried Nil

*S (Son); D (daughter)

The above table shows the socio-demographic details of the subjects. All the subjects were males,

and five of them were school dropouts. All the subjects had a lower financial status, and most of

them did daily wage jobs. Four subjects were married, and three of them had children.

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

10

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

Criminology, December 2020

Read Final Published version: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0306624X20981030

c. Data Collection

The data required for the research was collected from both primary and secondary sources. The

objectives of the present study required in-depth knowledge of the life of the subjects, and hence,

the methods adopted for collecting the data have been various. The primary data for the research

was collected through:

1. In-depth interviews with subjects 2. Interviews with close relatives of the subjects 3. Interviews with acquaintances of the subjects 4. Interviews with police officers who investigated the cases 5. Interviews with co-prisoners of the subjects 6. Interviews with officials of the prison where the subjects were confined 7. Interviews with civil officials in prison set up (psychologists, visiting psychiatrists, and

counselors in Tamil Nadu and welfare officers in Kerala)

8. Interviews with the surviving victims (victims of an attempt to murder cases) 9. Interviews with the kin of the deceased victims 10. Examination of the crime scenes 11. Observation of important places of the subject's life (school, residence, etc.)

Every available detail on the life and criminal career of each subject was required to achieve the

objectives of the study. Each subject was unique, and the methods adopted to gather information

on them were manipulated considering the various circumstances and difficulties. Some methods

of data collection were infeasible in some instances, and hence, the methods were used

accordingly. In-depth interviews of the subjects were conducted in six cases, and in two cases,

subjects were not alive. In these two cases, in-depth interviews of closest relatives were conducted

to collect reliable information. All the participants who were interviewed for the study were well

informed about the objective of the study and informed consent was acquired from everyone.

d. Interviewing Subjects

The researcher had to obtain permission in advance from the authorities for collecting data from

the police and prison. The interviews with the subjects were conducted in various Central Prisons

in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Informed consent has been obtained from all the subjects after clearly

explaining the purpose of data collection, and how the data will be utilized. All the interviews are

conducted during the day time, and each subject was interviewed for two to three sessions, and

each session lasted around three to four hours. The researcher entered the response into a scribbling

sheet since recording devices were not permitted inside the prisons. The interviews were non-

structured, and due to this, no schedules or information entry sheets were used. All the interviews

started after providing a detailed explanation to the subjects, about the purpose of the interview.

Though the interviews were non-structured, in most cases, a certain amount of uniformity was

followed by the researcher. In all cases, after the initial address, the researcher established a rapport

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

11

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

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with the inmate through small talks, which involved enquiring and sharing of non-sensitive

information. These initial conversations helped in most cases to prepare the subjects for the in-

depth interviews, which involved sharing personal and sensitive information. During the

interviews, the interviewer encouraged the subject to narrate his life incidents in chronological

order starting from pre-life to the present. Pre-life involved narratives regarding a subject's lineage

and affairs regarding the family that occurred before the subject's birth. Also, the researcher raised

questions wherever more clarifications and explanations were required. All crucial information

shared by the subjects during the interviews is verified with the information collected from

multiple sources of data collection.

e. Construction of Biographies

The data collected from various sources created huge volumes of information. The data involved

interview scripts, detailed daily notes, personal experience diary notes, audio recordings of

interviews, self-describing audio records, photographs, videos, electronic documents, copies of

official documents, newspaper clippings, web resources, etc.

As the first stage of data management, biographies were created for each subject. For the

construction of biographies, each subject's life was arranged in chronological order starting from

pre-life to the present. These chronological narratives were classified under several heads such as

pre-life, childhood, education, work-life, love life, marital life, sex life, family life, criminal career,

serial killings, prison life, etc. The veracity of details accounted for in the biographies were verified

by matching data from multiple sources, and this has helped to exclude nonreliable information

from the biographies.

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

12

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

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Table 2 representing the characteristics of the murders committed by the subjects

Cases

Number of Murders

Victims

Description

Murder

Span

Characteristics of

Murder Weapon

Cooling-

off Period

(Avg.)

A c c u

s e

d

C o

n fe

s s e

d

C o

n v

ic te

d

S u

s p

e c te

d

Subject

1 14 0 5 14

Residents of

Dwellings 1 Y

Burglary, Murder by

Bludgeoning

Pickaxe, Iron spear,

Iron spade, etc. 1 M

Subject

2 5 5 3 5+

Pavement

Dwellers 77 D Murder by Bludgeoning Stones, Iron rod 8 D

Subject

3

12 0 5 8+ Residents of

Houses 2 Y & 2 M Murder by Bludgeoning

Iron bar, Iron

turner, Iron lever,

Machete, etc.

98 D

Subject

4 5 5 5 5

Subject's Wife

and Children 16 D Family Annihilation Towel 5 D

Subject

5 12 20+ 5 20+

Women in

Deserted lands 85 D

Rape, Robbery &

Necrophilia Rope 4 D

Subject

6 4 3 2 4+

Girls aged from 1

to 7 10 Y Rape and Robbery Towel 414 D

Subject

7 18 0 3 18+

Women in

Deserted lands 1 Y

Rape, Robbery &

Necrophilia Rope 23 D

Subject

8 8 8 5 8

Residents of

Ramshackle huts 20 D

Burglary, Robbery,

Rape. Necrophilia

Wooden log, Stone,

Hammer, Iron bar,

Pickaxe

5 D

*Y-Year(s); M-Month(s); D-Days

The above table shows the various characteristics of murders committed by the subjects. The

numbers of murders committed by the subjects are arranged under four heads to give clarity.

