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Shatner:
Driven by their darkest urges,
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sadistic predators
stalk their victims
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in an effort to satisfy
their need to kill.
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The horrible deeds
done by serial killers
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give us a glimpse into the minds
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of humanity's
most disturbed individuals.
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But what is it that separates
so-called normal people
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from those who have
an insatiable desire
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to take a life?
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(gasps)
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that is what we'll try
and find out.
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♪ ♪
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detectives with cadaver dogs
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discover the badly decomposed
remains of several women.
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They are found stuffed
inside industrial barrels,
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on a farm belonging
to john edward robinson.
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In 1993, during the early days
of the internet,
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robinson, under the alias
"slavemaster,"
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prowled chat rooms
in search of potential victims.
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He then lured them
to his property.
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As a gruesome consequence
for his crimes,
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john edward robinson received
the dubious distinction
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of being the internet's
first convicted serial killer.
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The internet has really
opened up, uh, the opportunities
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for serial killers to find,
um, victims more easily.
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We've had serial killers
who have actually
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a-attracted victims online
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to their homes,
where they've killed them.
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Across state lines.
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They've offered work.
They've offered sex.
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"come to my home
and I'll give you money."
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you know, one has to be
very careful on the internet,
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'cause you can be what--
whoever you want to be.
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And so, serial killers
do find victims that way.
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-(barks)
-while searching
for a missing person
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just off ocean parkway,
in suffolk county,
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a police officer
and his dog discover
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the skeletal remains
of a dead woman.
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Police later find that
ten more mutilated bodies
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have been disposed of
in this area,
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and all in a similar fashion.
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Joe domanick: The suffolk
county police found out
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that they had a serial killer
in their midst
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when they started
finding bodies dumped.
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And really,
the distinguishing thing
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that we know
about these killings
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is that the police found out
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that many of them
were prostitutes.
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Shatner:
As news of these shocking
discoveries make headlines,
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the unknown murderer
becomes known as
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the long island serial killer.
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And once the bodies
are identified,
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another eerie coincidence
is discovered.
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Several of the victims
had offered escort services
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on the internet site craigslist.
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Hickey:
Craigslist is another mask.
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It's another way to use
social media to find victims.
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And, uh, it's another tool
in their repertoire.
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So, in some ways,
serial killers today
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are becoming more sophisticated.
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Psychopaths feel
a sense of power and control
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because they have
so many different tools
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that they can use
to create distractions
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and to create ruses.
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Narcissism and control
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are two of the character traits
for serial killers.
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Certainly that fits
for serial killers
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who prey on women
on the margins.
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Shatner:
Even though the suffolk county
police have offered
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a $25,000 reward for information
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leading to an arrest
in the long island murders--
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the largest offered
in the county's history--
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to this day,
the killer remains at large.
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But what compels someone like
the long island serial killer
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or john edward robinson
to commit cold-blooded murder
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again and again?
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What makes an otherwise normal
human being a serial killer?
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A serial killer is defined
as someone who kills
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three or more people
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with an emotional
cooling-off period in between.
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Whereas a mass murderer
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will come in and kill
three people at the same place.
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And a spree killer,
he will kill,
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move onto the next, kill again,
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move onto the next, but there's
no emotional cooling-off period.
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A serial killer, it's like
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he or she gets a shot
of emotional heroin.
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Shatner:
The term "serial killer" was
first coined in the mid-1970s
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by former fbi psychological
profiler robert ressler.
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He picked the word "serial"
because police described
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these types of murders
as being crimes in a series.
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Serial killers are repetitive
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because there are things
that drive them.
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There's a fantasy involved
with-with the killing.
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This is especially true
if we're talking about
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sexual predators
who are serial killers.
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Judy ho:
They just don't seem to have
their emotions stimulated
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the way that
a normal person's brain would.
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They just think about what's
gonna feel good right now,
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and they don't routinely take
other people's feelings
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into consideration,
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and engaging in all those
analytical consequences
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and functions
that people think about.
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Harvey rosenstock:
You don't have any kind
of conscience at all,
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whether it's one murder
or two murders or three murders.
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The person who is committing
a crime and another crime
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and another crime,
the only deterrent,
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the only place where he has
some qualms, some regrets,
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is if, in fact,
he does get caught.
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Van zandt:
The fbi has said there's
maybe 50 serial killers
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operating in the united states
at any one time.
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Do we have a lock
on who they are? Well, no.
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They would be under arrest
if we did.
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We don't know who they are.
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We can't identify who they are.
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We don't know that
they're a serial killer
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until we find the victims
that they've killed.
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We also know that when
we find them, the big secret
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is that we will never be able
to rehabilitate them.
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Shatner:
If serial killers
are so difficult to profile,
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and nearly impossible to detect,
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is there any way
we can ever feel safe?
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Perhaps the answers can be
found by examining the case
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of america's very first
serial killer,
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and the sadistic lair
that he called
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the murder castle.
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An estimated 27 million people
from all over the world flock
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to the world's
columbian exposition,
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otherwise known as
the chicago world's fair.
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It is so named in honor
of the 400th anniversary
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of christopher columbus's
landing in the new world.
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Having risen from the ashes
of the great chicago fire,
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the city now shines
brighter than ever,
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illuminating the fairgrounds
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with nearly
100,000 electric lamps.
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-But...
-(footsteps echoing)
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lurking in the shadows
is a sadistic killer...
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...Herman webster mudgett,
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better known by his alias
h.H. Holmes.
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Morrison:
H.H. Holmes was
extremely clever.
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He was a pharmacist, actually.
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His home was set up
for single women
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who came to the city to make
their way, to get involved,
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to become part of this wonderful
exposition that was going on.
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So h.H. Holmes had access
to many, many single women...
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...And he murdered them.
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Hickey:
Holmes had spent
a great deal of time
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in preparation for his murders.
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It wasn't like
it was on impulse.
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There was a lot of control here.
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I think that he enjoyed
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the, uh, power he had
over people in general.
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And the world's fair
really played out well for him.
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Shatner:
Holmes became rich
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as a cunning
and charismatic con artist.
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He swindled several people
out of their fortunes,
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and used the proceeds to build
a one-of-a-kind mansion
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which allowed him to pursue
his darkest desires.
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The macabre edifice
would eventually become known
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as holmes's murder castle.
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H.H. Holmes built
this phenomenally complex castle
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with enough rooms that he could
rent rooms to people
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who came in for the exposition,
mostly single women,
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and he would go out
and advertise this,
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bring people in,
put them in these rooms
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where they felt they were safe.
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It was almost like
the spider to the fly.
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It was like,
"come and see my mansion,
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an elaborate mansion."
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he had all kinds of
odd staircases
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-and tunnels
and chutes and things.
-(woman screams)
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so then he would gas
these victims
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and then send them down
the chute into the basement.
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And then torture them,
or if they were already dead,
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then he could take-take apart
the bodies and-- which he did.
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Shatner:
On November 17, 1894,
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the man known as
america's first serial killer
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was finally arrested,
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but only then did investigators
begin to learn the full extent
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of h.H. Holmes's
murderous behavior.
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After confessing to the murders
of 27 young women,
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on may 7, 1896, holmes,
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now referred to by the press as
"the devil in the white city"
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was hanged by the neck
until dead.
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But what led an otherwise normal
and unassuming man
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to not only commit murders
but to construct
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such an elaborate
house of horror?
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Perhaps the answer can be found
by exploring the lair
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of yet another serial killer,
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one created
almost a century later.
