Why did all of the famous serial killers - Ramirez, Bundy, Gacy, Dahmer, BTK & Green River

What was it about that time? Always been curious.

by Anonymousreply 64April 14, 2018 3:33 AM

It is strange how many weird serial killers and such popped in those decades. Maybe because people were really starting to move around a lot and that allowed serial killers to flourish because people living transient lifestyles often weren't missed right away?

by Anonymousreply 1February 4, 2018 3:06 PM

I've wondered about this as well OP. What R1 wrote makes sense, I think it was also a much more free-spirited time when people were less cautious than in the decades preceding and following.

by Anonymousreply 2February 4, 2018 3:09 PM

Surely you will guffaw at the suggestion, but some have speculated that government-administered mind-control experiments of the 1950s-70s may have created some serial killers directly or indirectly. As one example, Charles Mason supposedly participated in some federal clinical studies that may have been related to MKULTRA etc when he was young. When he later ran his murderous cult, he administered microdoses of LSD to his followers, which effectively would have made them more vulnerable to programming. That’s how some MKULTRA experiments operated: LSD and other psychotropic drugs were given at various doses along with mental “programming” to determine how human beings can be programmed for covert operations. Manson may have observed and experienced this and then used it the practice for his own purposes later in life.

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by Anonymousreply 4February 4, 2018 4:30 PM

Also, legalized abortion.

by Anonymousreply 5February 4, 2018 4:56 PM

^ That should read, the absence of legalized abortion.

by Anonymousreply 6February 4, 2018 4:58 PM

It's unimaginable to younger people now, but you used to be able to live and wander the country totally anonymous. No credit checks, no ID shown, nothing--you could get a job, rent a place to stay, stay in a motel, fly, shop, all without giving any real info whatsoever.

There used to be a more laissez-faire attitude about children, too. The school/social worker involvement and reporting of oddities in kids' behaviors and home life didn't exist at the level it does now. I also think that the fad during the forties and fifties for treating infants and young children as if they needed to be isolated, harshly disciplined, and not held or touched too much had a terrible effect on a subset of susceptible humans.

by Anonymousreply 7February 4, 2018 6:00 PM

R7 Yes, I remember that 'drifter' culture, which was represented in so many TV shows like 'Run For Your Life' and 'The Fugutive' and 'The Invaders'. Easy for a generic-looking white young/middle-aged man to blend in to the background. Petty criminals sometimes turned into mass murderers like Richard Speck, but many of them must have gotten away with less severe crimes. We are only aware of the 'celebrity' ones.

by Anonymousreply 8February 4, 2018 6:36 PM

I suspect the number of serial killers isn't what's changed, it's the amount of publicity they get.

The most famous ones (such as the Zodiac and BTK) used to send taunting letters to the police or the press and got many headlines that way, that's changed. Either because law enforcement has asked the media to stop giving these wackjobs the press they crave, or because it's so hard to send a taunting letter without leaving an electronic trail or DNA evidence that the serial killers have stopped doing it. I suspect they're out there same as ever, taking steps to avoid too much notoriety and leaving DNA traces on their victims, working in different juristictions or making sure their ritualized kills are never found. Modern DNA-based crime scene investigation has become so sophisticated that I don't see how it's possible to be both a serial killer and a celebrity like the Zodiac, so no more famewhoring unless you plan to go out with a bang.

by Anonymousreply 9February 5, 2018 12:43 AM

Imagine any Zodiac letters being published in 2018! One DJT tweet and one exposed Kim Kardashian boob later nobody would be talking about the Zodiac killer anymore.

by Anonymousreply 10February 5, 2018 12:47 AM

There was no internet. Nowadays, many would-be killers and would-be victims are too busy posting on facebook, taking selfies on instagram or making bitchy comments on DL.

Sometimes, the internet is the cause of murders but much rarer now than when people were all out hitchhiking and interacting with people.

by Anonymousreply 11February 5, 2018 1:17 AM

I suspect R9 is correct about the amount of publicity then vs. now.

And with the increase in violent straight porn, I wonder how many sadists there out there killing hookers. If a hookers just disappears do the police or the FBI care? How about in countries where sex tourism is big business? Maybe manufacturing companies aren't the only ones taking their business overseas...

by Anonymousreply 12February 5, 2018 2:13 AM

Cellphones cramped their style. Now their potential victims could be found missing all that much sooner and easier.

by Anonymousreply 13April 2, 2018 1:23 AM

I *knew* MK Ultra would come up.

by Anonymousreply 14April 2, 2018 1:33 AM

Serial killers are still around, but you gotta have a gimmick to get people's attention. A killer who preys on drug-addicted hookers and/or homeless folks just isn't going to cut it.

by Anonymousreply 16April 2, 2018 1:54 AM

[quote] all overlap in the 1970s & 1980s? What was it about that time?

Jimmy Carter has much to answer for.