Victim descriptions give the victim's details. Murder span is the period from the first murder to the

last murder committed by a subject. The cooling-off period is the average length of intervals

between murders.

f. Model Development

The created biographies were a written narrative running into several pages, classifying different

aspects of the subject’s life arranged in chronological order. The inputs received from past research findings of previous researchers were of immense use while developing the model. A model was

conceived with the careful study of the life-course of all the eight subjects, and the identification

of patterns. The developed motivation model was applied to all the cases. Figure 1 depicts the

process of data analysis.

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

13

Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

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Figure 1. Process of Data Analysis

Figure 1 explains the steps followed in the qualitative analysis of the gathered data through various

means. Biographies were carefully constructed using data collected through different sources. The

biography is narrated from the researcher's point of view, and the lives of the subjects are narrated

as it is without any commentary or interpretations or discussions. The biographies of the subjects

were scrupulously studied, and from the insights, a motivation model was constructed. The

constructed model was applied back to the biographies, which provided the motivation for each

subject. This has been done through a scrupulous study of biographies and identifying the key

ingredients of the motivation model proposed below in this chapter. The inferences are drawn

using these above-identified ingredients and logically connecting them by studying the life-course

of the subjects.

*The biographies are not included in this article since each case runs into several pages.

The Life-Course Theory of Serial Killing by S. A. Deepak & S. Ramdoss

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Published as a Special Issue in, International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative

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III. MOTIVATION MODEL

The theory proposes that the term motivation has to be understood broadly, and that should not be

confused with the regular dictionary meaning of the term. In the context of this study, motivation

encapsulates the entire process of evolution of a person into a killer. So, understanding the

motivation for serial killing is an in-depth analysis of the life of the killer. Such an in-depth analysis

conducted on the subjects of this study revealed that certain elements served as driving forces

behind the evolution of serial killers. These elements can be classified into three heads, namely,

nature, deep resting life factors, and key incidents. In light of these findings and the aspects

mentioned above, the concept of motivation is theoretically defined below.

Motivation is defined as the nature of a person and the deep resting life factors, their complex

interactions through various key incidents which predispose the person with a 'killer instinct'

and the way the instinct was reinforced throughout life, which eventually results in serial killing.

a. Nature of the Subject

From the analysis of the lives of subjects, it is revealed that certain qualities are unique and

consistent with the subjects. These can be understood from studying the behavior of the subjects

throughout their lives. Careful analysis of the different choices made by a subject in different

situations throughout their life can bring out specific patterns of recurring qualities. These qualities

serve as the framework of a subject's personality. The fact that these qualities remain consistent

from a young age proves that such qualities are either innate or seems to be rooted in childhood.

Moreover, this dimension of the model addresses the genetic influence on the behavior of the

subjects without going deeper into the biological aspect of the problem.

The nature of the subject is the intrinsic personality traits of a person which are innate or

unswerving and different from those traits, which are unstable or those a person acquires during

one's lifetime as a result of post-childhood experiences. The nature of the subject act as a base

on which multiple factors interact to result in serial killing.

b. Deep Resting Life Factors (DRLF)

A careful analysis of the lives of subjects revealed that certain kinds of factors had a profound

influence on their evolution into murderers. Unlike the nature of the subject, such factors result

from the designs of external environments or the interaction of the subject’s psyche with the material world. These factors can be materialistic or intellectual in makeup, and they have the

potential to influence the trajectory of a subject's life. Sometimes it can be seen that the nature of

the subject interacts with the environmental circumstances to give rise to an influential factor.

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The deep resting life factors are the mental state of a person or the physical circumstances in

the life of a person and their influences upon each other.

c. Key Incidents

Certain incidents in the lives of subjects were found to have a significant impact on the process of

evolution into serial killers. These incidents decided the course of subjects' lives. Such incidents

are named as key incidents. These incidents served as platforms for nature and DRLF to interact

with each other.

Key incidents are those events in the life of a serial killer, which had significant impacts on the

course of life, which culminated in serial killings.

d. Killer Instinct

Killer instinct is the mental preparedness of a person to commit murders. This psychological state

is gradually built through the interactions between the nature of the subject and DRLF through key

incidents in life. A subject with a saturated killer instinct is a potential murderer.

Killer instinct is the tendency of a person to commit serial killing.

e. Trigger

In most of the cases, it is found that the serial killings were followed by relatively small incidents.

These incidents appear non-influential when they were analyzed separately but gave a whole new

meaning when analyzed in the context of the life of the subject. These incidents possessed the

ability to provide the subject with an emotional platform to commit serial killings. The study

stresses special importance to these happenings since it activates the dormant killer instinct.

A trigger is a short happening in the life of a serial killer, which activates the underlying killer

instinct and pushes a person towards the first murder. A person with a tendency to commit serial

killing can sometimes abstain from it if he does not find the right trigger to push him over the

edge.

f. Purpose

It is the first available information to understand the rationale behind the murders of a serial killer

without worrying about the underlying motivation for his actions. The purpose of serial killing is

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proposed based on limited information gathered from the crime scene, victim characteristics, and

other circumstances. For example, police officers who inspect a crime scene and explain the

rationale behind the offense will be referring to the purpose of the offender though they use the

term 'motivation' or 'motive.'

