Category: Biography

What Is Peculiar About Zodiac Serial Killer?

“I like killing people because it’s so much fun”

In the late 1960s to the early 1970s a serial killer who shined in the media with horrid mysterious and brutal events, shook Northern California with a sequence of unsolved Murders, uncanny public cryptic letters and games that were played with citizens and authorities. This is a film called “The Zodiac Killer” a true story with some detailed accuracy by David Fincher and in Comparison, with the book Zodiac: The shocking true story of the nation’s most bizarre mass murderer by Robert Graysmith. Where there were many suspects however no concrete evidence that would stick with this murderer. This movie manages to be genuine to records and captivate the target audience with the thriller.

It is often said that serial killers are constantly “sloppy.’ It is rare you come across a virtually cautious killer who is neat and always has a precise ritual when cleaning and not leaving evidence behind. He has officially killed at least five people around San Francisco Bay area and attempting many extra killings later. He also mailed over several cryptic letters with ciphers to police stations and newspapers that claimed killings and said to have his name in one of the ciphers if cracked. This Film investigates a killer who taunts mysteriously. The investigators involved now include cartoonist and main character Robert Graysmith played by Jake Gyllenhaal (bubble boy) and author of the book where the film is based on, detective Paul Avery played by Robert Downey Jr. (Iron man) and detective David Toschi, played by Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk). Tailed and pressured with fake leads and inconclusive findings, this is a contrast paper on the accuracy on this film.

Reporter slash self-made-amateur investigator Robert Graysmith. He becomes fascinated, obsessed, puzzled and committed to solving this case. He was so captivated by this case, his relationship with his wife became fragile. I think in my opinion, this case could capture you into solving weird puzzles but why would that jeopardize your family? In step with article (ChasingtheFrog.com, 2019) The Zodiac book took Robert ten years to finish, and it cost him his marriage and when asked if he regrets his long obsession, Graysmith responded, ‘it affected my life in one bad way because I got divorced.’

Further, this film can take a turn on entertainment vs accuracy, seeking to wrap our heads around what went on. The longer the film continues the more you want to learn the identity of this killer. However, how accurate are these killings? Making a movie I think can be frustrating especially taking pieces of real lifestyle to make a one and a half hour film. It becomes sometimes distorted but good directors can lure you in and make you look into what happened.

The movie starts us off on the evening of July 4th 1969 Vallejo, California. Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau take drive to a quiet location because it was too crowded at the time of location for Darlene’s liking. The couple parks their car after dark at the Blue Rock Springs Golf Course, considered to be a lover’s lane due to a clear viewing of oncoming cars, not stated in the film. Darlene is already paranoid for some reason looking around and spot’s someone in a car across the lot. Someone abruptly leaves and comes back only to park behind the couple. It is early in the scene but this seems to me that the killer knew of Darlene or Mike. When a dark figure mysteriously walks up to their car and shines a vibrant flashlight in Mageau face, he believed it was a police officer like anyone would, but it surely it was not. Mageau turned to see who it was, a 9-millimeter Luger shot into the car five times, injuring both Ferrin and Mageau.

It is said by newspaper.com “Police said the gunman opened the door of the car and fired several shots with a semi-automatic pistol, the shooter then got into his car and drove away.” The film did not give in detail if the shooter opened the door. Later after authorities arrived at the scene, an interesting issue happened. The cars handle was missing. Did the killer break it off so no one would identify him? Maybe, he had blood on the handle that he could not wipe away. This was surely passed in the film but why? Maybe because it led to another dead end. Mageau was able to survive this attack but Darlene later passed away at Kaiser Hospital. Mageau gave a description of the shooter to authorities which was never mentioned in the film, which I think is a very important part, seeing that no one can identify him.

Additionally, it came to my awareness that movies shorten stories and cut many details. When I first saw this, it looked like something out of an old classic horror film. The second most interesting part is the gunman at 12:40 PM simply called to report his crime, claiming to have killed ‘those kids last year. Goodbye’ in the creepiest way possible at the end of the call. This was the second killing connected to the zodiac but the first murder in the film. I took interest in this murder because the book details Darlene knowing who the killer was and stating there was a hot pursuit chase between the killer and Darlene on the way to this lover’s lane. They provide an awesome back tale on Darlene’s story and what lead to her killing. The couple did not just park there randomly, Darlene noticed a car following her, which led to a chase.

Subsequent is the Murder of Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard on Lake Berryessa in Napa, California on September 27, 1969. It’s scary to imagine, this can happen to anyone. A couple is scene relaxing along Lake Berryessa when Cecelia spots a man walking towards them and sees that he was holding a gun. He was wearing a black costume with a bullet bullseye on his chest like an executioner with the hood, which reminded me of the game Skyrim and their old timey executioner gear. What made him wear this costume? Other than not wanting to be recognized, I think it’s pretty silly and disturbing at the same time. The man verbalized that he wanted money and the car keys; he then asks Cecelia to tie Bryan up, but then being impatient comes around and does it himself while throwing Cecilia on the ground. Without any warning, he stabs Bryan continuously five times in the back. He then stabbed Cecelia nine times. Could you imagine the screams of agony she was enduring? According to the book, the killer stabbed Cecelia twenty-five times and may have carved a symbol on her back while knifing. Authorities could not give a concrete affirmation because it looked like she was butchered.

The taunting begins with dates on a car “12-20-68“,”7-4-69” and “9-27-69,” with a time of “6:30PM” also with the words “by knife.” This is what was written on the side of Bryan’s car door when police found it, the dates and locations of the previous attacks included with a circled logo of the zodiac. It seemed he has a compulsion to call his attacks because at 7:40 PM, the man called the Napa police department to report “a double murder.” The caller calls from a payphone and described where Bryan’s car was exactly and confessed, “I’m the one who did it.’ Bryan lived and Cecilia later passed away.

Meanwhile, according to zodiac by Mr. Graysmith the detectives found finger prints from the payphone the killer used, also not included in the film. There was evidence of footprints leading up to the crime and the car, the prints of the boots turned out to be government issued which leads to the killer having to do something with the military. The film does not go into detail of the evidence but portrays there’re no fits in any evidence that would link the killer to the murder. It is hard to believe that one man can be so cautious with fingerprints and leaving behind proof of identity. I believe some of these cases that were arisen to be of the zodiac, were only copy cats. At this point, the killer is essentially getting his thrills with the evidence being discovered, however with no linking him to it he continues to venture.