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Shatner:
Police officers
responding to a complaint
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00:11:26,019 --> 00:11:29,813
arrive at the apartment of a man
by the name of jeffrey dahmer,
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apartment number 213.
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00:11:33,151 --> 00:11:37,487
But what happens next
defies explanation.
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Hickey:
When the police arrived
at his apartment,
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they went toward his bedroom,
and when they opened the door,
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his bedroom was
full of body parts.
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00:11:46,998 --> 00:11:50,667
Torsos and heads here and there.
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Shatner:
The police made
even more shocking discoveries:
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00:11:54,881 --> 00:11:57,257
A 57-gallon vat of acid,
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00:11:57,342 --> 00:12:00,218
photos of
grotesquely mangled bodies,
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partially eaten organs,
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and inside the refrigerator,
a human head.
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00:12:06,101 --> 00:12:10,228
In all, the apartment contained
the remains of 11 human victims,
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men and boys who police later
determined had been murdered,
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00:12:14,151 --> 00:12:17,402
dismembered and even eaten
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by the man
who soon became known as
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00:12:20,365 --> 00:12:23,783
the "milwaukee monster."
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00:12:23,869 --> 00:12:25,952
jeffrey dahmer was
a serial killer
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00:12:26,037 --> 00:12:30,790
who usually chose his victims,
uh, in young men,
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00:12:30,876 --> 00:12:33,001
usually around
their teenage years.
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00:12:33,086 --> 00:12:38,214
He would usually find a way
with drugs or alcohol and sex
213
00:12:38,300 --> 00:12:42,260
to compel victims
to come back to his apartment,
214
00:12:42,345 --> 00:12:44,220
where he would murder them.
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00:12:44,306 --> 00:12:45,889
Many times,
he'd cut up the bodies.
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He would save pieces of the body
in his freezer
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00:12:48,101 --> 00:12:50,602
and his refrigerator.
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Hickey:
The stench of a decomposing body
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00:12:52,898 --> 00:12:55,231
is absolutely overwhelming,
and yet,
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00:12:55,317 --> 00:12:57,150
dahmer became acclimated to it.
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His fantasy was-was
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00:12:59,738 --> 00:13:01,446
to make this table,
which he, which he built,
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and he took the heads
of some of his victims
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and placed them on the desk,
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where he could sit
and be surrounded
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00:13:07,954 --> 00:13:11,039
by all of these skulls
of people that he had eaten.
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These were his friends;
these were people he loved
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in his own fantasy world.
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00:13:15,128 --> 00:13:17,962
Judge: Mr. Dahmer,
you're charged with four counts
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00:13:18,048 --> 00:13:19,839
of first-degree
intentional homicide.
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00:13:19,925 --> 00:13:23,134
-Do you understand that?
-I understand, your honor.
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Shatner:
Like h.H. Holmes before him,
jeffrey dahmer was not content
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00:13:27,265 --> 00:13:29,140
with the mere taking
of human lives.
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Instead, he sought to construct
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the equivalent
of a virtual world--
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00:13:33,271 --> 00:13:37,982
an alternate reality dedicated
to his deviant fixations.
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But what causes an otherwise
average and unremarkable man
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00:13:43,031 --> 00:13:46,491
like jeffrey dahmer to become
a bloodthirsty serial killer?
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00:13:47,911 --> 00:13:50,036
One person who believes
he may have
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00:13:50,121 --> 00:13:52,330
at least a few of the answers
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00:13:52,374 --> 00:13:56,793
is graphic novelist
and former dahmer classmate
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00:13:56,837 --> 00:13:58,419
john backderf.
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00:13:58,505 --> 00:14:00,171
In 2012,
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00:14:00,215 --> 00:14:04,175
nearly two decades after dahmer
was beaten to death in prison,
245
00:14:04,261 --> 00:14:07,345
backderf published
my friend dahmer,
246
00:14:07,430 --> 00:14:11,850
a series of illustrated stories
that chronicle
247
00:14:11,893 --> 00:14:14,686
the future serial killer's
high school years.
248
00:14:14,771 --> 00:14:17,188
Backderf: We went to junior high
and high school together,
249
00:14:17,274 --> 00:14:22,151
and were friends from age 12
to when we graduated.
250
00:14:22,237 --> 00:14:24,028
He was always
a pretty strange dude,
251
00:14:24,072 --> 00:14:26,948
kind of an oddball,
and he got darker and darker
252
00:14:27,033 --> 00:14:30,869
as our time together went on.
253
00:14:30,954 --> 00:14:32,704
Shatner:
In his depictions of dahmer,
254
00:14:32,789 --> 00:14:35,915
backderf sought to reveal the
warning signs that were present
255
00:14:36,001 --> 00:14:39,043
in the young,
troubled man's demeanor.
256
00:14:40,380 --> 00:14:42,213
Backderf:
When I draw dahmer,
257
00:14:42,257 --> 00:14:45,341
I try to capture the blank
expression, the dead eyes.
258
00:14:45,427 --> 00:14:49,429
I purposely make him look
uncomfortable in his own body,
259
00:14:49,514 --> 00:14:51,389
because that's
how I remember him.
260
00:14:51,474 --> 00:14:53,391
He was kind of, like, robotic,
261
00:14:53,476 --> 00:14:58,771
like he didn't physically fit in
with the rest of humanity,
262
00:14:58,857 --> 00:15:01,065
which, of course, he didn't.
263
00:15:01,151 --> 00:15:03,401
Jeff was very much
a blank canvas.
264
00:15:03,486 --> 00:15:05,445
You never knew what was going on
265
00:15:05,530 --> 00:15:07,488
behind this blank wall
of a face.
266
00:15:07,574 --> 00:15:09,949
And of course, that's
something that later became
267
00:15:10,035 --> 00:15:11,367
a very lethal trait,
268
00:15:11,453 --> 00:15:14,245
because his victims
had no idea what was coming.
269
00:15:14,289 --> 00:15:17,540
Part of dahmer's
schoolyard legend
270
00:15:17,626 --> 00:15:20,418
was clubhouse,
where he kept roadkill
271
00:15:20,503 --> 00:15:23,046
that he found around
the neighborhood, small animals.
272
00:15:23,131 --> 00:15:25,048
And he would keep them
in pickle jars.
273
00:15:25,133 --> 00:15:27,050
He would actually dissect
these roadkill.
274
00:15:27,135 --> 00:15:31,054
Shatner:
Was dahmer's so-called clubhouse
275
00:15:31,097 --> 00:15:34,390
a chilling precursor
to apartment number 213,
276
00:15:34,434 --> 00:15:36,434
the place where
his adolescent fascination
277
00:15:36,478 --> 00:15:38,937
with animal carcasses escalated
278
00:15:39,022 --> 00:15:43,274
into an uncontrollable obsession
of dismemberment,
279
00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:48,279
necrophilia and,
most notoriously, cannibalism?
280
00:15:48,365 --> 00:15:50,239
We try to make sense
281
00:15:50,325 --> 00:15:53,117
of something
that seems so primitive
282
00:15:53,161 --> 00:15:55,828
and so out of the ordinary.
283
00:15:55,914 --> 00:15:58,456
A human being eating
another human being?
284
00:15:58,541 --> 00:16:00,458
But this is not a human being,
285
00:16:00,543 --> 00:16:03,962
and he doesn't see his victim
as a human being.
286
00:16:04,005 --> 00:16:05,922
It's just a piece of meat.
287
00:16:06,007 --> 00:16:07,632
Backderf:
I never felt like I knew jeff.