The below diagram depicts an example of how a person is evolving into a serial killer with the

proposed motivation model. The motivation for serial killings is explained through the depiction

of the entire life of a person. The metaphor of a journey which an individual takes from birth

onwards is applied to visualize the events of life in the diagram. The different types of nature, their

expressions are represented with thick lines progressing from birth. The DRLF were represented

in multiple shades, and their intensity is depicted with the ups and downs of patterns. The thin line

in the middle of factors represents the key incidents.

Figure 2: Diagram representing an example of a person evolving into a serial killer as per the motivation model

The above diagram depicts an example of how a person is evolving into a serial killer with the

proposed motivation model. The motivation for serial killings is explained through the depiction

of the entire life of a person. The metaphor of a journey which an individual takes from birth to

the present is applied to visualize the events of life in the diagram. The different types of nature,

their expressions are represented with thick lines progressing from birth. The DRLF were

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represented in multiple shades, and their intensity is depicted with the ups and downs of patterns.

The thin line in the middle of factors represents the key incidents.

IV. APPLICATION OF THE MOTIVATION MODEL To explain how this theoretical model can be applied to understand the motivation of serial killing,

one of the cases is discussed briefly.

CASE 3: The subject (Born in 1968) was a high school dropout, a married man with two children. He had committed eight murders in a span of two years from September 2003 to October 2005 in

Thrissur and Ernakulam districts of Kerala. Burglary and bludgeoning were the key characteristics

of the murders. His victims were women and men from the houses he burgled.

Modus Operandi: The subject identified his potential crime scenes depending upon various factors

such as isolation, wealth, risk assessment, accessibility, and comfort. After identifying the potential

crime scenes, he observed the place for several days. During this time, he studied the structure of

the building, possible entry to the building, inmates of the house, daily routine of the inmates,

possible weapons he can collect from surroundings, etc. The subject had a working plan before he

started the operations. On prefixed nights, he reached the crime scenes in a bus or his bicycle

depending upon the distance of the crime scene from the camp with an extra shirt and mundu (a

cloth worn by adult males below the waist), and a torchlight. After reaching the crime scenes, the

subject waited for the right time to strike, and he chose the late night to early morning for the

commission of burglaries. He mostly attacked victims when they were asleep. The subject

collected weapons from the crime scenes or its surroundings in most of the cases. After entering

the houses, he killed the inmates by bashing their heads. He plundered the gold ornaments, cash,

and other valuables from the crime scenes. The subject then tried to make the police investigation

difficult by actions such as pouring kerosene, setting fire or sprinkling pepper powder, etc. The

Subject threw away the weapons used for committing the offenses in wells or other water bodies

near the crime scenes before he escaped. He cashed his loots on the adjacent days.

On the surface, the subject committed the murders to burgle gold ornaments, money, and other

valuables. Therefore, the purpose of serial killings were financial benefits.

A detailed analysis of the subject’s biography revealed creative, deviant, intelligent, philosophical, revolting, affectionate, covetous, and vindictive natures. These natures are identified through the careful study of choices made and the behaviors exhibited throughout life.

The subject’s creative nature was evident through his habit of writing stories, making toys for his young girls, ingeniously committing crimes, and the way he escaped from a high-security prison

using just rudimentary things that were available. Like this, all other natures were also identified

by carefully studying the patterns of behavior and choices the subject has made throughout life.

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The subject’s deviant nature was visible throughout his life from a long history of crimes started at a young age through petty thefts and gradually progressing into the commission of serious

burglaries and robberies. The subject was well informed through his reading habits and he had a

basic tendency to seek information, understand concepts, remember and reproduce them. This has

revealed the intelligent nature of the subject. The subject was philosophical because he had a basic tendency to explain the world from his perception and observation. The subject

was revolting because he had an underlying urge to fight against the established norms for what he believed. At the same time, he had a persistent need to provide for his family and his love for

his wife and daughters was immense. This explains the affectionate nature of the subject. The subject expressed his vindictive nature during many occasions in his life such as expressing rage against the rich for denying fortunes to him, subject setting fire to a motorcycle to settle a score

against an enemy, etc. Once the Nature is identified the next important component of the

motivation is DRLF.

DRLFs are different from the subject’s natures since these represent the problems persisted during the progress of life resulting from external circumstances or psychological states resulting from

the interaction of the subject’s nature with the circumstances. Such factors are carefully extracted by studying the impact these had on the subject’s life. The DRLF of the third subject were childhood issues resulting from emotional problems, poor financial background, hatred for the rich and the privileged, an incoherent urge to provide for the family, which includes his wife and two daughters, and the evolution of an extensive criminal career. The subject was the eldest child in a poor family and during childhood, he exhibited emotional

issues dealing with a shift of parental focus to younger siblings. The poor financial background

affected the subject throughout his life in aspects such as education, marital life, etc. The subject’s hatred for the rich was evolved from a denial of a promised permanent job by some rich people in

the society. The subject’s long-running criminal career started shortly after the dropout from school, had a detrimental effect on his life. The subject loved his wife and daughters, and he had

an incoherent need to provide them with whatever they needed, disregarding his financial

positions.