Next is the chilling third murder on October 11, 1960. A 28-year-old taxi driver Paul Stine decides to work that night and pick up a fare in San Francisco vicinity, it was just not his night. The suspect happened to fire one shot to the back of Paul’s head. Paul was pronounced dead immediately. There was no one at the crime of the scene when police arrived. A pair of soaked bloody gloves was retrieved from inside the car. There were three civilians who saw the man and suggested he was cleaning the taxi. The gloves that were found appeared to be too small for a presumably heavyset man. The Zodiac was careful as usual to remove all items that weren’t linked to the taxicab so leaving gloves behind seems odd for someone who seems to be exceedingly cautious. On the other hand, the book states the man pointed the gun to the Paul’s right check just in front of his right ear and fired. He said it had to be a quiet blow due to the pressure and in thought of the killer having a silencer.

In addition, on November 9th 1969, The Zodiac Killer stated in one of his letters (history; zodiac) “As of yet, I have left no fingerprints behind me contrary to what the police say, in my killings I wear transparent fingertip guards. All it is, is two coats of airplane cement coated on my fingertips — quite unnoticeable + very effective.’ So, it was very unlikely that the killer wore gloves, most likely staging a scene to throw off the police. Robert Graysmith described this glove in his book and says “Just under the dash, Toschi found a pair of dull-black leather gloves. They were soaked with blood but were too small for a man. Later he discovered that they belonged to a woman passenger from earlier in the day.” This murder was questioned as a robbery at first, but certain clues were connected to the zodiac. Either way once; again, a lifeless case for detectives.

In the real-life case, there was sufficient evidence pointing to a man called Arthur Leigh Allen, clues that were connecting to Arthur that included a typewriter he owned with a specific brand found in his home, he also wore a zodiac brand watch that detectives connected to the killer because of its symbol claiming to be the zodiac also having the same shoe size as the zodiac. He has many other accusations including greater personal evidence of handwriting analysis which was claimed inconclusively which of Arthur and concluded that he was not the murderer. In the Film detective David interviews Leigh only once, I did not come across other allegations that he was questioned many times in the real case which certainly baffles me. Arthur dies at 58 in 1992. The case went cold and as far as we know there has not been any more killings connect to the zodiac killer.

Further, I really enjoyed this film and its accuracy. It gave me a rather interesting examination of how detectives work on finding these ill people and how it feels to think that the killer is still among us. This film has been traditionally accurate for the most part. Just lacks a lot of details especially after reading the book and watching the film. Lastly there were certainly some things that connected Arthur to the killings and made him a viable Zodiac Killer suspect, but you can’t catch a killer without evidence. In a book and film about Mr. Leigh was the most occurring suspect of the zodiac killer. The film suggestion that he basically got away with his crimes. Both Film and movie gave accurate details on this case but more so then the other. In my opinion, the killer known as the zodiac could have been several individual and not just one man.

Cited

1. ‘Kathleen Johns Letter.’ Zodiackiller.com. N.p., 2019. Web.
2. ‘The Zodiac Killer: A Timeline.’ HISTORY. N.p., 2019. Web. 4 Mar. 2019.
3. ‘TZMC-Kathleen Johns Police Reports.’ Zodiackillerthemansonconnection.com. 2019.
4. ‘Zodiac Movie vs. Zodiac Killer True Story – Real Robert Graysmith.’ ChasingtheFrog.com. N.P., 2019.
5. “Newspaper.com “article Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau”

Argumentative Essay On A Convicted Serial Killer: Elizabeth Wettlaufer

Elizabeth Wettlaufer is a 49-year-old lady who has convicted eight first degree murders from 2007 to 2014 by administering certain drugs to the patient before the murder. She started her career in 1995 as a nurse in various care centers. She worked in Caressant care nursing and retirement homes in Woodstock, Ontario and Telfer place retirement home in Paris Ontario and also in Meadow Park Home in London, Ontario.

In 2016, she left her job and checked into Toronto’s Center for addiction and Mental Health where she admitted to a Psychiatrist and later Police that she has killed and hurt patients. She is now facing a total of 14 charges with eight murders, four attempted murders and two aggravated assaults. The investigation has begun in the month of September and in October she was charged for her murders. The investigators recorded documents of Elizabeth Wettlaufer stating that in 2014 she was fired from Caressant Care Nursing Home for incorrectly and overdosing the medication for a resident which resulted in Distress to the patient. She also had several warnings and 3-day & 5-day suspension letters. At a Care center, she was asked not to return because of her behaviour towards the other staff members. The Nursing care centers were Co-operating with the investigators to investigate the evidence. She is now serving a life sentence after confessing the murders.

The Health Care system and the Regulatory bodies are merely responsible for exercising autonomous authority over this action. It is their responsibility to assure and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring and providing them with proper standards of medical practise. She was not suspected at the centers where she was working until she has confessed it by herself. This could be due to the negligence of the Medication management system at the Care centers. Health Care System is made of so many pieces and no one in the system was alert of the possibility that it could be an intentional harm. They could have improved medication incident analysis service at the center. They could have strengthened the medication management system in nursing homes and also, they could have registered staff to monitor the medication overdoses to the patient frequently in order to avoid medical errors and protect the victims.

During the Investigation, Commissioner Eileen E.Gillese found out that the murders were not mercy killings but were made out of gratification and for no other reason. She was not under investigation, not even one offence was under suspicion until 2017 despite having killed or hurt 14 patients. We would not have known about the murders if she had not confessed it by herself. Elizabeth has disclosed that it was not accidental and also that it was not just one but 8 murders with her childhood friend. She was the instigator for her own prosecutions.

The commission that led the public enquiry says it heard in 2018 January that Elizabeth had told the prison staff that she had attempted to harm two other patients. Commission says it is confident and has evidence to issue recommendations to prevent these tragedies from occurring again and is preparing a report.

