Myths
| Facts |
There are few black serial killers | 16% of serial killers are black |
Most are married | 17% were married |
Most are unemployed | 51% were employed |
Most have a high school education | 44% were high school graduates |
Most have previous criminal convictions of sex offenses | 45% had sexual related convictions |
Most have no juvenile record | 55% had a criminal juvenile record |
Most keep trophies of some sort | 24% retained trophies |
Most keep a diary of their crimes | 7% kept a diary |
Most insert themselves in the investigation | 3% inserted themselves in the investigation |
Most have military service | 27% had military service |
Most have an emotional set-back prior to the murders | 12% suffered an emotional set-back |
Most use aliases | 6% used aliases |
Most stalk their victims | 12% stalked their victims |
Most use a crime kit | 31% used a crime kit |
Most pose their victims/stage their crime scenes | 8% posed their victims and/or staged their crime scenes |
Based on 107 American serial killers who murdered 728 victims
Source: Hunting Serial Predators (2008) Dr. M. Godwin