Against DRLF, key incidents are particular incidents with remarkable impacts on the subject’s life and these incidents serve as a platform for the interaction of nature and DRLF. The Key Incidences

changes the course of the subject’s life and can project a person’s life in a particular direction. The key incidents identified in the subject’s lives were the birth of his younger siblings which resulting in the shift of parental focus from the subject towards his brothers; dropout from high school due to lack of money to buy textbooks which paved the way to the beginning of a long criminal career; denial of an assured peon job by the school management which turned subject’s envy of the haves into hatred; shortage of money to go to a temple after putting the sacred ‘rudraksha maala’ (a sacred chain) which resulted in an emotional outbreak; and a petty theft of a saree from a neighborhood which resulted in the shaming of the subject and his family.

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Killer instinct is another important component in the model. The complex interaction of subject’s creative, deviant, intelligent, philosophical, revolting, affectionate, covetous, and vindictive natures and DRLF such as childhood issues, poor financial background, hatred for the rich, an incoherent urge to provide for the family, and the evolution of an extensive criminal career through key incidents gradually forged a potentially violent state of mind. The Trigger, a small incident, its relevance only can be understood in the context of the sum of the subject’s life, has taken the subject to an emotional platform to commit the murders.

The trigger for the serial killing was ‘the saree theft incident.’ The Saree Theft: The subject once stole a saree from the neighborhood and gifted it to his wife. However, when she has worn it to a marriage function, the real owner identified it, and it has

become an issue. When the subject came back, few policemen were waiting for him. This has

become an issue, and everyone around the neighborhood came to know about this incident. After

this incident, people called him “the saree thief,” and the subject and his family were upset about this. People around his neighborhood ostracized the family, out of shame, the subject had to

relocate his family to a nearby place. This incident only increased the subject’s hatred for the rich, and he was vengeful. All the serial killings he committed were after this incident. This saree

stealing incident, and its repercussions, are what triggered him to commit the serial killing.

The constructed motivation model has been applied to each of the subjects in the manner which is

applied to Case three. Only the final output of the motivation model is given for the rest of the

cases.

CASE 1: Subject (1950 to 1991) had committed more than 14 murders in a span of one year from 1985 to 1986 in Dakshina Kannada and Kasaragod districts of Kerala and Karnataka. The key

characteristics of the murders were burglary and bludgeoning. The subject broke into dwellings in

distant villages during midnights, clubbed the head of inmates one by one with agricultural tools,

and left with all the valuables which he sold on adjacent days as ‘smuggled goods.’ The subject was a primary school dropout, was married, and fathered three children.

The nature of the subject was spiritual, authoritative, affectionate, influential, aggressive, deviant,

and covetous. The DRLF were a firm religious belief of 'attaining supernatural power through

sacrificing 101 human life'; a need to earn respect through the accumulation of wealth; an

incoherent need to provide for the family, which includes his wife and three children; and evolution

of the criminal career. The complex interaction of the nature of the subject with the DRLF through

certain key incidents in the subject's life such as the death of his father which resulted in unrest in

childhood; running away from home after stealing gold ornaments of the mother; instilling the

belief of certain gypsies with whom he spent time during young age; marrying a woman whom he

met at Manipal; 'the snake-idol incident' in which the subject found a stone idol while he was

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searching for a black snake that crawled into a hole in the construction site of his house; and 'the

possession incident' in which subject believed to have been possessed by some power served as

the motivation for serial killings. 'The snake-idol incident' was the trigger for serial killings.

CASE 2: The subject (Born in 1966) was a primary school dropout and a bachelor. He had committed five murders in a span of 77 days from June to August 2012 in the Kollam district of

Kerala. Bludgeoning and robbery were the key characteristics of the murders. The subject roamed

the streets as a rag picker, during late nights he clubbed to death those who slept on the streets with

stones or iron rods. His victims included beggars and homeless petty workers who were sleeping

in public places at night.

The subject was addictive, aggressive, callous, deviant, and vagrant in nature. The DRLF were

childhood issues resulting from marital discord between parents, substance dependency to ganja,

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), and fluctuations in the criminal career. A traumatic brain

injury occurred when the subject was a child might be connected to ASPD. The complex

interactions of the nature of the subject with the DRLF through certain key incidents in the subject's

life such as separation of parents resulting in a neglected childhood; an accident in childhood which

paved the way to brain injury and subsequent problems; death of mother which further pushed

subject into deviancy; coexistence with criminal elements and gang activities which lead to police

cases including murders and related arrests and imprisonments; release from prison and his failure

in migrating to socially accepted professions served as the motivation for serial killings.

CASE 4: The subject (Born in 1968) was a P.G. Diploma holder and a married man with three children. He committed more than five murders in 16 days in July 2008 in the Palakkad district of

Kerala. The subject strangulated all his victims inside his house using a towel. He disposed of their

body in the surrounding areas during adjacent days. Pedophilia, strangulation, necrophilia, and

family annihilation were the key characteristics of the murders. His victims included his wife and

children.