Systemic failures in long term care allowed Elizabeth wettlaufer to commit crimes. I believe this to be the mistake of systemic vulnerabilities but not any individual or the staff. The health care providers could have checked upon her documents, remarks and termination letters before appointing her as a nurse. They could have reviewed the reason behind terminating the job at the previous workplace. The college of nurses of Ontario kept Elizabeth Wettlaufer’s termination on file but the licensing body took no action to suggest it had serious concerns about the care she had provided. Legislative bodies make laws that are needed to be followed by everyone but in this scenario the rules made were not looked upon properly. They could have taken steps for strict supervision of laws including regular monitoring.

The standards of practice provide knowledge and guidelines in order to practice safely. The standard of practice related to nursing were not followed in this case. Elizabeth did not follow any legal procedure related to medication for example administering overdose of insulin to the patients without prior information or permission from the higher authorities. No ethical principals were looked upon, no justice, no client autonomy.

The Professional conduct at the work place is maintained by professionally collaborating and respecting the co-workers and the patients which ensures a positive environment. Elizabeth wettlaufer misbehaved towards the other staff members at her workplace and failed to fulfill the norms and ethics of the professional conduct.

The Infamous BTK Serial Killer

To kill means to put to death, whereas murder means the unlawful killing of one human by another with malice aforethought. No one should be deprived of their life because everyone has a right to live a life. There are many factors that strip this right and freedom to life. Dennis Rader, also known as the “BTK Killer” which meant to bind, torture, and kill his victims. The BTK was widely regarded as a mysterious murderer in Wichita, Kansas, with 10 murders and correspondence with authorities to play mind games leaving some sort of evidence, but not enough to get discovered. Dennis Rader’s life was an example of determinism, caused by factors such as religion, psychological, and genetics.

Religion was a factor in Dennis’ determinism in which he was controlled by the devil or evil spirit in his early stages of life. Being born a lutheran, Dennis Rader participated in the church’s youth group activities and became a boy scout in his youth. Due to many major religions, it predetermines that some humans will be good and some will be bad, and punishes and rewards them for something they have no control. During court, Dennis said how could a guy like me, church member, raised a family, and go out and do these absurd actions. Dennis went on to explain the urge to kill and how it wasn’t very Christian. At a young age when Dennis was in middle school, a demon was within Dennis and controlled the actions made by him. Dennis started hanging dogs and cats as a youth and kept it a secret from everyone. This explained why religion played a big part of Dennis’ determinism of becoming a serial killer because it was predetermined that people in a religion where they believe in one God or higher power would either become a good or bad person. Dennis was raised as a Christian, but didn’t follow the morals or set rules of a Christian.

Another factor of Dennis’ determinism was psychological which was the biggest drive to have the urge to murder people. A theory from Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, came up with the theory of human beings being determined prior to birth in the womb. This is caused by their unconscious minds and by various natural drives that society practices. This theory applies to Dennis because he was a normal child raised in a normal family, until he developed fantasies about bondage, control, and torture by his own admission. Also, he became sexual and dreamed of tying up girls and having them his way. He didn’t explain why he developed all of these weird habits, but it could’ve been that he developed mental illness which made him turn into a serial killer. It’s all psychological because all of his actions were from the inside forces of himself and not the outside forces, since he was raised like a normal child. His urge started from saying a demon took over his body in middle school, to hanging dogs and cats, which then led to 10 murders in which he all planned to hang.

The last factor in which drove Dennis’ determinism of being a serial killer is genetics. Biological determinism, also known as genetic determinism, is the idea that human behavior is determined by the genes or some aspect of an individual’s physiology, usually at the cost of the environment’s function, whether in embryonic development or education. Biological determinism played a big role in Dennis’ life because growing up, he went to a youth group and did things that a normal kid would do except hang dogs and cats. He went to college, got married to a fellow Lutheran, and had a family of his own, but he was never satisfied with himself. He was poor by the time he got his degree, and got unemployed from Cessna which was a small aircraft manufacture. This caused him to slip deeper into his fantasy world which he had known since his childhood, and that was to strangle someone to death. Dennis probably went crazy after struggling to have success in making money, or developed some mental issues to see what it was like to strangle people.

In conclusion, Dennis’ life was a result of determinism which were affected by factors such as a demon or evil spirit taking over his body at a young age, having the urge to murder people by hanging them, and going back to his fantasized world because he gave up on his life. Dennis was born a Lutheran and participated in his community as a youth, but claimed that an evil spirit or the devil took over his body to have the urge to kill people. Also, during his days of youth, he fantasized about sexual intentions and what he would do to girls, and strangle them because he wanted his way. Last of all, he wanted to live a normal life, but he realized that he wasn’t being successful in the real world, so he fell back to his fantasized dreams and followed through with it until he got caught after his tenth murder. All of these factors were a product of his determinism because he wanted to pretty much become a serial killer after things didn’t go the way he wanted to in life. He had feelings for all of the people he killed, but he still carried out with his fantasized life of binding, torturing, and killing girls that he was attracted to. Dennis Rader could’ve been the reason to my existence because my family was living in Wichita, Kansas where he was murdering people without getting caught.

David Parker Ray: The Toy Box Serial Killer

The Toy Box Killer (David Parker Ray) is one of the most notorious serial killers of the last 100 years. He crimes included the rape, torture and killing of young women from the 1950s to 1999. While the direct reasons for his killings are unknown, it is a well known speculation that Ray killed and abused his victims to feel a sense of control he lost in his childhood. The events he experienced as a child were traumatizing enough to have completely changed Ray’s mind and sense of what is right and wrong. His first murder coincidently happened when Ray was just 15 years old; from then on, Ray continued on an deadly spree of rape and torture. Ray murdered upwards of 60 women over a 40 year time sequence. Ray tortured his victims without mercy, many being raped and whipped multiple times a day in a trailer Ray called “The Toy Box”. Rays reign of terror ended in 1999 when an escaped victim Cynthia Vigil alerted police of his crimes.