288
00:16:07,717 --> 00:16:09,425
I don't think anyone knew him.
289
00:16:09,511 --> 00:16:13,429
I never dreamed that he would
commit crimes like this.
290
00:16:15,100 --> 00:16:17,266
How is it that we're so unaware
291
00:16:17,352 --> 00:16:19,686
of the monsters
that walk among us?
292
00:16:20,689 --> 00:16:22,855
Shatner:
Does jeffrey dahmer's childhood
293
00:16:22,941 --> 00:16:26,234
suggest that serial killers
develop their dark impulses
294
00:16:26,319 --> 00:16:28,027
early in life?
295
00:16:28,113 --> 00:16:30,363
And if so, then why
aren't we able to spot them
296
00:16:30,448 --> 00:16:32,448
before it's too late?
297
00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,211
After more than a decade
of denials,
298
00:16:45,296 --> 00:16:47,630
and mere moments away
from his execution,
299
00:16:47,674 --> 00:16:50,508
ted bundy confesses
to 30 homicides.
300
00:16:52,345 --> 00:16:54,053
(woman screaming)
301
00:16:54,139 --> 00:16:58,182
it was a trail of death
that spanned many years
302
00:16:58,268 --> 00:17:01,978
and stretched from
washington state to florida.
303
00:17:02,063 --> 00:17:04,647
I can only liken it to--
after, you know,
304
00:17:04,691 --> 00:17:07,692
I don't want
to overdramatize it--
305
00:17:07,736 --> 00:17:10,236
but to have been possessed
306
00:17:10,321 --> 00:17:12,905
by something
so awful and so alien,
307
00:17:12,991 --> 00:17:15,450
and then, the next morning,
wake up from it.
308
00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:21,998
Strand:
He was everything,
as the media loved saying,
309
00:17:22,083 --> 00:17:26,044
that you would expect
a fine young american man to be.
310
00:17:26,129 --> 00:17:27,712
The kind of guy
that women would want
311
00:17:27,797 --> 00:17:29,380
to bring home to the parents.
312
00:17:29,466 --> 00:17:32,091
Judge:
You're a bright young man.
313
00:17:32,177 --> 00:17:33,676
You'd have made a good lawyer.
314
00:17:33,762 --> 00:17:35,386
I'd have loved to have you
practice in front of me.
315
00:17:35,430 --> 00:17:37,221
But you went another way,
partner.
316
00:17:37,265 --> 00:17:41,350
Strand:
And yet here he was,
sneaking around seattle,
317
00:17:41,394 --> 00:17:44,062
with his volkswagen
with the seat removed
318
00:17:44,105 --> 00:17:46,939
so that he could
transport bodies.
319
00:17:47,025 --> 00:17:49,275
He was psychopathic.
320
00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:53,029
Shatner: But how could
an otherwise clean-cut
321
00:17:53,114 --> 00:17:55,573
and educated young man
like ted bundy
322
00:17:55,658 --> 00:17:59,702
become a cold-blooded,
psychopathic killer?
323
00:18:01,331 --> 00:18:03,623
Van zandt:
Serial killers
look like any of us;
324
00:18:03,708 --> 00:18:06,000
therefore they look like
all of us.
325
00:18:06,086 --> 00:18:08,294
There are those individuals
that have the ability
326
00:18:08,379 --> 00:18:10,463
to wear the mask all the time.
327
00:18:10,548 --> 00:18:12,507
You can never see
through that mask
328
00:18:12,592 --> 00:18:14,926
until they want you to see it,
329
00:18:15,011 --> 00:18:17,470
and usually that's
when you've become a victim.
330
00:18:17,555 --> 00:18:19,597
Morrison:
When we find them,
331
00:18:19,641 --> 00:18:23,434
we can't figure out
why they do what they do.
332
00:18:23,478 --> 00:18:27,105
How they're able to commit
so many crimes
333
00:18:27,190 --> 00:18:29,273
without being found.
334
00:18:29,317 --> 00:18:32,693
Shatner:
Perhaps an even more
shocking example
335
00:18:32,779 --> 00:18:36,364
of how adept serial killers
can be at hiding in plain sight
336
00:18:36,449 --> 00:18:38,991
can be found
by examining the case of a man
337
00:18:39,077 --> 00:18:42,120
who everyone thought was
a selfless veteran
338
00:18:42,163 --> 00:18:46,457
until they found out what he was
hiding inside his house.
339
00:18:56,719 --> 00:18:58,219
(siren wailing)
340
00:18:58,304 --> 00:19:00,429
shatner:
Police arrive at
the home of anthony sowell
341
00:19:00,515 --> 00:19:04,100
with a warrant to arrest him
for an alleged rape.
342
00:19:04,185 --> 00:19:05,768
Before they even
enter the house,
343
00:19:05,854 --> 00:19:10,106
they get their first hint of the
horror that awaits them inside.
344
00:19:10,191 --> 00:19:12,984
As soon as they open the door of
the house, in the first place,
345
00:19:13,069 --> 00:19:15,319
there is a... A horrific stench.
346
00:19:15,363 --> 00:19:17,363
(flies buzzing)
347
00:19:17,448 --> 00:19:19,282
they get up to the third floor,
348
00:19:19,367 --> 00:19:22,076
and the lead officer sees
dead bodies.
349
00:19:22,162 --> 00:19:24,537
The bodies were so decomposed
350
00:19:24,622 --> 00:19:28,332
that he couldn't even
recognize them as human figures.
351
00:19:28,418 --> 00:19:32,003
At that time,
the county coroner came out,
352
00:19:32,088 --> 00:19:34,338
started taking evidence
from the scene.
353
00:19:34,424 --> 00:19:36,340
It was a long night.
354
00:19:36,384 --> 00:19:38,676
Shatner:
In total, investigators
recovered the bodies
355
00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,053
of 11 women,
356
00:19:41,139 --> 00:19:44,015
choked to death by the man
who would become known
357
00:19:44,100 --> 00:19:46,517
as the cleveland strangler.
358
00:19:46,603 --> 00:19:48,644
Sowell committed these murders
359
00:19:48,688 --> 00:19:51,397
over the course
of just two years,
360
00:19:51,482 --> 00:19:53,608
all without leaving his hometown
361
00:19:53,693 --> 00:19:56,485
and without raising
the suspicions of the community.
362
00:19:56,529 --> 00:19:58,487
Sberna:
The neighbors were shocked
363
00:19:58,573 --> 00:20:01,199
that they were living next door
to a serial killer.
364
00:20:01,284 --> 00:20:04,535
He seemed like a charming,
helpful, quiet, former marine.
365
00:20:04,621 --> 00:20:08,497
He was named honor marine
of his boot camp.
366
00:20:08,583 --> 00:20:11,083
Was discharged honorably
as a sergeant.
367
00:20:11,169 --> 00:20:13,711
Nobody suspected what he was
hiding in his house.
368
00:20:13,796 --> 00:20:17,215
It was very important for him
to be seen as a helper.
369
00:20:17,258 --> 00:20:19,217
There were elderly people
in the neighborhood
370
00:20:19,260 --> 00:20:21,761
and single women that he would
perform household tasks for--
371
00:20:21,846 --> 00:20:24,347
mow their lawn, fix their sink.
372
00:20:24,390 --> 00:20:27,225
An individual
who tends to be psychopathic
373
00:20:27,310 --> 00:20:30,394
can have very strong connections
to the community,
374
00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:33,731
and typically is very difficult
to track down,
375
00:20:33,816 --> 00:20:36,734
because it's
a very opportunistic crime.