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by Anonymousreply 17April 2, 2018 1:54 AM

What am I, chopped liver?

by Anonymousreply 18April 2, 2018 1:58 AM

R15 Boomer-Hate Troll F&F/Blocked.

by Anonymousreply 19April 2, 2018 2:09 AM

Now we have mass killings instead.

by Anonymousreply 21April 3, 2018 10:48 PM

As others have alluded to, technological advances led to their decreased prevalence. For example, BTK was identified when he got cocky, started getting publicity again and started sending messages to the police which in the past were not traced to him. BTK wasn’t aware of his newfound traceability.

by Anonymousreply 22April 3, 2018 10:48 PM

I heard one theory that the serial killers were boys born to men who came back from WW2 and Korea. They had untreated PTSD and that fucked up their kids.

by Anonymousreply 23April 3, 2018 10:59 PM

Having been born in the decade after it, I've been trying to figure out why the 1970s played out the way it did, I and I can only assume it was a combination of lead fumes in gasoline and paint, oil fumes from polyester clothes, smog and pollution in major cities, and the whole "better living through chemistry" mentality of the post-WWII era collapsing on itself.

by Anonymousreply 24April 3, 2018 11:02 PM

All sons of prostitutes? Is that really a thing with serial killers, or am I misinformed?

by Anonymousreply 25April 3, 2018 11:03 PM

I think it might be the same reason that street crime peaked in the 70s and early 80s, and has been receding since:

The baby boom resulted in a huge mass of young men passing through their most violent years all at the same time.

by Anonymousreply 26April 3, 2018 11:11 PM

We are not fame whores nowadays. We just enjoy killing.

by Anonymousreply 27April 3, 2018 11:11 PM

Killing, murder, and crimes are down in general, R27.

by Anonymousreply 28April 3, 2018 11:18 PM

Why were so many connected to the west coast?

by Anonymousreply 29April 3, 2018 11:20 PM

Drugs,the occult, hippies, free love, "loose" women (and men), baby!^

by Anonymousreply 30April 3, 2018 11:22 PM

Plus, California has always been more accepting of misfits and eccentricities.. a person who might be deemed "weird" somewhere else could more easily blend in or find acceptance there.

by Anonymousreply 31April 3, 2018 11:23 PM

In addition, there was less population density in the West.

by Anonymousreply 32April 4, 2018 12:26 AM

R25 you are mistaken. I think that belief comes from the fact that many of the victims are prostitutes. People theorized that the men hated hookers because they hated their hooker mothers. In reality hookers become victims because they are much easier for the killers to get access to. Most women won't get in a car with a strange man. Prostitutes are less likely to be reported missing. The longer it takes for the cops to start investigating the better the chances are of getting away with it.

by Anonymousreply 33April 4, 2018 12:27 AM

Just wanted to add that a lot of them had troubled childhoods, just not all the sons of prostitutes.

by Anonymousreply 34April 4, 2018 12:31 AM

They get caught quicker now, before they become "serial" killers.

by Anonymousreply 35April 4, 2018 12:37 AM

[quote]For example, BTK was identified when he got cocky, started getting publicity again and started sending messages to the police which in the past were not traced to him. BTK wasn’t aware of his newfound traceability.

Out of curiosity, I went to look it up. So, he sent a letter to the police asking if they could trace a floppy disk? The police go on the news and they answer, "no." So then he writes a letter, makes a copy on a floppy disk, then sends it to the news. Then the news gives it to the police who find metadata in a word document which leads them directly to him.

Thank god he's an idiot.

by Anonymousreply 36April 4, 2018 12:55 AM

I do think it's much harder to evade capture now. If you meet someone through a dating app there is an electronic trail. There are more surveillance cameras around. A lot of data is more carefully recorded today. I know long haul truckers was a popular job for serial killers. Since the victims were scattered across different states authorities didn't connect them. Now the truckers are being tracked by the companies. Police enter data into a national database. It's much easier to connect the dots.

by Anonymousreply 37April 4, 2018 3:00 AM

A lot of serial killers have certain traits. Many are born of alcohol fetal syndrome, which causes a severe lack of empathy. Many have had some sort of blunt force trauma to the head in their formative years. Blunt force traumas by falling off bikes, dad/mom shaking you as baby, dad/mom hauling off and hitting you in the head, etc.

Decades have passed with education about drinking during pregnancy and helmets for safety may help to have decreased a 'physical' creation of serial killers. Aaron Hernandez had the worst case of CTE (blunt force trauma) that may increased his anger reactions.

I agree with r21 and r22. We are creating less serial killers, possibly due to reduction of fetal alcohol syndrome and formative years blunt force trauma. But we seem to now have more Mass shooters, which can be attributed to mental health, as well as feeling of isolation with a society that seems to be leaving them behind. Also, technology has advanced for faster capture of our miscreants.

Human trafficking needs to be dealt with. More people just go missing, and seem to get funneled around the world.

by Anonymousreply 38April 4, 2018 3:20 AM

Most serial killers are Scorpios or Gemini’s. Fact.

by Anonymousreply 39April 4, 2018 3:23 AM

[quote] Many are born of alcohol fetal syndrome, which causes a severe lack of empathy.