David Parker Ray was born on November 6th,1939 to Nettie and Cecil Ray who lived on a ranch with Netties parents. As a child, Ray was emotionally and physically abused by both parents however, his father Cecil was the most aggressive with the abuse. The abuse from Rays father lasted until his mother, Nettie, left his father. After his parents separation, Ray stayed with his grandparents who were known to be extremely strict and abusive. During this time, most of the abuse happened at the hands of his Aunt who forced herself on him and made him have sex with her multiple times. The trauma Ray experienced from his abusive childhood may have been enough to turn him into a murderer. In fact, those who experienced unhealthy levels of stress often lack the ability to make healthy and good decisions; Furthermore, survivors of abuse are often unlikely to notice the risk of an action or situation (Kirk). The sexual abuse Ray went through not only effected his ability to make decisions, it gave him a unhealthy idea of what affection and intimacy should be which caused his idea of intimate moments like sex to be seen as an abusive and aggressive moment. As for why Ray abused and raped victims, according to Springer, ¨ Those who have been associated with childhood abuse are more likely to engage in high-risk health behaviors including alcohol and drug use and unsafe sex…¨ Ray having experienced severe abuse as a child was already more likely to partake in risky sex behaviors, that along with the sexual experiences he experienced from his aunt gave him an aggressive view on intamacy and the idea that all sexual acts were enjoyable through violence. Ray torture victims in an remote cave before the ¨toy box¨ was built. In the cave, Ray would bind victims before electrocuting their breasts and stomachs. This cave is where the first handful of murders Ray committed took place. The exact location of the cave is unknown but it is known to be somewhere in New Mexico. The nearby lake is likely to hold the bodies of Rays first victims.

The situations that Ray put his victims in were a way for them to feel the shame and vulnerability he felt as a teenager at the hands of his Aunt. Rays victims were often kept naked and bound in chains. In a transcript of Rays tapes that were played for victims, Ray discribed in vivid detail what they would go through and told each victim that they would be held as sex slaves and most likely would be killed (Parkman Magazine). Ray vividly describes the ways in which he will rape each victim and the ways in which they can avoid punishments. The ways in which Ray raped and tortured his victims is what earned him the name “The Toy-Box Killer”, Ray spent over $100,000 soundproofing and turning a trailer into a room meant for sexual abuse (Reuters). The trailer contained terrifying objects such as a gynecologist table where victims were left for hours at a time, whips and heavy chains. Many victims were treated like dogs, they were chained around their necks and made to drink and eat off of the floor. Jewelry and possessions of the victims found in the trailer also suggested that Ray stole their belongings as well (FBI).

Throughout the years, Ray did not work alone. Ray enlisted the help of his girlfriend Cindy Hendy and eventually his daughter. Victims were told to refer to Ray and Hendy as Master and Mistress, when asked a question, victims were to answer ¨Yes, Master/ Mistress ̈ , failure to do so would result in punishment which included whipping, shocking and raping (Parkman Magazine). Hendy was also caught and tried for her involvement with the crime but was freed after serving only 20 of her 36 year sentence while Ray’s daughter, Glenda Jean Ray was also arrested (Reuters).

Rays spree of crime came to an end when he abducted Cynthia Vigil. Vigil, a prostitute was abducted after she was paid by whom she believed to be another customer. Ray grabbed her while Hendy shocked her. After a violent quarrel,Vigil was able to escape Ray and Hendy before fleeing to a cabin she found in the nearby woods. The couple who owned the home called the police who found and arrested Ray. Ray was tried and ultimately convicted for torture and kidnapping. He was sentenced to 224 years in prison but only served his sentence until 2003 when he died of a heart attack.

Rays crimes were some of the worst and most violent crimes seen. His violent ways of torturing women and praying on those who were unlikely to beat him came from his abusive home and the trauma he had as a result.

The Serial Killer: Robert William Pickton also Known As The Pig Farmer Killer

From the year 1980, all the way through to 2001 many women were disappearing from the downtown eastside of Vancouver. Not just anyone in particular, but female prostitutes and female drug users were disappearing. The families of these women thought nothing about it, not even the cops, their behavior of disappearing and coming back was normal. But these girls weren’t coming back, they were disappearing for good. Everyone who thought this was normal was woken up years later by a chilling and disturbing man known as “The Pig Farmer Killer”, Robert William Pickton and his actions in this case.

Not many details occurred in Pickton’s childhood or before becoming a serial killer. Robert William Pickton was born on October 26, 1949, in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. His family had been pig farmers for three generations (Fandom, 2013). Pickton has a sister and a brother: Linda Louise and David Francis Pickton in which they inherited the pig farm after their mother died. Later on, they ended up selling parts of their land and earning a total of $5.16 million. A ruling in Canada in the year 2002 lead to Pickton’s arrest, a warrant for firearm violations. On February 5, 2002, authorities were looking for illegal firearms on Pickton’s property but they found much more than just guns. They found a prescribed asthma inhaler belonging to a missing woman from the Downtown Eastside: Sereena Abotsway but it didn’t take the authorities long enough to execute a second court order to continue searching the farm for the “Missing Women Investigation”(Fandom, 2013). While being charged with “possession of a loaded firearm while not being the holder of a license and storing a firearm contrary to regulations”. He was released the next day and keep under surveillance.

Exactly 23 days later, on February 22, 2002, Pickton was arrested again and charged with two counts of first-degree murder for Sereena Abotsway and the murder of Mona Wilson, another woman disappeared from the Downtown Eastside. Disturbingly enough the authorities found remains of victims like skulls, human hands, feet, bloody clothing, human teeth. The worst is that the skulls were cut in half and stuffed with these remains, and stored in freezers inside his barn. Also a couple of years later after searching the entire property, they found traces of DNA in the ground up meat Pickton would sell. He would put their remains in the meat and sell it to people. All the way from February 22, 2002, through May 26, 2005, Robert William Pickton was already charged to 27 counts of first-degree murder, for all the women disappearing from the Downtown Eastside. 1980-2001 were the years he was killing all these women. To normal people, this is disgustingly high but to him, this isn’t even the number of women that he killed. Pickton himself told an undercover officer posed as his cellmate, that he killed 49 women and wanted to kill 50. His exact words were “I was gonna do one more, make it an even fifty. That why I was sloppy, I wanted one more. Make the big five 0. Bigger than the ones in the states, his record was about 42”. Little did he know that all of their conversations were recorded and he was talking with an officer. In December 2007 he was sentenced to life in prison, with no possibility of parole for 25 years, the longest sentence available under Canadian law for murder.