376
00:20:36,778 --> 00:20:40,529
A person who takes advantage
of a situation on the spot
377
00:20:40,615 --> 00:20:42,448
to do something impulsive.
378
00:20:42,533 --> 00:20:46,077
Shatner:
In hindsight, sowell's efforts
to portray himself
379
00:20:46,162 --> 00:20:48,246
as an upstanding member
of the community
380
00:20:48,331 --> 00:20:51,582
were merely a cover
for his evil side.
381
00:20:51,668 --> 00:20:54,585
According to all accounts,
he was born into a dark world
382
00:20:54,671 --> 00:20:59,131
of both physical
and emotional abuse.
383
00:20:59,217 --> 00:21:01,801
Sberna:
Anthony sowell was
a product of a broken home.
384
00:21:01,886 --> 00:21:04,262
He was raised by
his mother and grandmother
385
00:21:04,347 --> 00:21:06,389
in a large house
in east cleveland.
386
00:21:06,474 --> 00:21:08,766
14 people were living
in that house.
387
00:21:08,851 --> 00:21:11,769
His mother was physically
abusive to the children.
388
00:21:11,854 --> 00:21:14,772
Her favorite targets
were anthony sowell's nieces.
389
00:21:14,816 --> 00:21:17,608
She'd strip them naked,
tie them to a banister,
390
00:21:17,694 --> 00:21:20,319
then she'd whip them
till they were bloody.
391
00:21:20,405 --> 00:21:23,281
From an early age,
he associated sex with violence.
392
00:21:23,324 --> 00:21:26,117
As an adult,
whipping naked women
393
00:21:26,202 --> 00:21:29,287
is exactly the pattern
that he recreated.
394
00:21:29,372 --> 00:21:33,416
So from the earliest time
that he could possibly remember,
395
00:21:33,501 --> 00:21:38,129
there is no foundation
of any kind of real morality.
396
00:21:38,214 --> 00:21:40,506
His mother didn't
particularly feel sorry for him.
397
00:21:40,591 --> 00:21:43,634
Why should he feel sorry
for somebody else?
398
00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:46,095
Shatner:
In the mid-1980s,
399
00:21:46,180 --> 00:21:49,140
after serving seven years
in the marine corps,
400
00:21:49,225 --> 00:21:51,684
sowell returned to
his childhood home in cleveland
401
00:21:51,769 --> 00:21:55,604
and almost immediately found
himself in trouble with the law.
402
00:21:56,691 --> 00:21:59,317
He had some arrests
for drinking,
403
00:21:59,402 --> 00:22:01,360
drug use
and breaking and enterings.
404
00:22:01,446 --> 00:22:04,822
Until 1989. Met a woman.
405
00:22:04,907 --> 00:22:07,783
Brought her home, took her
upstairs to the third floor
406
00:22:07,869 --> 00:22:09,493
where he said
they were gonna party,
407
00:22:09,537 --> 00:22:13,247
and then he raped her violently
over a 24-hour period.
408
00:22:13,333 --> 00:22:15,374
-(woman screaming)
-she's able to yell and scream,
409
00:22:15,460 --> 00:22:16,917
get the attention of neighbors.
410
00:22:18,421 --> 00:22:21,172
She testifies
against him in court.
411
00:22:21,257 --> 00:22:23,007
He goes away for 15 years.
412
00:22:26,429 --> 00:22:29,638
Shatner:
When he was released
from prison in 2005,
413
00:22:29,724 --> 00:22:32,350
anthony sowell
was not only an ex-con
414
00:22:32,435 --> 00:22:34,810
but a registered sex offender.
415
00:22:34,896 --> 00:22:37,688
So, how was he able
to avoid suspicion
416
00:22:37,774 --> 00:22:41,192
and commit murder
practically in his own backyard,
417
00:22:41,277 --> 00:22:43,986
and not once but 11 times?
418
00:22:45,865 --> 00:22:49,909
Anthony sowell would, uh, charm
women with his personality.
419
00:22:49,994 --> 00:22:52,703
There were quite a few people
that had drug problems
420
00:22:52,747 --> 00:22:53,954
living in the neighborhood.
421
00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:55,331
Sowell was fairly popular
422
00:22:55,375 --> 00:22:56,874
because he was the man
with crack.
423
00:22:56,918 --> 00:23:00,586
Sowell's victims were typically
african american females
424
00:23:00,671 --> 00:23:04,006
who had drug problems
and were transient.
425
00:23:04,092 --> 00:23:06,884
Sowell was a prototypical
malignant narcissist,
426
00:23:06,969 --> 00:23:10,888
extremely self-absorbed to
the point of committing murder
427
00:23:10,973 --> 00:23:14,392
to gain whatever
he needed to gain.
428
00:23:14,477 --> 00:23:16,894
Many serial killers
are very charming,
429
00:23:16,979 --> 00:23:19,271
and that's actually how
they get close to their victim,
430
00:23:19,357 --> 00:23:21,065
close enough
to actually do the deed.
431
00:23:21,109 --> 00:23:23,859
Psychopaths are known
to be able to manipulate
432
00:23:23,945 --> 00:23:26,570
their social prowess,
and many of them actually have
433
00:23:26,614 --> 00:23:28,906
very high
emotional intelligence.
434
00:23:28,950 --> 00:23:30,282
It's just that they decide
when they're gonna
435
00:23:30,368 --> 00:23:31,575
use it and when they're not.
436
00:23:31,619 --> 00:23:34,286
(echoing laughter)
437
00:23:34,372 --> 00:23:35,871
morrison:
Their first victim,
438
00:23:35,957 --> 00:23:37,915
we don't know
why they choose them.
439
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,626
We don't know if it's because
they're available
440
00:23:40,711 --> 00:23:43,629
or because they've had
a thought about this.
441
00:23:43,714 --> 00:23:47,716
Out of all the 50 people
that may be in that bar,
442
00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,428
why do they choose
that one person
443
00:23:50,471 --> 00:23:51,971
that they know
will go with them?
444
00:23:52,056 --> 00:23:55,307
Why and how do they know
445
00:23:55,393 --> 00:23:58,769
that that individual
will be cooperative?
446
00:23:58,813 --> 00:24:01,772
A lot of people say
it's because they're available,
447
00:24:01,816 --> 00:24:05,443
they're not gonna be missed,
so forth and so on,
448
00:24:05,528 --> 00:24:07,903
but that's too simple
an explanation.
449
00:24:09,115 --> 00:24:12,450
Shatner:
Today, anthony sowell
resides on death row
450
00:24:12,493 --> 00:24:16,078
in chillicothe correctional
institution in ohio.
451
00:24:16,164 --> 00:24:19,290
In addition to the 11 murders
he was convicted for,
452
00:24:19,375 --> 00:24:21,292
sowell is believed
to have carried out
453
00:24:21,377 --> 00:24:22,960
dozens of rapes and assaults
454
00:24:23,004 --> 00:24:25,504
over a period
of more than four decades
455
00:24:25,590 --> 00:24:27,631
before he was stopped.
456
00:24:27,675 --> 00:24:30,843
But did anthony sowell
become a serial killer
457
00:24:30,928 --> 00:24:34,472
because of the abuse he suffered
at the hands of his mother?
458
00:24:34,557 --> 00:24:37,725
Or was he,
as some experts believe,
459
00:24:37,810 --> 00:24:41,145
simply born bad?