I like blue.

by Anonymousreply 41April 4, 2018 3:23 AM

OP, the 1960s had their share of serial killers, too.

In fact, the 1960s is when serial killers really got their start.

by Anonymousreply 43April 11, 2018 8:37 PM

[quote]OP, the 1960s had their share of serial killers, too. In fact, the 1960s is when serial killers really got their start. —Richard speck, Boston Strangler, Zodiac Killer, Charles Manson

Cap'n Crunch!

by Anonymousreply 44April 11, 2018 9:06 PM

(*WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTO BELOW*)

Let’s not forget the Hillside Strangler serial killer(s) in Los Angeles in the *’70s* too. They kidnapped, tortured, and murdered many women (including two catholic school girls).

That case really throws a wrench into the whole nature vs. nurture debate about these serial killers.

The Hillside Stanglers ended up being two male cousins from NY or NJ (I forget which) so at first I thought that they must have been fucked up from genetics, but then it turns out one of them was actually adopted, so they were not even blood relatives!

Who knows what happened to make them both so crazy and evil....

Below is a photo of one of their victims in Los Angeles :(

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by Anonymousreply 45April 11, 2018 9:50 PM

R45, yep. These are the Hillside Stranglers, Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono.

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by Anonymousreply 46April 11, 2018 9:54 PM

R7 I think you are exactly right. Succinctly put!

by Anonymousreply 47April 11, 2018 9:58 PM

I heard there's a connection between easier availbility of abortion and the drop in serial killers. Legal abortion means that fewer unwanted and possibly neglected babies are born.

by Anonymousreply 48April 11, 2018 10:12 PM

[quote]Legal abortion means that fewer unwanted and possibly neglected babies are born.

It also means fewer gay babies are born, too.

[quote] Lead in the environment.

This I can buy; some people have credited the fall of the Roman Empire with the ruling class putting lead in their wine to sweeten it. This contributed to making every generation dumber than the one after it.

by Anonymousreply 50April 11, 2018 10:19 PM

Agree with r7, especially the part of everyone is able to tracked (both killers and victims). Plus information/news is available almost immediately.

I think serial killers kill 2-3 times and then are caught. Maybe not so much when prostitutes are targeted. Was the serial killer in Long Island ever caught? He was targeting prostitutes.

The killer of those 2 teenage girls in Indiana (that we’re talking a walk in the woods) is an example of a modern day serial killer. His picture was caught on one of the girls cellphone. Was he ever caught?

by Anonymousreply 51April 11, 2018 10:33 PM

[quote] I know long haul truckers was a popular job for serial killers.

Just funny phrasing.

by Anonymousreply 52April 11, 2018 10:53 PM

[quote] I know long haul truckers was a popular job for serial killers.

[quote] Just funny phrasing.

Is that a good job - FBI agent?

by Anonymousreply 53April 11, 2018 10:57 PM

There’s a cereal murderer with my name on the West Coast. His defense was fetal alcohol syndrome, though he was 30-40. He got life, no parole.

by Anonymousreply 54April 11, 2018 11:09 PM

Was his name Count Chocula, R54?

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by Anonymousreply 55April 11, 2018 11:13 PM

Well, stay tuned to Toronto news for an update on whatever happened to 70s/80s serial killers. Toronto Police, who arrested and charged Bruce McArthur with currently 7 murders (and sounds like many more charges to come) dating from 2010, are now reviewing murder cases connected to Toronto’s Gay Village all the way back to 1975-1997. It was snnounced today tnat they are focussing on 15 cases during that time, but there is the strong possibility that there will be more, and may encompass a larger area than just the city. 75 properties to be searched.

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by Anonymousreply 56April 11, 2018 11:15 PM

^ Wow. He looks like a kindly department store Santa.

by Anonymousreply 57April 11, 2018 11:18 PM

R55, That’s my name, don’t wear it out!

by Anonymousreply 58April 11, 2018 11:20 PM

[R55] hah, you must know that he was a fake Santa for photos with kids, but I think it was some 3rd rate mall set-up, not even a department store. The Agincourt Mall, where he did it for a few years, is decidedly downmarket. It’s all just so hideous. He appeared in court today via video from a segregated area in jail... apparently he has lost 50 lbs while incarcerated; poor him!

by Anonymousreply 59April 11, 2018 11:52 PM

R59, I had no clue. He just has the dept. store Santa look. If I saw him on the street, I would not peg him for a serial killer..

by Anonymousreply 60April 11, 2018 11:56 PM

I love you, R55. You’re magically delicious.

by Anonymousreply 61April 12, 2018 12:13 AM

Hershel how 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 you?

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by Anonymousreply 62April 12, 2018 12:14 AM

I watch Forensic Files and it is amazing how they can find prints and DNA in the damndest places.

Cigarette butts, the mouth area of face masks, single hairs...

And the find them in spots most would miss.

by Anonymousreply 63April 14, 2018 3:29 AM

R17 was on to something. Wasn't Rosalynn Carter photographed with John Wayne Gacy?

by Anonymousreply 64April 14, 2018 3:33 AM

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