Now the question is, how does any of these relate to the Rational Choice Theory also known was the Deterrence theory. The Rational Choice Theory “states that individuals use rational calculations to make rational choices and achieve outcomes that are aligned with their own personal objectives” (Ganti, 2019). In simple terms, this theory means that a person intentionally chooses to undertake any crimes they do, they are not compelled or forced to do a crime. And they commit these crimes because they think it will be more rewarding rather than having noncriminal behavior. Which brings it back to Robert William Pickton, Pickton committed these murders because it seemed that he wanted to top a record. He wanted to top the number of murders in Canada and in the United States(42 murders in the US), also stated in the video of him talking with the undercover officer. He wanted that reward of being known, he wanted everyone to know that he topped the number of murders. Some elements of the rational choice theory are; an available suitable target motivated offender and no sympathy. Pickton checked off all these elements, his targets were prostitutes and drug offenders from the Downtown Eastside. He was definitely a motivated offender because he keeps killing and killing within all those years. And finally sympathy, Pickton had no sympathy whatsoever, he grounded up female remains into the meat and also fed his pigs their remains, and slaughtered women like they were just pigs. That’s definitely a sign of no sympathy.

The Peculiarities Of Dennis Rader As A Serial Killer

​There are many experiences that happen in a person’s life that shape them as a person. Some respond to these experiences differently than others do. Dennis Rader is a notorious serial killer who was arrested for 10 counts of murder. Also known as “BTK” which stands for “bind them, torture them, kill them.” Rader lived a double-life. On one side Rader was a husband to Paula Dietz and a father as well. On the other side, Rader was a serial killer who strangled women. There really is no full telling of the real reason that serial killers kill but part of the reason Rader did is because of the sexual pleasure that he received from killing. This isn’t however uncommon amongst serial killers. Serial killers tend to kill based on experiences that happened throughout their lives. A concept from our book that describes this is contrast effect. Contrast effect is defined as “the effect of punishment on human behavior depends on how much the punishment and the usual life experience of the person being punished differ or contrast (p.73).” This term ties into the previous sentence because people cope with punishments or experiences in different ways. Some people have a way to look past them and others may never forget. The one’s that never forget may also act out in the future and cope with this in a criminal way. This is not however, the same with every serial killer, but this can play a big role into what these killers do with their lives. How you are raised is a big part into determining what a person is going to grow up to be. Rader was raised in a household with his mom and dad and had four brothers. He grew up in Wichita, Kansas and had some instances where he showed that he was different. In an article by Biography.com they give an insight of Rader’s childhood. “Reportedly masking such disturbing behavior as hanging stray animals (Biography.com, 2019).” After his childhood, Rader dropped out of college and started working. He also married his wife and was looked at as a normal guy by his neighbors and others who knew him. From the outside there were no signs (besides his childhood), that led anyone to believe that Rader was a serial killer. During the course of Rader’s life there were a lot of ups and downs. He was the only one who knew what he had done. Why serial killers kill is one question, but putting a stop to it before they start could be a big factor into it as well. Most serial killers have tells when they are younger that lead to them killing.

​After Rader dropped out of college he joined the U.S. Air force and then got a job for an outdoor-supply company. This was also around the same time that Rader got married as well. Not too long after there was a family of 4 that were all strangled to death. As I talked about earlier in my first paragraph, part of the reason Rader kills is because of the sexual desire he has. There was semen found at the house that this family of 4 (The Otero’s) were strangled to death. This sexual desire is what drives Rader to kill and is what makes him do it again. The scary part was that this was only the beginning for Rader. Later during the same year Rader murdered a women in the same way that he murdered the Otera family. The only difference with this murder is that he stabbed her. Rader then went on to murder 5 more people that are known deaths caused by Rader. Rader’s 10 known victims were murdered between 1974 and 1991.

​The first theory that ties into this case is rational choice theory. Rational choice theory is defined as “A neoclassical theory that offenders are free actors responsible for their own actions

(Anthony Walsh, 2018, p. 85).” This goes with Dennis Rader’s case because rational choice theory is not only about people being responsible for their own actions, it is also about pleasure and motivation. Rader was a serial killer motivated by the pleasure he received from seeing a women struggle. This started early in his childhood during an instance with his mom. At a young age Rader found what pleasured him the most and that was seeing a women struggle. A book that I found written by Katherine Ramsland points out on page 14 that some serial killers minds can think of anything, and that you can think of whatever you want with your mind. Another point Katherine makes on this page is that there is a fantasy for a serial killer that is motivated by what they want, some serial killers want to kill because of fulfillment and others may be sexually aroused by killing someone. This is only a small part of her book, but I believe that this goes well with Dennis Rader’s case and rational choice theory as well. Rational choice theory points out that a criminal act is a choice. For some this choice is harder to resist than others but, in the end, there is still a choice to make.

​The next theory that I believe fits in well with this case is arousal theory. Arousal theory is a concept of how people act upon their emotions. This theory also explains that some people have different emotions than others. For example, say you are standing next to a stranger in line at a fast food restaurant. All of a sudden, a man gets hit by a car. My reaction will be different than his. This relates to serial killers because they do not show remorse. It is almost like they do not have feelings and basically, they don’t care. The reason I believe that this theory fits in with Rader is because of why he started killing. Rader was aroused by the struggle of women.

​The last theory that I believe represents this case is the anomie theory. The anomie theory is a theory that describes how a criminal fulfills their needs through crime. In our textbook anomie theory also described as “insatiable appetites”. This means that criminals express their feelings through crime and they won’t stop until they are fulfilled. These criminals do not think whether or not their actions will hurt others. They basically do whatever they want for themselves. This applies to Dennis Radar because Dennis lived to separate lives and one life no body knew about. In this life Rader was a serial murderer who expressed his feelings through strangulation. In an article I found titled The Sociological Routine of a Serial- Killer, Craig Forsyth explains how some serial killers really do have two separate identities. Most serial killers have to be good at manipulating others and have a charming personality such as Ted Bundy. Rader also did this in somewhat of a different way. Rader was a master at blending in with the community and hiding who he really was. This makes the world we live in just a little more untrusting than it should be.