460
00:24:53,993 --> 00:24:55,868
Shatner:
15-year-old robert piest
461
00:24:55,953 --> 00:24:57,828
is working the afternoon shift
462
00:24:57,914 --> 00:25:00,956
at nisson pharmacy
when he overhears a customer
463
00:25:01,042 --> 00:25:04,460
say that he's looking for help
with a remodeling job.
464
00:25:04,504 --> 00:25:06,420
It will pay
five dollars an hour,
465
00:25:06,506 --> 00:25:08,047
almost double the pay
466
00:25:08,132 --> 00:25:10,466
that piest makes
at the pharmacy.
467
00:25:10,510 --> 00:25:12,510
At 9:00 p.M.,
468
00:25:12,595 --> 00:25:15,304
robert leaves the store
to get started
469
00:25:15,389 --> 00:25:18,766
for his new employer:
John wayne gacy.
470
00:25:18,851 --> 00:25:22,645
Van zandt:
John wayne gacy
ran a construction company.
471
00:25:22,688 --> 00:25:26,357
And he would
offer young boys jobs
472
00:25:26,442 --> 00:25:28,025
for his construction company,
473
00:25:28,069 --> 00:25:30,027
and, of course,
they wanted to get jobs.
474
00:25:30,112 --> 00:25:32,029
Hickey:
He'd say,
"you're looking for a job?
475
00:25:32,073 --> 00:25:33,531
Come over to my house."
476
00:25:33,574 --> 00:25:34,782
when the victim got there,
477
00:25:34,867 --> 00:25:36,075
he'd say, "by the way,
did I ever show you
478
00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:37,409
the old handcuff trick?"
479
00:25:37,495 --> 00:25:39,870
so, he'd put him in handcuffs
480
00:25:39,956 --> 00:25:41,664
behind his back,
and once that happened,
481
00:25:41,749 --> 00:25:42,831
it was over.
482
00:25:42,917 --> 00:25:45,543
-(siren wailing)
-shatner: Ten days after
483
00:25:45,586 --> 00:25:47,336
robert piest's family
reported him missing,
484
00:25:47,380 --> 00:25:50,548
police arrive
at john gacy's home
485
00:25:50,591 --> 00:25:53,551
and uncover a grisly scene.
486
00:25:54,929 --> 00:25:58,013
When law enforcement
went into the basement
487
00:25:58,099 --> 00:26:00,057
to investigate,
488
00:26:00,142 --> 00:26:03,519
they found 33 bodies
in the basement.
489
00:26:03,604 --> 00:26:06,855
The earth was moving,
shaking everywhere
490
00:26:06,941 --> 00:26:09,149
because there were millions
of worms in the bodies.
491
00:26:10,403 --> 00:26:12,361
It was one of the most horrific
492
00:26:12,446 --> 00:26:14,363
crime scenes
in american history.
493
00:26:14,448 --> 00:26:16,532
Karen kuzma:
During the daytime,
494
00:26:16,617 --> 00:26:19,410
he led a life
of running a business.
495
00:26:19,495 --> 00:26:23,080
And then at night,
during a period of years,
496
00:26:23,124 --> 00:26:26,417
he apparently went out
and killed these men.
497
00:26:26,460 --> 00:26:29,545
And how often? Nobody knows.
498
00:26:29,630 --> 00:26:31,755
It's still all a mystery.
499
00:26:32,758 --> 00:26:35,551
Shatner:
Between 1972 and 1978,
500
00:26:35,636 --> 00:26:37,386
john wayne gacy
501
00:26:37,471 --> 00:26:41,765
murdered at least
33 teenage boys and young men.
502
00:26:42,852 --> 00:26:44,435
But perhaps even more disturbing
503
00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:47,104
is the fact
that often during the murders,
504
00:26:47,189 --> 00:26:49,898
gacy liked to dress up
like a circus clown.
505
00:26:49,984 --> 00:26:51,942
It was a character
he had created
506
00:26:51,986 --> 00:26:56,071
for fundraising events
and children's birthday parties.
507
00:26:56,157 --> 00:26:58,407
Gacy's deceptions
were so effective
508
00:26:58,492 --> 00:27:00,034
that he once even had
his picture taken
509
00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:01,577
with rosalynn carter,
510
00:27:01,662 --> 00:27:04,705
the first lady
of the united states.
511
00:27:05,833 --> 00:27:08,792
John gacy was extremely active
in his community.
512
00:27:08,836 --> 00:27:11,420
He would give parties,
barbecues,
513
00:27:11,505 --> 00:27:14,465
200 people,
for all of his neighbors.
514
00:27:16,469 --> 00:27:18,927
Shatner:
But looming beneath gacy's
baby-faced grin
515
00:27:18,971 --> 00:27:22,806
and child-friendly persona
was a deeply troubled man
516
00:27:22,850 --> 00:27:26,810
who was plagued by a toxic mix
of childhood trauma
517
00:27:26,896 --> 00:27:29,063
and mental defects.
518
00:27:29,148 --> 00:27:32,024
My dad was a drinker.
519
00:27:33,027 --> 00:27:35,527
John was always criticized
by my father.
520
00:27:35,613 --> 00:27:37,696
He had a learning disability.
521
00:27:37,782 --> 00:27:39,531
He had problems.
They had to take him
522
00:27:39,617 --> 00:27:41,992
and put him in a special school.
523
00:27:42,078 --> 00:27:44,161
My father
would always say to him,
524
00:27:44,246 --> 00:27:46,622
you know,
"you act like a sissy."
525
00:27:46,707 --> 00:27:48,957
you know,
"you need to be more of a man."
526
00:27:50,127 --> 00:27:53,796
my mom told me that john
had been sexually assaulted
527
00:27:53,881 --> 00:27:58,008
when he was around eight
or nine years of age.
528
00:27:58,052 --> 00:28:01,929
John never said a word
about his abuse or-or anything.
529
00:28:03,265 --> 00:28:08,727
It's hard for me to fathom
that john killed 33 young men.
530
00:28:09,730 --> 00:28:13,732
But my brain tells me
he had to have.
531
00:28:13,818 --> 00:28:15,192
(indistinct shouting)
532
00:28:15,236 --> 00:28:17,778
shatner:
On may 10, 1994,
533
00:28:17,863 --> 00:28:19,655
an estimated 1,000 people
534
00:28:19,740 --> 00:28:21,907
gathered in
the early morning hours
535
00:28:21,992 --> 00:28:25,202
as the man now known
as the killer clown
536
00:28:25,287 --> 00:28:28,288
was executed
by lethal injection.
537
00:28:29,792 --> 00:28:31,709
But in the wake of his death,
538
00:28:31,752 --> 00:28:35,170
one last question
had to be considered.
539
00:28:35,256 --> 00:28:39,049
Could john wayne gacy's
dark impulses
540
00:28:39,093 --> 00:28:42,010
have been genetically hardwired
inside him?
541
00:28:42,096 --> 00:28:45,848
Kuzma:
I think everybody
tries to figure out
542
00:28:45,933 --> 00:28:48,559
what type of person
is a serial killer.
543
00:28:48,644 --> 00:28:53,188
Is this something that I have
to worry about with my children
544
00:28:53,274 --> 00:28:54,898
or my children's children?
545
00:28:54,984 --> 00:28:56,650
Is it there in-in the genes,
546
00:28:56,736 --> 00:29:00,070
or is it something
that created a problem?
