Home›Landmark Cases›Offense Involved›Serial MurderOffenseSerial MurderActs Leading to or Intending DeathReference and ClassificationDevelopingA recognized criminological typology of homicide in which an offender kills two or more victims in separate incidents, with a period of time, often days, weeks or longer, elapsing between each killing, distinguishing it from mass murder, in which multiple victims are killed in a single incident or closely connected series of incidents in one general time and place. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation's Behavioral Analysis Unit is among the bodies that study and define the pattern, which criminologists have documented as frequently, though not universally, associated with a distinctive underlying motive such as sexual gratification, power or control, and the study of serial murder has substantially shaped the modern practice of offender profiling within criminal investigation.FactsSerial MurderConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsElements of OffenseWell-attestedThe United States Federal Bureau of Investigation defines serial murder as the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender or offenders, in separate events, a standard used to distinguish it from mass murder or spree killing, which lack a cooling-off period between killings. 1ClassificationOffense GradeWell-attestedSerious or Indictable Offense 1Serial MurderFilter Results8 entriesCase EraAll1968 (1)1978 (1)1981 (1)1984 (1)2001 (1)2002 (1)2005 (1)2018 (1)Case StatusAllUnsolved (1)Investigating InstitutionAllBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (1)Federal Bureau of Investigation (4)King County Sheriff's Office (1)Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (1)Los Angeles Police Department (1)San Francisco Police Department (1)United States Marshals Service (1)Wichita Police Department (1)Concept IllustratedAllCold Case (4)Location or JurisdictionAllAtlanta, Georgia, United States (1)California, United States (1)King County, Washington, United States (1)Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, United States (1)San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States (1)Wichita, Kansas, United States (1)Group TreeAllDNA Identification Cases (2)Documentary and Digital Evidence Cases (1)Fingerprint Evidence Cases (1)Modern High-Profile Murder Prosecutions (1)Trace and Physical Evidence Cases (1)Unsolved Serial Murder Investigations (1)Forensic Discipline UsedAllCriminalistics (1)Dactyloscopy (1)Digital Forensics (1)DNA Profiling (2)Forensic Ballistics (1)Forensic Document Examination (1)Forensic Odontology (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 8Atlanta Murders of 1979 to 1981Serial MurderBeltway Snipers CaseSerial MurderBTK CaseSerial MurderGolden State Killer CaseSerial MurderGreen River Killer CaseSerial MurderNight Stalker CaseSerial MurderTed Bundy CaseSerial MurderZodiac Killer CaseSerial MurderConnectionsExemplified By CasesAtlanta Murders of 1979 to 1981, Landmark Cases Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Atlanta Child Murderstier 3Beltway Snipers Case, Landmark Cases Well-attested The shootings are variously described as a serial or spree pattern in the secondary literature; the extended (10-month) span and repeated separate attacks place it within the serial murder offense as the atlas defines it, alongside its existing murder edge.Source Wikipedia: D.C. Sniper Attackstier 3BTK Case, Landmark Cases Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Dennis Radertier 3Golden State Killer Case, Landmark Cases Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Joseph James DeAngelotier 3Green River Killer Case, Landmark Cases Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Gary Ridgwaytier 3Night Stalker Case, Landmark Cases Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Richard Ramireztier 3Ted Bundy Case, Landmark Cases Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Ted Bundytier 3Zodiac Killer Case, Landmark Cases Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Zodiac Killertier 3Has Offense GradeIndictable Offence, Foundational Concepts Well-attested Sources1. Serial killer (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaWikipedia, Serial killer, Etymology and Definition section, FBI definitionThe unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s) in separate events.In Group: Mass and Serial Killing, Lead sentenceA serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is an individual who murders three or more people, with the killings taking place over a period of more than one month in three or more separate events, and the killings having a perverse psychological motive.View the SourceWikipedia: Dennis Radertier 3Exemplified By Cases: BTK Case, Lead sectionQuote, Exemplified By Cases: BTK Case, Lead sectionis an American serial killer and mass murderer who killed at least ten people in Wichita and Park City, Kansas, between 1974 and 1991.View the SourceWikipedia: Gary Ridgwaytier 3Exemplified By Cases: Green River Killer Case, Lead section, opening sentenceQuote, Exemplified By Cases: Green River Killer Case, Lead section, opening sentenceGary Leon Ridgway ..., known as the Green River Killer or the Green River Strangler, is an American serial killer who was convicted of murdering forty-nine women between 1982 and 1998 in the northwestern United States.View the SourceWikipedia: Zodiac Killertier 3Exemplified By Cases: Zodiac Killer Case, Lead sectionQuote, Exemplified By Cases: Zodiac Killer Case, Lead sectionmurdered at least five people in the San Francisco Bay Area between December 1968 and October 1969View the SourceWikipedia: Ted Bundytier 3Exemplified By Cases: Ted Bundy Case, Lead sectionQuote, Exemplified By Cases: Ted Bundy Case, Lead sectionwas an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped and murdered dozens of young women and girls between 1974 and 1978View the SourceWikipedia: Richard Ramireztier 3Exemplified By Cases: Night Stalker Case, Lead section, opening sentenceQuote, Exemplified By Cases: Night Stalker Case, Lead section, opening sentencewas an American serial killer, sex offender, and burglar whose killing spree occurred in Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in the state of California.View the SourceWikipedia: D.C. Sniper Attackstier 3Exemplified By Cases: Beltway Snipers Case, Lead sectionQuote, Exemplified By Cases: Beltway Snipers Case, Lead sectionIn total, the snipers killed 15 people and wounded 8 others in a 10-month span.View the SourceWikipedia: Joseph James DeAngelotier 3Exemplified By Cases: Golden State Killer Case, Opening paragraphQuote, Exemplified By Cases: Golden State Killer Case, Opening paragraphOn April 24, 2018, California authorities charged 72-year-old DeAngelo with eight counts of first-degree murderView the SourceWikipedia: Atlanta Child Murderstier 3Exemplified By Cases: Atlanta Murders of 1979 to 1981, Lead section, opening paragraphQuote, Exemplified By Cases: Atlanta Murders of 1979 to 1981, Lead section, opening paragraphOver the two-year period, at least 28 African-American children, adolescents, and adults were killed.View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. 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