​I believe that the anomie theory best explains Rader’s case. This theory basically describes Rader. Rader acted upon how his emotions told him to no matter how bad they were. Also, because Rader was good at hiding his other life along with being friendly with everyone in his community.

​Rader was a normal nice guy with a wife and kids. At least that’s what everyone who knew him thought. Rader led two different lives. One filled with love and compassion for his friends and family and the other life was filled with ruthless emotions and pleasure from murdering. Rader ended up finally being caught and arrested in 2005. Rader sent tapes to the media and wrote messages letting everyone know that there was a serial killer in town. There is no saying how many people he really killed but arresting him gave a lot of people stress relief and hopefully helped their pain out some as well.

Works Cited

1. Anthony Walsh, C. J. (2018). Criminology The Essentials. Sage.
2. Biography.com. (2019, January 15). Dennis Rader Biography. (A&E Television Networks) Retrieved from Biography.com: https://www.biography.com/people/dennis-rader-241487
3. Forsyth, Chris. (2015). Posing: The Sociological Routine of a Serial Killer. Southern Criminal Justice Association.
4. Hansen, Mark. (2006). How the Cops Caught BTK: American Bar Association.
5. Miller, Laurence. (2013). Serial killers: II. Development, dynamics, and forensics. Elsevier Ltd.
6. Ramsland, Katherine, (2006). Inside the minds of serial killers: Why they kill. CT, USA: Praeger Publishers/ Greenwood Publishing Group.
7. Simons, Erica. (2005). Forensic Computer Investigation Brings Notorious Serial Killer BTK to Justice. American College of Forensic Examiners.

Anders Behring Breivik, The Zodiac Killer, And Lizzie Borden As Serial Killers

The thought of an individual doing something horrific once always weighs on one’s mind, but the thought of an individual doing something horrific multiple times and not being stopped creates terror and fear in the minds of the public. This is exemplified by serial killers, committing grotesque acts of murder repeatedly and not being caught or stopped. Why are there serial killers? How do they get away with murder for so long, or not even get caught? A serial killer is someone who commits a series of murders with or without motive, but typically by following a characteristic, or predictable behavior pattern. Three such serial killers are Anders Behring Breivik, the Zodiac killer, and Lizzie Borden. These three serial killers did what, to normal people, find extremely taboo, violent, and horrifying beyond belief.

Anders Behring Breivik is a Norwegian born serial killer. He was born on the 13th of February 1979. On the 22nd of July, 2011 he killed 77 people in a bombing attack and assault on a summer camp for children. The building he bombed was a New Zealand government building, with some of the government officials’ children having been at the summer camp (Biography.com 1). For someone to not only to bomb a government building, but to then go and shoot up a summer camp for children is extremely scary. To think security and emergency responses are not as good as expected, this also creates even more disbelief and fright. There is a movie made about this event, it follows Breivik throughout the preparation of the attack, planning, and the carrying out of the attack. The reason he carried out the attack on the government is because of his own beliefs. During his trial, Breivik performed a Nazi salute, offending everyone in the courtroom and even the public who heard and saw it on the news. He is currently serving a 21-year sentence in a prison near the city of Skien (Profile 2). After committing these violent attacks, he had the audacity to perform a Nazi salute. This is extremely disrespectful, but proves how psycho he really was.

The Zodiac killer was a pseudonym created by an American serial killer that is still unidentified to this day. In letters he wrote to the press, the Zodiac claims he murdered 37 people, however investigators believe he only had seven victims, two of which ended up surviving the attacks. (Zodiac Killer-Police Reports 3). This crazy serial murder spree is frightening to everyday people. To think a killer is unidentified and roaming about creates panic. The Zodiac was active between 1966 and 1969, his hunting grounds primarily in northern California. In letters to the press, the Zodiac would taunt the people of California, wanting his name and writing plastered all over the newspapers. The murders seem to have been completely random, although he claimed his motive to be that he was claiming slaves for the afterlife. (Zodiac Killer Biography.com 3). Random attacks mean a victim will not know if they fit a profile, or if they are a predicted target. This makes roaming the streets even more nerve racking. The case remains to be mysterious, however there is still hope that one day he could be found, and if still alive be prosecuted for his crimes.

Lizzie Borden was an American woman who was believed to have slaughtered her father and stepmother in the home they all shared. The murders of Andrew Borden and Abby Borden took place in Fall River, Massachusetts on August 4th 1892. (Lewis 1). The victims were her father and stepmother, bringing chills to uncover. This type of murder also creates unrest to parents, grandparents, and individuals planning to raise children. The scene was brutal, with Abby and Andrew having been hacked to death with an axe, Andrew’s wounds were primarily in his face and he was unrecognizable. Police found Lizzie Borden’s demeanor suspicious from the start of the investigation. After the investigation, Lizzie Borden was summoned to trial June 5th, 1893. Hatchets were found on the property and were believed to be the murder weapon used by Lizzie Borden, and although no bloody clothing was found, Lizzie Borden was witnessed burning a dress of hers (Linder 2). The cover up of the crime was thought out, but not executed very well. Most serial killers would cover up their tracks, but Lizzie did not do so very well, especially with burning clothes in the open. The trial concluded with Borden being acquitted and no one else being prosecuted for the murders. To this day there are many theories that Borden did commit the murders and why she might have, however Borden lived out her life peacefully, remaining in the same town of Fall River and passed away in 1927.

Serial killers might always be about to prowl, but the unknown is where they are, what they are doing, or who their next victim will be. The amount of pride left in some of them after being caught and convicted is gut wrenching, especially after putting that on top of all they have done. These insane individuals have committed acts that most would be unable to imagine. The thought of these grotesque crimes being executed in your neighborhood is scary to think about, but surprisingly more common than you think. The way these horrendous individuals are caught could take months, years, or in some cases never, all while living near you. Your neighbor, friend, coworker, or even child could be the next Anders Behring Breivik, Zodiac killer, or Lizzie Borden.