The nature of the subject was to be hardworking, hypersexual, perfectionist, affectionate, and

secretive. The DRLF were socio-economic background, religious factors, unemployment, sexual

factors, marital distress, a compulsive need for closure, lack of sleep, and the prospect of a new

life. The complex interaction of the nature of the subject with the DRLF was facilitated by certain

key incidents in the subject's life such as returning to his native place from Bangalore after a career

failure as a computer programmer which led to an acquaintance with a Christian girl; falling in

love with her which resulted in an inter-religious marriage against the will of their families; the

subject with his wife settling in a different location which further distanced them from their

families; the birth of three children which led to strain on the resources of the family; the subject

with his family relocating to Hyderabad with the prospect of a meaningful job which led to

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subject's wife developing an extramarital relationship with the school manager; the subject's wife

delivering the child of the school manager which led to frequent quarrels with his wife; subject

relocating with his family to another location to work as a rubber tapper which pushed him to an

extramarital relationship with a coworker woman; and a missed call received from the woman that

resulted in a quarrel with his wife served as the motivation for serial killings. The trigger for the

serial killing was 'the missed call incident.'

CASE 5: The subject (Born in 1973) was a high school dropout, who was married twice with no children, had committed more than 20 murders in a span of 85 days from April to July 2009 in

Pudukkottai, Sivaganga, Dindigul, and Trichy districts of Tamil Nadu. Rape, strangulation,

necrophilia, and robbery were the key characteristics of the murders. The subject rode a two-

wheeler through the deserted regions, strangulated and sexually assaulted lonely herds women,

and got away with their gold ornaments. His known victims were women ranging from a wide age

group of 18 to 70.

The nature of the subject was to be impulsive, addictive, egocentric, possessive, vindictive, and

hypersexual. The DRLF were a failed marital life, childlessness due to impotence, a wife murder

fantasy, psychological problems resulting from wife abandonment, rage against society,

alcoholism, and poor economic background. A traumatic brain injury occurred in childhood, which

may have impacted his behavior. The complex interactions of the nature of the subject with the

DRLF was facilitated by certain key incidents in the subject's life such as a quarrel in a village

festival involving his family members and social ostracism resulting from it when the subject was

a child; subject leaving to Andaman for work which initiated alcoholism; marrying the childhood

friend, which later resulted in marital problems; an incident involving his wife and the person in

the next room which resulted in suspicion of her fidelity; episodes of domestic violence resulting

from subject's post alcohol consumption behavior; wife leaving him to marry another man and

getting impregnated by him soon after their marriage which pushed subject's frustration into fury;

and treatment of the subject by the village court for assaulting women which drove him against

society, served as the motivation for serial killings. The trigger for the serial killing was 'wife

abandoning the subject.'

CASE 6: The subject (Born in 1981) was an illiterate and a bachelor. He had committed more than four murders in four years and eight months between 1996 and 2005 in Thiruvananthapuram

district of Kerala and Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. Kidnapping, pedophilia, strangulation,

and robbery were the key characteristics of the murders. All his known victims were pre-pubescent

girls from the age group of one to seven years.

The nature of the subject was to be addictive, pedophilic, callous, deviant, hypersexual, and

vagrant. The DRLF were subject's socio-economic background, neglected childhood, addiction to

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ganja, and sexual fetish towards young girls resulting from his pedophilic nature. The complex

interactions of the nature of the subject with the DRLF occurred through certain key incidents in

the subject's life such as, a fire accident which made the subject's mother emotionally

unresponsive, which led to a neglected childhood; sexual abuse of the subject by a close relative

when he was a child which contributed to sexual deviancy; and early release of the subject in a

minor sexual offense served as the motivation for serial killings.

CASE 7: The subject (1981-2012) was a primary school dropout, and a bachelor had committed more than 18 murders in Cuddalore and Viluppuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Bangalore district

in Karnataka. Strangulation, rape, necrophilia, robbery were the key characteristics of the murders.

The subject spirted away young girls from huts in fishermen villages, raped, strangulated, and

dumped them in water bodies. All his known victims were women except in two cases. The subject

strangulated lone woman in deserted regions during day time, had sex with them, and robbed all

their valuables.

The nature of the subject was to be addictive, callous, deviant, hypersexual, and covetous. The

DRLF were subject's poor economic background, the evolution of criminal career of the subject,

substance dependency, contamination resulting from imprisonment, sexual prospect of the

murders, and a strong desire to avoid police capture. The complex interactions of the nature of the

subject with the DRLF occurred through certain key incidents in the subject's life such as the death

of his father which resulted in acute poverty in childhood; the elder brother leaving the family after

getting married, leaving the burden of the family on mother's shoulder; subject distancing away

from the family which resulted in him indulging in petty offenses; a bicycle theft and related arrest

which resulted in a short term prison sentence; an advice of a co-prisoner to commit rape and

robbery instead of petty theft (contamination); the rape and murder of a girl with his friends which

became the starting point of murders served as the motivation for serial killings. The trigger for

the serial killing was 'the advice of a co-prisoner.'

CASE 8: The subject (Born in 1989) was a primary school dropout and a bachelor. He had committed seven murders in a span of 21 days from August to September 2014 in Salem, Trichy,

and Ariyalur districts of Tamil Nadu. Burglary, rape, and necrophilia were the key characteristics

of the murders. All his victims were women except in two cases. Subject entered ramshackle huts,

searched for money and other valuables. When the inmates woke up and shouted, he beat them to

death with the first thing he found.