547
00:29:01,782 --> 00:29:04,575
Shatner:
In an effort to find
a possible clinical explanation
548
00:29:04,618 --> 00:29:07,077
for gacy's horrific crimes,
549
00:29:07,163 --> 00:29:09,621
forensic psychiatrist
dr. Helen morrison,
550
00:29:09,707 --> 00:29:12,082
who had served as
an expert witness at the trial,
551
00:29:12,126 --> 00:29:15,085
made a bold request
of the killer's family.
552
00:29:16,797 --> 00:29:18,547
Morrison:
When gacy was
going to be executed,
553
00:29:18,591 --> 00:29:21,759
I called the family
and asked them
554
00:29:21,844 --> 00:29:25,095
if we could use the brain
for scientific study.
555
00:29:25,139 --> 00:29:27,014
The family agreed.
556
00:29:28,726 --> 00:29:31,059
Kuzma:
I was really into
wanting to know
557
00:29:31,145 --> 00:29:34,104
was there something
genetically wrong with him.
558
00:29:34,190 --> 00:29:35,898
Because, I mean,
there's two sisters.
559
00:29:35,983 --> 00:29:38,567
Neither one of us
have killed anybody.
560
00:29:38,652 --> 00:29:40,110
And we wanted to get
some kind of sense
561
00:29:40,154 --> 00:29:42,029
of what happened, what...
562
00:29:42,114 --> 00:29:44,281
How did he get
this other character in him?
563
00:29:46,368 --> 00:29:49,286
Morrison:
This is the brain
of john wayne gacy.
564
00:29:49,330 --> 00:29:52,247
This is the first brain
that we've been able to get
565
00:29:52,333 --> 00:29:57,169
to look for any potential
difference or change
566
00:29:57,254 --> 00:30:00,088
that might make a serial killer.
567
00:30:02,092 --> 00:30:04,676
Shatner:
But could dissecting
568
00:30:04,762 --> 00:30:06,762
the diseased brain
of a serial killer
569
00:30:06,806 --> 00:30:10,599
really offer
a scientific explanation
570
00:30:10,684 --> 00:30:12,976
for john wayne gacy's
grotesque crimes?
571
00:30:13,062 --> 00:30:16,647
Helen morrison hoped
for a satisfying answer.
572
00:30:16,690 --> 00:30:19,858
Morrison:
Having looked at the slides
of the brain,
573
00:30:19,944 --> 00:30:23,612
seeing absolutely
nothing abnormal,
574
00:30:23,697 --> 00:30:26,865
now the thought was
it's a dead brain.
575
00:30:26,951 --> 00:30:28,951
What is it going to show us
576
00:30:28,994 --> 00:30:32,162
about what's happening
in that live brain?
577
00:30:32,206 --> 00:30:35,040
We needed a living brain.
578
00:30:35,125 --> 00:30:36,959
We needed to be able to study
579
00:30:37,044 --> 00:30:39,294
the living brain
of a serial murderer.
580
00:30:40,381 --> 00:30:41,797
Shatner:
According to dr. Morrison,
581
00:30:41,882 --> 00:30:43,882
the only way
to accurately determine
582
00:30:43,968 --> 00:30:45,884
if a serial killer gene
does exist
583
00:30:45,970 --> 00:30:48,804
is by studying a living brain.
584
00:30:48,889 --> 00:30:51,181
Many brain scans
from psychopaths
585
00:30:51,267 --> 00:30:55,143
show a loss of activity
in the limbic system.
586
00:30:55,229 --> 00:31:00,023
But is this proof that a person
is predisposed to kill?
587
00:31:00,109 --> 00:31:02,067
Ho:
That loss of activity
588
00:31:02,152 --> 00:31:04,027
in the limbic system
really shows
589
00:31:04,113 --> 00:31:06,196
that they have real difficulties
590
00:31:06,282 --> 00:31:09,032
engaging in empathy
as an automatic task.
591
00:31:09,076 --> 00:31:12,035
Although we see
sort of this evidence
592
00:31:12,121 --> 00:31:14,037
for some hardwiring
of psychopaths
593
00:31:14,081 --> 00:31:15,664
in these brain differences,
594
00:31:15,708 --> 00:31:18,876
we also know that nurture
plays a huge role.
595
00:31:18,919 --> 00:31:20,294
So, not every single person
596
00:31:20,379 --> 00:31:23,922
who has sort of these
psychopathic-looking brains
597
00:31:24,008 --> 00:31:25,382
actually turn out
to be psychopaths
598
00:31:25,426 --> 00:31:26,925
in terms of their actions.
599
00:31:27,011 --> 00:31:29,136
They don't necessarily commit
a bunch of crimes.
600
00:31:30,222 --> 00:31:31,847
Shatner:
But what if one day
in the future,
601
00:31:31,891 --> 00:31:33,140
we are able to determine
602
00:31:33,225 --> 00:31:35,809
that a serial killer gene
really does exist?
603
00:31:35,895 --> 00:31:40,689
What would we do with someone
who has that particular gene
604
00:31:40,733 --> 00:31:44,109
but hasn't yet committed
any crimes?
605
00:31:45,279 --> 00:31:47,863
I think the ethical problems
with rewiring the brain
606
00:31:47,948 --> 00:31:50,115
is the issue of the choice
of the person.
607
00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:52,659
When somebody says that you need
to have your brain rewired,
608
00:31:52,745 --> 00:31:54,244
who's making that determination?
609
00:31:54,288 --> 00:31:57,080
And should they be the one
to make that call?
610
00:31:57,166 --> 00:32:01,209
Shatner:
But even if we do eventually
crack the serial killer code
611
00:32:01,295 --> 00:32:04,421
and find out
what compels them to kill,
612
00:32:04,506 --> 00:32:08,425
we still may be powerless
to stop the bloodshed.
613
00:32:08,469 --> 00:32:12,471
Because how do you stop someone
before they commit a crime?
614
00:32:12,556 --> 00:32:17,768
Unless, of course, they want
to be caught in the first place.
615
00:32:22,775 --> 00:32:26,068
It seems most serial killers
can't resist
616
00:32:26,153 --> 00:32:28,320
playing cat and mouse
with the public.
617
00:32:28,405 --> 00:32:30,822
Penning letters to the police.
618
00:32:30,908 --> 00:32:32,824
Leaving clues
at the scene of a crime.
619
00:32:32,910 --> 00:32:34,743
Even drawing maps
620
00:32:34,828 --> 00:32:37,871
to where the bodies
of their victims can be found.
621
00:32:38,916 --> 00:32:40,999
But why?
622
00:32:41,085 --> 00:32:44,336
Are they trying to prove
how smart they are?
623
00:32:45,381 --> 00:32:48,882
Or are they really desperate
to get caught?
624
00:32:50,511 --> 00:32:52,928
♪ ♪
625
00:32:53,013 --> 00:32:55,806
perhaps driven
by extreme narcissism,
626
00:32:55,891 --> 00:32:58,475
grievance or sinister delusions,
627
00:32:58,519 --> 00:33:01,436
some serial killers
are compelled to communicate
628
00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:04,481
with the media
and law enforcement.
629
00:33:04,525 --> 00:33:07,025
Like the zodiac killer,
630
00:33:07,111 --> 00:33:10,362
who sent a total of 21 letters
to local newspapers
631
00:33:10,447 --> 00:33:14,408
that revealed specific details
about his crimes.
632
00:33:15,911 --> 00:33:17,703
Or david berkowitz,
633
00:33:17,788 --> 00:33:20,414
who antagonized police
with handwritten letters
634
00:33:20,499 --> 00:33:23,000
which he signed,
"yours in murder,
635
00:33:23,085 --> 00:33:25,085
mr. Monster."