Works Cited

1. “Anders Behring Breivik.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 2 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/people/anders-behring-breivik-20617893.
2. Lewis, Jone Johnson. “Did Lizzie Borden Give Her Mother 40 Whacks?” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 9 Apr. 2018, www.thoughtco.com/lizzie-borden-biography-3528719.
3. Linder, Doug. The Lizzie Borden Trial or The Lizzie Borden Case, law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lizzieborden/bordenhome.html.
4. “Profile: Anders Behring Breivik.” BBC News, BBC, 12 Apr. 2012, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-14259989.
5. “Zodiac Killer | Zodiac Killer Ciphers | Zodiac Killer Letters | Zodiac Killer Podcast | Zodiac Killer Police Reports | Arthur Leigh Allen | Arthur Lee Allen.” Zodiac Killer | Zodiac Killer Ciphers | Zodiac Killer Letters | Zodiac Killer Podcast | Zodiac Killer Police Reports | Arthur Leigh Allen | Arthur Lee Allen, zodiackiller.com/.
6. “Zodiac Killer.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 15 Jan. 2019, www.biography.com/people/zodiac-killer-236027.

Biography of Elon Musk: Essay about Famous Entrepreneur

Elon Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, and is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. He is making big moves against climate change and space exploration, and his goal in life is to make the world a better place.

Elon Musk was the eldest of 3 children and he went to school a year early. His mother was a model and nutritionist, and his dad was an engineer. When he was at school, as a kid he read a lot of books and was picked on by his friends, a nerd, as his mother would say. With this little social life and a photographic memory, he was very good at school, and when he was 12, he joined a computer programming class. Being much more advanced than his teacher already, he designed a computer game, and with his brothers help they tried to open an arcade. They had rented out a stall at the mall and it was going to be a big event, but it didn’t happen in the end because neither of them asked their parents. This achievement at such a young age was showing how much initiative he had and how much potential he had in life.

Elon left South Africa to avoid mandatory military service and moved to Canada and then to America. He went to Stanford for an engineering and business degree, but rarely went to class and just went for the exams because he found it boring. He decided to drop out of college for a year and try to make a website, as the college said he could come back if it failed. Musk made a website that was an online newspaper, which wasn’t a thing yet because the Internet was just a couple of years old. He put $2000 into making the website and later sold for 307 million dollars in cash to the New York Time when he was just 28 years old. With this amount of money anyone could have retired and brought their own mansion, but Musk had other plans. Just 2 years later he noticed that transferring money was a very slow process as it was done by checks in the Mail. Since the Internet was young, he decided to try and make a new way to transfer money online. With all the money he made from his newspaper website he made a website called x.com that made it easy to transfer money online. This company later became PayPal, which he sold so 1.5 billion dollars and was the largest shareholder with 180 million dollars of shares in the company. This was when he was just 30 years old.

By then he was still so young and so rich he could have retired, and the next generation of his family could have been millionaires, but he didn’t want to stop there. In June 2001, Elon Musk founded SpaceX, a space exploration company, that would design new rockets and make space travel easier. His goal in this company was to make international space travel a thing for everyday people and to get to Mars. His main idea was around rockets because they hadn’t really been updated or improved since the 60s when we landed on the moon. After some negotiation he signed a deal with NSAS to build the rockets they would use and to fund him to make them. He also gave the money to start a new company called SolarCity, which was run by his cousins. Musk wasn’t really involved in that much he just wanted a big company that sold solar panels. It was successful and now one of the largest solar panel industries in the US.

Three years later, in April 2004, Elon Musk launched Tesla. His main aim in making Tesla was to make electric cars that would lower greenhouse gas emissions. With all the money and investments, he had the company produced an expensive high-end car that some celebrities and other people bought, and it slowly grew and attention. Over the years the company went up and down making new batteries and car designs and eventually Musk had to take over of CEO and give all his last investments into the company. Eventually making the model S, a cheaper car, Muck got 90 million funding from Barack Obama as president and mass produced the car. People criticized the decision of putting this much money into you’re the car but overtime the car sold and Tesla paid back the government the 90 million plus interest 9 years early. Tesla is now looking to make an even cheaper car that they can mass produce and so to the world to reduce carbon emissions dramatically.

Elon Musk is now a famous entrepreneur and known worldwide for his efforts. He is still working hard to make a difference in the world and out of this world. His life is such an amazing story and he is adored by so many people for what he has done and is doing to save the planet and more.

Steve Jobs: The God of Apple

Wire rimmed glasses, black turtleneck, and jeans society automatically knows this symbolizes Steve Jobs. The population also knows him from one five letter word, ‘Apple’. Steve Jobs is so influential to society that they know him from the smallest details. However, he was not always an influential person. He had to start from the bottom and push through barriers, trials, and tribulations and in the end, he succeeded. Steve Jobs became one of the most well-known technological engineers in power throughout all the endeavors that he endured.

Steve Jobs’ life all started when he was born on February 24, 1955, in San Francisco, California. He was given up for adoption by his mother. Soon after, he was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, California. As he attended school, he was not like the rest of the children. He was not interested in regular learnings. Instead, he was a class clown because he was so bored. His parents decided to move to Los Altos, California, when he was in junior high because he was not getting challenged enough. When he got to high school, he found an interest in technology. Once he knew what he wanted, he was determined. He was actually so bold that he contacted William Hewlett, the president of Hewlett Packard, so he could acquire some parts that he needed for an electronics project. The fact that he was bold and knew what he wanted benefited him in the end. He not only obtained the parts; he was offered a summer job at Hewlett Packard. He proceeded to graduate from high school in 1972. Jobs later attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, for two years before he dropped out abruptly.