The nature of the subject was to be depressive, impulsive, affectionate, and aggressive. The DRLF

were depressive childhood, father's neglect in childhood, suppressed anger against stepmother,

financial factors, failed reintegration, anger resulting from hunger, and sexual factors. The

complex interactions of the nature of the subject with the DRLF was facilitated by certain key

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incidents in the subject's life such as, subject's mother committing suicide when he was six months

old which made his childhood depressive; father's remarriage which resulted in maltreatment at

the hands of his stepmother; subject's father taking him out from the boarding school to take care

of the infant his stepmother gave birth to which led to continued suffering; subject being sent as a

bonded laborer to a wealthy family which led to him running away from there to meet an old

couple; death of subject's parent like figures (the old couple) which made him feel like an orphan

again; falling in love with a woman and the subject's attempt to get the horoscope chart to produce

to her parents for the purpose of marrying her; an unexpected confrontation with the aunt of his

stepmother which resulted in a quarrel which led to her murder and subsequent police arrest; the

acquittal of the subject in the murder case which resulted in the release from prison; and the failure

to get his job back served as the motivation for serial killings. The trigger for the serial killing was

'the distant relative (aunt of stepmother) shouting at him.'

V. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

The different components of the motivation models, such as nature, DRLF, key incidents, triggers,

and purpose, in all subjects' lives, are compared to see the similarities and differences.

a. Nature

The study of all the subjects' biographies revealed 24 different kinds of nature. Each subject had a

unique mixture of different nature. Ten nature repeated more than once, while 14 nature appeared

only once.

Table 3 shows the frequency of different kinds of nature in the comparative analysis

Types of Nature Frequency*

Deviant

5

Affectionate, Addictive, & Hypersexual

4

Aggressive, Covetous, & Callous

3

Vagrant, Impulsive, & Vindictive

2

Spiritual, Authoritative, Influential, Creative, Perfectionist, Secretive,

Egocentric, Possessive, Pedophilic, Depressive, Hard Working, Intelligent,

Philosophical, & Revolting

1

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*Frequency explains how many subjects had a particular nature out of the eight subjects examined

in this study. Example: Five of the eight subjects had deviant nature.

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Five out of eight subjects deviated from socially accepted standards throughout their lives, and

therefore, the most common nature shared by the subjects was 'deviance.' These subjects, from a

young age, expressed tendencies to deviate from socially acceptable behavior. Four of the subjects

started their deviant careers from their teenage years. Next to deviance, the most common nature

of subjects were 'affectionate,' 'addictive' and 'hypersexual.'

Four out of eight subjects had an affectionate nature. Subjects possessing affectionate nature

expressed qualities such as the need for care, worry for others, and need to provide for others.

These qualities were often directed towards a small group of individuals such as immediate family

members, and the subjects excluded the rest of the society from the circle of affection. This

affection towards the primary group and indifference towards the society helped them in

channelizing their violence externally.

Four of the eight subjects had an addictive nature. Subjects possessing addictive nature were prone

to develop a dependency on certain substances. All four subjects had a long history of alcoholism,

whereas two subjects were dependent on marijuana. One of the subjects developed a dependency

on whitener. It is also noteworthy that some subjects were under the influence when they

committed the murders. The purpose of two of the subjects for committing murders included

obtaining substances to which they are dependent.

Four of the subjects were hypersexual, and this means their sexual lives were extraordinary. These

subjects craved for sex and often took risks for obtaining it. Sex was identified as the second most

common purpose for all the murders committed by the subjects of this study. One of the subjects

expressed pedophilic tendencies from a young age, and all victims were pre-pubescent girls. The

four subjects' lives can be perceived as a struggle to balance the insatiable appetite for sex and the

social reality with varying degrees.

Three of the subjects expressed violent behavior from a young age. The subjects' immediate

response to frustrating situations was aggression. Such aggression could be classified as aggression

directed at peers, aggression directed at elders, aggression directed at self. Some of the sample

behaviors are mentioned here. One of the subjects scarred the face of a peer in his school-age with

a shaving blade. One subject threw stones at elders who verbally insulted his mother in childhood.

One subject attempted suicide at a very young age as a reaction towards parents scolding him.

Three of the subjects had a covetous nature, which involved persistent and aggressive desire to

possess things which did not belong to them. Two of the subjects who showed covetous nature had

experienced extreme deprivation in their childhood. One of the subjects was deeply distressed by

dropping out of school due to the high cost of textbooks, which his poor parents could not afford.

Another subject's childhood was mired with acute poverty. Three of the subjects were involved in

thievery from a young age, and they desired the possessions of the haves, and were ruthless in

satisfying their desires.

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Three of the subjects had a callous nature, which involved a cruel disregard for others in their lives.

The subjects showed little interest in starting or maintaining relationships or keeping in touch with

their family members. Subjects never formed any strong bonds with their siblings throughout their

lives.

Nature such as vagrancy, impulsivity, vindictiveness were seen twice among the nature of the

subjects. Two of the subjects who expressed vagrant nature migrated continuously from place to

place. They never established enduring connections in their lives to places, people, or careers.

Those subjects who expressed impulsivity reacted to situations without much deliberation

repeatedly in their lives. Two of the subjects who possessed a vindictive nature had an enduring

need for vengeance in their lives. In both cases, such acts of vengeance were directed towards

individuals who were intimate partners.