636
00:33:26,213 --> 00:33:27,754
david berkowitz,
637
00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:30,841
the so-called son of sam killer,
638
00:33:30,884 --> 00:33:35,345
started his murders using
a .44 caliber pistol
639
00:33:35,389 --> 00:33:40,017
in new york city at the time the
united states was celebrating
640
00:33:40,060 --> 00:33:43,186
its 200-year anniversary.
641
00:33:43,272 --> 00:33:45,063
I mean, this was a guy who said,
642
00:33:45,149 --> 00:33:46,732
"look at me,
look at me, look at me.
643
00:33:46,817 --> 00:33:49,735
I'm the monster
that you're afraid of."
644
00:33:49,820 --> 00:33:53,155
and he wanted credit
for his crimes.
645
00:33:54,158 --> 00:33:55,949
Shatner:
But why would a killer
646
00:33:56,035 --> 00:33:58,076
risk being caught
by engaging with
647
00:33:58,162 --> 00:34:01,371
and even taunting the police?
648
00:34:01,415 --> 00:34:03,874
Are they looking
to become famous?
649
00:34:03,917 --> 00:34:07,836
Or is there another,
more twisted reason?
650
00:34:08,839 --> 00:34:10,464
Dennis rader,
651
00:34:10,549 --> 00:34:16,428
a.K.A. The btk serial killer
out of wichita, kansas--
652
00:34:16,513 --> 00:34:22,017
"btk" standing for "bind them,
torture them, kill them."
653
00:34:22,102 --> 00:34:26,396
I mean, this arrogance,
this feeling of superiority
654
00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:28,940
existed in him to the very end.
655
00:34:29,026 --> 00:34:33,070
And that was the reason
he was ultimately caught.
656
00:34:33,155 --> 00:34:35,405
Since she lived
down the street from me,
657
00:34:35,491 --> 00:34:38,283
I could watch the coming
and going quite easily.
658
00:34:39,536 --> 00:34:42,370
Oh, I manually strangled her
when she started to scream.
659
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,250
Dennis rader,
he liked to torture victims,
660
00:34:47,294 --> 00:34:49,586
psychologically
and physically torture them.
661
00:34:49,630 --> 00:34:51,421
-(heavy breathing)
-he would stalk victims.
662
00:34:51,465 --> 00:34:53,590
He'd go to their homes.
He'd hide in the homes.
663
00:34:53,634 --> 00:34:55,425
When people came home,
he would attack them,
664
00:34:55,511 --> 00:34:58,095
tie them up
and then torture them,
665
00:34:58,138 --> 00:35:00,597
sometimes telling them, "I might
kill you, I might not kill you.
666
00:35:00,641 --> 00:35:02,808
We'll see."
667
00:35:02,893 --> 00:35:04,434
of course,
he was going to kill them.
668
00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:07,104
But he wanted them to suffer.
So he's very sadistic that way.
669
00:35:10,150 --> 00:35:12,442
Van zandt:
Rader, over a period
of 20-plus years,
670
00:35:12,486 --> 00:35:15,403
was believed responsible
for about ten murders,
671
00:35:15,447 --> 00:35:19,074
four of which were committed
on the very first night.
672
00:35:19,118 --> 00:35:22,327
So here you have someone
who committed a mass murder,
673
00:35:22,412 --> 00:35:24,162
and he would've gotten away,
674
00:35:24,248 --> 00:35:26,832
we would've never known
who he was,
675
00:35:26,917 --> 00:35:29,584
but he wanted to terrorize
that community.
676
00:35:29,670 --> 00:35:31,086
Susan peters:
Good evening.
677
00:35:31,171 --> 00:35:33,505
Tonight, now that we know
btk is back,
678
00:35:33,590 --> 00:35:35,882
the city is anxious and fearful.
679
00:35:35,968 --> 00:35:37,467
A letter sent to
the wichita eagle is believed
680
00:35:37,553 --> 00:35:39,970
to be from the serial killer.
681
00:35:40,013 --> 00:35:42,097
Dennis rader, he stopped killing
for a long time.
682
00:35:42,182 --> 00:35:43,974
For several years,
he just stopped killing.
683
00:35:44,017 --> 00:35:47,144
And then eventually he realized
he was never going to be caught.
684
00:35:47,229 --> 00:35:48,603
At least, in his own thinking.
685
00:35:48,689 --> 00:35:50,313
And so he came back
686
00:35:50,399 --> 00:35:52,983
and he started giving out
information to law enforcement.
687
00:35:53,068 --> 00:35:55,485
"well, here's what I'm doing.
And I'm still here."
688
00:35:55,571 --> 00:35:58,196
newsman: The serial killer
who terrorized wichita for years
689
00:35:58,282 --> 00:36:00,490
causes new fears.
690
00:36:01,618 --> 00:36:04,619
Van zandt:
He starts sending mementos
from his crimes
691
00:36:04,705 --> 00:36:06,621
to the newspaper,
to law enforcement.
692
00:36:07,833 --> 00:36:11,334
He sent a computer disk
with some memorabilia on it.
693
00:36:11,420 --> 00:36:14,337
The fbi was able to trace
that computer disk
694
00:36:14,423 --> 00:36:16,339
back to the church
where he was an elder.
695
00:36:16,425 --> 00:36:20,010
They were able to identify rader
as a potential suspect.
696
00:36:20,095 --> 00:36:25,223
And the btk serial killer
was eventually caught.
697
00:36:25,309 --> 00:36:27,475
Hickey:
It was like he wanted
to be caught.
698
00:36:27,561 --> 00:36:30,228
He literally gave them
enough information
699
00:36:30,314 --> 00:36:31,521
where they could track him down.
700
00:36:31,607 --> 00:36:33,106
And that's pretty unusual.
701
00:36:33,192 --> 00:36:38,653
Van zandt:
He wanted the reputation
of btk to go on.
702
00:36:38,697 --> 00:36:42,574
And because of that,
because of that need within him,
703
00:36:42,659 --> 00:36:45,035
he was eventually
identified, arrested
704
00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:46,995
and sent to jail for life.
705
00:36:47,998 --> 00:36:49,873
Shatner:
But did the btk killer
706
00:36:49,958 --> 00:36:53,418
reemerge from the shadows
in an effort to become famous
707
00:36:53,503 --> 00:36:54,544
or even infamous?
708
00:36:54,630 --> 00:36:56,922
Or was he really trying
to be stopped
709
00:36:57,007 --> 00:37:00,217
and then punished
for his crimes?
710
00:37:02,221 --> 00:37:04,429
Hickey: There are some,
because of their narcissism,
711
00:37:04,514 --> 00:37:06,389
they want to be recognized
for their murders.
712
00:37:06,475 --> 00:37:08,016
They're in it for the game.
713
00:37:08,101 --> 00:37:09,601
They will play this
all the way through.
714
00:37:09,686 --> 00:37:11,519
They want movies done
about them.
715
00:37:11,605 --> 00:37:13,230
They want books
written about them.
716
00:37:13,315 --> 00:37:14,522
They want to be interviewed.
717
00:37:14,608 --> 00:37:17,234
Because that's the narcissism
in them.
718
00:37:17,319 --> 00:37:20,445
One serial killing
leads to another serial killing
719
00:37:20,530 --> 00:37:22,364
that leads
to another serial killing.
720
00:37:22,407 --> 00:37:24,574
Because you have
your moment of fame,
721
00:37:24,660 --> 00:37:26,993
you go out like a shooting star.