Although Jobs dropped out, he did not let that become a burden onto him. He moved forward and stayed in company with a group that called themselves the Homebrew Computer Club. The ‘club’ was led by Steve Wozniak, whom Jobs coincidentally knew from high school. At this point in time, computers were complicated and Wozniak wanted to engineer a small, simple system. While Wozniak worked on building the machine, Jobs lined up financing and grew his dream of marketing to the masses. This is where Apple all started, and it all began in a garage. The prototype that was produced was the original Apple computer. The first customer liked is so much that he immediately ordered 25 of the machines. It stood out more than other computers because it had a circuit board and many other features, like the fact it could load and read programs from other sources. Soon after, in 1977, Jobs and Wozniak came out with the second generation of the machine, the Apple II. It was only up from there. Sales of the Apple II were $2.7 million that first year, and in three years, sales skyrocketed to $200 million. Before they knew it, Wozniak and Jobs, both college dropouts, were multimillionaires before the age of 30. They did not celebrate for too long because Wozniak soon left the firm and returned to Berkeley to finish college. The decline continued as more competition was arising such as IBM, Radio Shack, and Commodore. The release of the Apple III was plagued by technological issues and ineffective marketing. They just could not compete with lower-priced machines from IBM. At the point, they had lost half of their market share to IBM. The bad news does not stop there. Apple soon came out with the Macintosh model in 1984. It was meant to be even more user-friendly, but it had its ‘Achilles heel’. Jobs did not include a hard disk drive or offer a top-quality printer with it. Soon after he left Apple to venture out.

After departing from Apple, Jobs started a new computer company, NeXT, which aimed to reach the educational market. He also acquired Pixar Animation Studios for $10 million from filmmaker, George Lucas. He took a risk and invested $50 million into Pixar. It all paid off in the end when first wholly computer-animated film, ‘Toy Story’ was a certified smash hit when it was released in 1995. Pixar thrived with ‘A Bug’s Life’ and the sequel to ‘Toy Story’. By 1999 Jobs’ 73 percent share of Pixar was worth $1.1 billion. It did not stop there. Pixar went on to make several more profitable films, including ‘Finding Nemo’ and ‘The Incredibles’. Shortly after, Apple was in dire need of his help. Apple acquired Jobs as a part-time consultant for Apple’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Gilbert Amelio. Jobs climbed his way back to the top and soon took over as interim CEO of the troubled company. In less than two years, jobs had brought the company back to where it needed to be when they introduced the iMac. Much later he produced the iPhone, which is widely known to this day. It did hit a few bumps in the road due to some scandals.

The continuing success of Apple was overshadowed, unfortunately, by Jobs’ health problems. In January 2009, Jobs announced that he had a treatable hormone imbalance. He was still trying to stay strong and push through because he cared so much about the company. He even vowed to run Apple while receiving treatment. A few weeks later, he stated that he was going to take a six-month medical leave of absence due to his health problems. Jobs later officially resigned as CEO of Apple in late August 2011. He did not want to bring the company down with him so he resigned. Only a caring would do that. Unfortunately, Jobs passed away at his home in Palo Alto on October 5, 2011.

Although Steve Jobs has passed away, he has left a legacy of power and growth behind for all of the world to see. He worked his way up from the bottom to get what he wanted, and that he certainly got. He once said, “Stay hungry, Stay foolish”. That quote is basically saying that if you want something, you need to go get it. People cannot just sit there and wait for things to be handed to you because that is not what life is. Life is about the struggle. People have to fight for what you want. So, if Steve Jobs, a drop out, could start a company from a little garage, then there should not be anything from stopping anyone else from what they want to do in life. There just has to be the drive.

Works Cited

1. Shea, Therese. Steve Jobs and Apple. Rosen Pub., 2013.
2. ‘Steve Jobs’. Business Leader Profiles for Students, edited by Sheila Dow and Jaime E. Noce, vol. 1, Gale, 1999. Gale In Context: Biography, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1604000120/BIC?u=prin35678&sid=BIC&xid=0000a8a0 Accessed 17 Jan. 2020.
3. ‘Steve Jobs’. Newsmakers, Gale, 2000. Gale In Context: Biography, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1618002887/BIC?u=prin35678&sid=BIC&xid=0f4c816b Accessed 17 Jan. 2020.
4. ‘Steven Jobs’. Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, Gale, 1998. Gale In Context: Biography, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1631003374/BIC?u=prin35678&sid=BIC&xid=91bd426a Accessed 17 Jan. 2020.

Steve Jobs Commencement Speech: Rhetorical Analysis Essay

The speaker I chose to critique was the great Steve Jobs. I feel like Stanford chose him to speak because he was revolutionizing the tech world. The audience of this speech is all people who want to have a career in a field that they actually like. The audience would be excited to have Steve Jobs speak at their graduation because he has the ultimate rags-to-riches story. People want to be like him because he had the confidence to stand up for himself and see that what he was doing in college wasn’t interesting to him. So he dropped out 6 months into college to be a drop-in for 18 months to classes that actually intrigued him.

Steve Jobs’s main objective was to inspire kids to “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” Stay hungry in life never be satisfied by what you have achieved in the past because you’ll eventually fall behind. To quote Herbert Spencer: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” So never stop learning and always look out for the next big thing. The day you get satisfied with your life, your life will come to a standstill and the world will continue to move without you. Stay Foolish smart people know you can’t touch the stars but that shouldn’t stop you from trying. When you don’t know the limit then you don’t have a limit. “The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” by Albert Einstein. So gain Knowledge and use that knowledge to challenge the status quo.

Steve Jobs moves logically from point to point with 3 life stories from the heart. In his speech, Jobs demonstrates the virtuous use of rhetorical appeals in the development and presentation of one of the most persuasive commencement speeches in order to draw the student’s attention to the significant questions which can contribute to changing a person’s life. The uniqueness of Jobs’ approach is in the use of the reverse variant of the ethos as the rhetorical appeal because Jobs has no credibility to discuss the importance of university education, but he has the credibility to discuss the points necessary for professional success because of stating his position as the co-founder of Apple, Inc., NeXT and Pixar. The credibility of Jobs’ considerations depends on the presentation of his own personal and life background and experiences to support his ideas. The use of pathos in the speech is observed when the author concludes with the results of his experience: “If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do” (Jobs). Nevertheless, Jobs’ goal is to persuade the graduates to act and find the things that they love to do, and the focus on logos is observed in the stories’ concluding sentences when Jobs provides the logical argument: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work” (Jobs). These concluding remarks are based on the logical rethinking of the evidence and facts presented as examples from the author’s experience.