Deviance was the only nature which was found in five of the four cases whereas affectionate,

addictive, hypersexual, aggressive, covetous, callous nature were repeated thrice among the list of

nature. When nature, such as vagrancy, impulsivity, and vindictiveness, were seen twice among

nature, all other natures were found only once. The list of lone nature are spiritual, authoritative,

influential, creative, perfectionist, secretive, egocentric, possessive, pedophilic, depressive,

hardworking, intelligent, philosophical, and revolting. Though some of the natures were repeated

in some subjects, it is interesting that not even two cases had the same combination of natures. The

identified combinations of nature were unique for each subject.

b. Deep Resting Life Factors

The Deep Resting Life Factors (DRLF) are as important as the nature of the subjects in the

proposed motivation model. In the comparative analysis of DRLF, an attempt was made to classify

and group these factors depending upon their similarities and differences in characteristics. 26

different DRLF were identified in which nine of them repeated more than once.

The most frequent DRLF was financial, which was found in five of the eight cases. Though all the

subjects in the study were poor, in five cases, the financial factors had contributed immensely to

their evolution. It is interesting to note that the dominating purpose of the murders was financial

or property gain.

Childhood issues were found to have a significant impact on the lives of four subjects. One of the

subjects had a depressive childhood resulting from the mother's suicide and severe emotional abuse

by the stepmother. The subject later recalled that he committed all murders when people shouted

at him during the attempts to commit thefts from ramshackle huts. Another subject had a neglected

childhood resulting from the death of his mother, and he developed a sexual affair with an older

woman who was his distant relative. He had later developed an unquenchable sexual appetite for

pre-pubescent girls. Marital discord between parents pushed one subject into delinquency,

whereas, another subject was deeply distressed by the shift of parental focus to younger siblings.

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The evolution of a criminal career is another DRLF found in the lives of four subjects. Three

subjects started their career by committing petty thefts from a young age, and one subject started

a career with gang violence. The serial killings can be conceived as the climax of their careers. It

is interesting to point out that four of these subjects at some point of time in their criminal career

had been arrested and served in prisons before the serial killings.

DRLF of sexual characteristics were identified in four of the cases. One subject had a strained

marital life, which involved tensions resulting from his wife's extramarital relationship and his

affair with another woman later. These stressful circumstances progressed into episodic family

annihilation by the subject. Another married subject had issues in marriage when he found his wife

in a compromising situation with another man, despite his behavior of having sex with multiple

women. Later the woman abandoned him for another man, and the subject developed a 'wife

murder fantasy' which he enacted in each of his killings. The subject who raped and murdered

many pre-pubescent girls had an unusual early sex life involving sex with an elderly woman. The

fourth subject started his criminal career as a petty thief. He was driven by the sexual prospect of

robbing when he started raping and murdering women in deserted locations before he robs them

of their gold ornaments.

Situations resulting from substance dependency were another recurring DRLF found in the lives

of four subjects. Subjects were dependent on substances such as alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco.

All of them had long histories of substance dependency. In all the cases such habits developed

from teenage. Consumption of alcoholic beverages hours before and after the murders was present

in three cases. One subject who murdered victims during the sleep was addicted to marijuana, and

he stole tobacco products and marijuana from the victims who were pavement dwellers.

Situations resulting from marital problems, religious factors, emotional needs, and treatment in

prison served as DRLF in the lives of any two subjects. Two of the subjects had impactful issues

in marital lives. One of the subjects developed strange religious beliefs, due to his association with

a deviant social group, which provided him with a plausible explanation for murdering his victims.

Two of the subjects who killed residents of the houses they robbed had a need to provide for their

wives and children. Societal rejection after serving in prison stretched the limit of a subject before,

he went on a killing spree. Another subject who was a petty thief, who served in prison for a short

period, came back from prison, acquiring knowledge to upgrade his criminal career.

c. Incidents

Some of the incidents in the lives of the subjects had similar characteristics. Deaths of parents,

marriages, arrests, and imprisonment, release from prison, were repeated more than once.

Deaths of parents in childhood have been impactful incidents in five of the eight subjects' lives.

These deaths occurred in different ages of subjects' childhood and affected each subject in different

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ways. Depression, neglected childhood, and social deviation seem to have resulted from the loss

of parents.

Getting married was impactful in the lives of three subjects. The act of marrying opened up a vast

array of marital problems and tensions in the lives of two subjects. Starting a family stretched the

skills of two subjects who were in a progressive criminal career of theft and burglary.

In three cases, incidents such as arrest, imprisonment, and release were detrimental in their

criminal careers. In one case, arrest and imprisonment of the subject for earlier crimes seemed to

have aggravated tendencies to commit graver crimes in the future. In another case, the early release

enabled the subject to prey upon victims with lethal modus operandi.

The vast majority of the incidents that occurred in the lives of the subjects were unique to particular

cases. This means that in most of the situations, nature and DRLF interacted through incidents

with unique characteristics.

d. Purpose

Material gain was the most common purpose of the serial killers for committing the murders, while

sex was found to be the second most common purpose. Material gain and sex were a repeating

combination as the purpose of serial killings. Material gain can include activities such as robbing

valuable possessions from the victims. There is an association found between the poor financial

background of the subjects and the dominating purposes of serial killings committed by the

subjects of this study. All the eight subjects were from a poor financial background and all of them,

except one, had material gain as the purpose for committing murders. It is also interesting to note

that all the three serial killers who had sex as their primary nature chose to strangulate their victims

and all the serial killers who had material gain chose to bludgeon their victims.

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Table 4 representing the purposes of the subjects for committing murders, and shows how the purpose affects the method of killings.