722
00:37:27,079 --> 00:37:31,414
Newswoman: Collecting sports
cards is a big american hobby.
723
00:37:31,500 --> 00:37:34,376
But this may, a new collectible
series will go on the market:
724
00:37:34,419 --> 00:37:36,544
Serial killers
and mass murderers.
725
00:37:36,630 --> 00:37:38,588
Shatner:
There are many who believe that,
726
00:37:38,674 --> 00:37:42,467
for some serial killers,
the desire to be famous
727
00:37:42,552 --> 00:37:45,345
is equal
to their desire to kill.
728
00:37:45,430 --> 00:37:48,598
But, if so, why?
729
00:37:48,642 --> 00:37:51,643
Perhaps the answer can be found
by using the same method
730
00:37:51,728 --> 00:37:56,356
many serial killers now use
to stalk their victims:
731
00:37:56,441 --> 00:37:58,441
The internet.
732
00:38:02,447 --> 00:38:04,406
Shatner:
The internet.
733
00:38:04,491 --> 00:38:07,450
For most of us, it is
a powerful tool that allows us
734
00:38:07,536 --> 00:38:10,203
to get vast amounts
of important information
735
00:38:10,289 --> 00:38:12,122
at the click of a button.
736
00:38:12,207 --> 00:38:18,086
But is it also capable
of making serial killing easier
737
00:38:18,171 --> 00:38:22,924
and perhaps safer for
the killers than ever before?
738
00:38:23,927 --> 00:38:26,136
Not necessarily.
739
00:38:26,179 --> 00:38:29,097
For decades, the infamous
golden state killer,
740
00:38:29,182 --> 00:38:32,183
who committed 13 murders
in california
741
00:38:32,269 --> 00:38:34,602
between 1974 and 1986
742
00:38:34,646 --> 00:38:38,189
and was given several
menacing names in the press,
743
00:38:38,275 --> 00:38:41,359
baffled investigators.
744
00:38:42,571 --> 00:38:46,364
That is, until April 24, 2018,
when authorities charged
745
00:38:46,450 --> 00:38:49,868
72-year-old
joseph james deangelo
746
00:38:49,953 --> 00:38:51,286
with first-degree murder
747
00:38:51,371 --> 00:38:55,540
and identified him
as the golden state killer.
748
00:38:56,543 --> 00:38:59,252
And how did they finally
crack the case?
749
00:38:59,338 --> 00:39:03,506
An investigator uploaded
crime scene dna to gedmatch,
750
00:39:03,550 --> 00:39:06,092
a genealogy website
that allows people
751
00:39:06,178 --> 00:39:09,971
to compare their genetic
information on the internet.
752
00:39:10,015 --> 00:39:12,390
Authorities were able
to connect information found
753
00:39:12,476 --> 00:39:15,560
on the site to one of
deangelo's family members,
754
00:39:15,645 --> 00:39:21,691
which ultimately led the police
to deangelo himself.
755
00:39:21,735 --> 00:39:26,279
But does this mean that finding
and apprehending serial killers
756
00:39:26,365 --> 00:39:28,031
will soon become so efficient
757
00:39:28,075 --> 00:39:29,532
that we will be able
to stop them
758
00:39:29,618 --> 00:39:32,327
before they begin
their reign of terror?
759
00:39:32,412 --> 00:39:35,580
It's a compelling notion
but unlikely.
760
00:39:35,665 --> 00:39:37,999
According to
radford university's
761
00:39:38,085 --> 00:39:40,168
serial killer database,
762
00:39:40,253 --> 00:39:43,380
there have been more than
3,000 confirmed serial killers
763
00:39:43,465 --> 00:39:46,883
in the united states since 1900.
764
00:39:46,968 --> 00:39:48,510
And criminologists believe
765
00:39:48,595 --> 00:39:51,596
that the united states
has produced more serial killers
766
00:39:51,681 --> 00:39:54,974
than any other country
in the world.
767
00:39:55,060 --> 00:39:57,352
But why?
768
00:39:58,647 --> 00:40:00,897
Hickey:
Any country has the capacity
769
00:40:00,982 --> 00:40:03,108
to produce serial killers.
770
00:40:03,193 --> 00:40:05,110
Uh, but there are
some environments,
771
00:40:05,195 --> 00:40:06,611
some cultures,
like american culture,
772
00:40:06,696 --> 00:40:10,740
where there's a tremendous
fascination with serial killers.
773
00:40:10,826 --> 00:40:14,077
Because we all want to be
forensics specialists.
774
00:40:14,162 --> 00:40:16,579
We love to watch all these
crime movies on television.
775
00:40:16,665 --> 00:40:19,958
And it makes us think about
murder in very strange ways.
776
00:40:20,043 --> 00:40:22,252
For most people,
it doesn't create killers.
777
00:40:22,337 --> 00:40:25,588
But it does fascinate people.
778
00:40:25,674 --> 00:40:26,965
I do think it's true
779
00:40:27,050 --> 00:40:29,426
that we're overly interested
in serial killers
780
00:40:29,511 --> 00:40:32,262
in this culture
and that people are fascinated
781
00:40:32,305 --> 00:40:34,431
by these extremes
of human emotion.
782
00:40:34,516 --> 00:40:37,392
Whether that contributes
to copycat crimes,
783
00:40:37,477 --> 00:40:40,645
that is a question
that is-is worth asking.
784
00:40:42,149 --> 00:40:45,650
Shatner:
Is it possible that
our interest in serial killers
785
00:40:45,735 --> 00:40:49,279
is actually creating new ones?
786
00:40:49,364 --> 00:40:51,948
It's certainly
a frightening possibility
787
00:40:52,033 --> 00:40:54,993
but no more disturbing
than the enduring mystery
788
00:40:55,078 --> 00:41:01,082
of what causes a person
to hunt human beings for sport.
789
00:41:01,168 --> 00:41:02,584
(woman screams)
790
00:41:02,627 --> 00:41:05,378
although we know a lot
about serial killers
791
00:41:05,464 --> 00:41:06,504
in the united states,
792
00:41:06,590 --> 00:41:09,507
there's just
a lot about motivation
793
00:41:09,593 --> 00:41:12,343
for human behavior
that we don't understand,
794
00:41:12,429 --> 00:41:14,137
that we don't know.
795
00:41:14,181 --> 00:41:16,556
And that's what allows
these individuals
796
00:41:16,641 --> 00:41:20,852
to stay out there, stalking,
identifying and killing.
797
00:41:22,397 --> 00:41:25,106
Hickey:
There's not one profile that
fits serial killers in general.
798
00:41:25,192 --> 00:41:26,691
But, actually,
there are different types
799
00:41:26,776 --> 00:41:30,778
of serial killers,
based upon their motivations,
800
00:41:30,864 --> 00:41:33,156
uh, and what drives them
to kill.
801
00:41:33,241 --> 00:41:36,159
So, why are humans
802
00:41:36,244 --> 00:41:40,038
so endlessly fascinated
by serial killers?
803
00:41:40,123 --> 00:41:43,791
Are we afraid that we might
become one of their victims?
804
00:41:45,003 --> 00:41:49,005
Or is it something within us
that makes us more afraid
805
00:41:49,090 --> 00:41:52,217
that we could be
serial killers ourselves?
806
00:41:52,302 --> 00:41:54,344
Perhaps that's why we find them
so frightening,
807
00:41:54,387 --> 00:41:57,222
so-so disturbing and so...
808
00:41:57,307 --> 00:41:59,682
Unexplained.
809
00:41:59,768 --> 00:42:02,477
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