CASES

PURPOSE

WEAPON METHOD OF

KILLINGS Primary

Secondary

Subject 1 Material gain - Pickaxe, Iron spear, Iron spade, etc. Bludgeoning

Subject 2 Material gain - Stones, Iron rod Bludgeoning Subject

3 Material gain - Iron bar, Iron turner, Iron lever, Machete, etc. Bludgeoning

Subject 4 Family

Problems -

Towel Strangulation

Subject 5 Sexual Material gain Rope Strangulation

Subject 6 Sexual Material gain Towel Strangulation

Subject 7 Sexual Material gain Rope Strangulation

Subject 8 Material gain Sexual Wooden log, Stone, Hammer, Iron bar,

Pickaxe

Strangulation

e. Triggers

The triggers for committing the serial killings have been identified in six cases and found to be

non-traceable in two cases. In two cases, the serial killings resulted as the ultimatum of the gradual

evolution of the criminal behavior and due to this natural flow of life, triggers were unidentifiable.

There are chances that in these cases, it was non-traceable because the incidents the researcher was

looking for was hidden or insignificant as a whole to be revealed or noticed.

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VI. DISCUSSION

When most studies analyzed prolonged periods in the lives of serial killers, the present model

brought into account the whole known life of the killers for building a model. Most of the models

sourced their data from secondary resources or data made for non-research purposes. In this

manner, the present study had a clear methodological advantage over the other studies.

The proposed model explains motivation is something that develops gradually. It cannot be

reasoned by merely stating certain factors but only through a careful analysis of their interactions.

The theoretical model agrees with several elements of the previous models which were discussed

earlier. One is the approach of working with a data set which is about a prolonged period of the

lives of serial killers. The theory has equally stressed on the complex interaction of many factors

which most researchers agreed upon. However, the model proposes a clear distinction from those

studies with a demarcated ‘socio-psycho-bio’ divide between the causes. Other than the comfort of classification it offers, such approaches are not enough to understand causation since most

factors in human life should be understood as a complex interaction of all the three. One example

from the model is ‘the nature,’ which cannot be classified into social, psychological, or biological factors.

The proposed theoretical model agrees with some theories such as, 'The Violentization Theory’ (Athens, 1992) and 'Diathesis-Stress Model of Serial Murder’ (Giannangelo, 1996), on their approach to understanding serial killing as the result of an enduring multistep process. But, even

for the most sophisticated of such approaches had a certain amount of rigidity which prevents these

theories from being applied to fresh serial killing cases. One significant contribution of the

proposed theoretical model against the existing similar ones is the plasticity it offers if a fresh case

wants to be explained. Each serial killer can be unique and the lives can progress in different

manners. There can be remarkable differences in the lives of the murderers and the evolution to

become a serial killer will not take place in similar steps. Therefore, the reliance on rigid models

to explain the motivation of identical serial killers reduces its applicability to a population that is

rare and unique in comparison among themselves.

VII. LIMITATIONS

It is important to recognize the limitations of the proposed model. The proposed theoretical model

relies on holistic information regarding the life of an offender and therefore, the model cannot be

applied without a narrative covering all aspects of a person’s life. The theoretical model cannot predict the tendency of a person to commit serial killings since it is addressed as the result of a rare

complex interaction of unique experiences in a person’s lives. The model can only be applied backward from a person’s point of life and it cannot in any manner project the life-course. Another limitation of the study is its focus on serial killings committed by lone offenders. Although the

study settled for an operational definition, it is not generalized in any manner. It is agreed that

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serial killings can take place in different circumstances and the model cannot be applied to some

serial killings were multiple offenders who commit murders together.

VIII. CONCLUSION

The focus of the study was on developing a theoretical model that is inclusive and broader

compared to the existing models which explain the motivation of serial killers. The nature of the

study was descriptive, fundamental, and qualitative. A model has been constructed as a result of a

careful study of data collected from various sources with robust methods. The proposed model has

been applied to eight serial killers, and their motivation was identified.

The study proposes that each serial killer is unique, and the motivation for a person to commit

serial killing can only be deciphered by understanding the special contexts and uniqueness of the

person's life. Therefore, motivation for a serial killer for committing murders should be understood

within the larger context of the killer's life. Though there are recurring factors in the lives of some

serial killers, there is no predetermined recipe for the making of a serial killer. The study also found

that certain 'must be there factors' such as childhood issues, are not present in the lives of all serial

killers, against the claims of some researchers. The study underlines that the process through which

a person evolves into a serial killer is gradual, and it does not follow a predetermined rigid path.

When multiple factors interact with each other, the interaction is more important in determining

the cause of the murders rather than standalone factors. It is interesting to note that many factors

which seem to have contributed to the evolution of a serial killer are present in the lives of normal

people in society. It is also found that the siblings of serial killers who endured the same

circumstances while growing up evolved into totally different persons compared to the killers.

When it comes to research into the causes of such violent behavior, we look at similarities rather

than uniqueness. When studying unfathomable behavior, it helps to look at the deeper nature of

the lives of such individuals. This was an in-depth qualitative study conducted on eight subjects

who belonged to a rare category of violent offenders. Such studies, though time-consuming, helps

us to look at the problem from a different perspective. The proposed motivation models may be

tested on a greater number of serial killers from around the world to test its effectiveness by future

researchers.

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